A clear and visually impactful YouTube banner is an essential component of any channel, as it adds personality to your individual page and sets the tone for your brand and what your channel has to offer. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to achieve any of this is if your YouTube banner isn’t fitting, making this an issue you’ll want to fix as quickly as possible.

In this article, we’ll cover the top four most likely reasons why your YouTube banner isn’t fitting properly. As you read, you’ll learn the ideal specifications for any YouTube banner viewed on various devices, and we’ll not only detail why your banner might not be fitting, but how you could potentially fix this issue as well.

1. Incorrect Banner Dimensions

Without a doubt, the most common reason why any YouTube banner doesn’t appear to fit properly at the top of your channel’s page is probably because the image itself is the wrong side.

When you go to the “Branding” tab of your YouTube account and scroll down to “Banner Image” you’ll notice YouTube states directly next to this option that banners should be at least 2048 x 1152 pixels.

So, if you check the pixels of your current banner and find it is smaller than YouTube’s recommendation, you might have already found the root of your issue. All that’s left to do now is either alter the image to meet these requirements, or find an alternative image of the proper size.

If you’re using a program like Canva or Placeit to create these banners, odds are they will already meet this minimum pixel size requirement. That being said, many YouTubers find that their banners still don’t fit properly with a 2048 x 1152 pixel-sized image and, instead, recommend 2560 x 1440 pixels for superior results across devices/platforms.

The reason for this is that 2560 x 1440 pixels will fit better on larger computer monitors or even television screens, which will ensure you provide the best visual from some of the smallest devices, such as a phone screen, to the largest.

2. Image Is Saved And Uploaded in the Wrong Format

This common cause usually ends in a face palm of disbelief for experienced YouTubers who have created, altered, and uploaded countless images and banners to their accounts; but, it is also something that can easily trip up a new individual who is unfamiliar with the various types of file formats.

Any image intended to be used for a YouTube banner should be saved as a:

• JPG
• PNG
• BMP
• GIF

All files have their own formats that entail what type of data it contains. For example, Word Documents are stamped with the classic DOC or DOCX or can be converted to a PDF for a more versatile save file.

When it comes to your YouTube banner, you’ll want to make sure it is saved in an image format, like those listed above. To ensure this, you’ll want to check the save file’s properties. This can usually be done on any device by right clicking the file and clicking the “Properties” setting where you’ll find the file type abbreviation.

If you find that your banner image is not saved as one of the file types listed above, you’ll want to either convert the file to one that works (this can be done with a number of programs) or, again, opt for an alternative image that can more easily be saved and uploaded in the right format.

3. File Size Is Too Big

This is a relatively rare reason behind any YouTuber’s banner isn’t fitting, but it’s something you’ll want to consider if you’ve found that your banner seems to meet all other specifications.

When you check the specifications YouTube lists next to “Banner Image” you’ll not only find the idea pixel dimensions, but you’ll also see a recommendation that no file exceed 6MB.

In the grand scheme of things, 6MB is a substantial file size for something image-related, like a YouTube banner. Typically, if you’re saving this image from another website or using some of YouTube’s default options, you shouldn’t have an issue here.

Where this gets tricky is when you decide to create your own customized YouTube banner from scratch. In this case, you might be using an editor, like Photoshop, to create a stunning image, and while this is spectacular for branding (when done well) the numerous layers, effects, etc. can result in a massive save file that exceeds YouTube’s 6MB.

This is also a significant concern for individuals who save their banner as a GIF, as the data for GIF animation will undoubtedly take up more space than a static image.

You can go about fixing this issue in one of three ways; you can either edit the banner and remove or simplify elements so the file as a whole takes up less space, or you can use compression programs or folders to reduce the size. Alternatively, people often find success in simply converting the save file to a different another format, like a JPG or PNG file.

4. Aspect Ratio is Off

Our last reason for why your YouTube banner isn’t fitting goes hand-in-hand with the first point on proper dimensions and sizing.

Another crucial specification to consider when uploading a YouTube banner is the aspect ratio, which is simply the ration of the image’s width to its height. Ideally, YouTube banners should have an aspect ratio of 16:9 when considering the minimum pixel dimensions of 2048 x 1152 pixels, and the ideal dimensions of 2560 x 1440 pixels.

That being said, the best aspect ratio for your YouTube banner will predominantly depend on the banner’s sizes. So, if you alter the image to by increasing or decreasing its pixels, you’ll want to alter the aspect ratio respectively to match.

Oftentimes, this isn’t the core issue of why your YouTube banner isn’t fitting (that usually lies with the pixel dimensions themselves) but it can definitely play a role if you notice the ratio is significantly off. Additionally, aspect ratio is closely tied to image resolution, so if your YouTube banner seems to fit just fine, but appears blurry, this might be the culprit.

If you’re still having issues, we recommend using a YouTube Banner Template to ensure the formatting is correct, which should eliminate most issues quickly and easily.