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YouTube Title and Thumbnail Preview: compare up to 3 variants

See titles and thumbnails in mock feeds and search results, and compare up to 3 variants side by side.

  • Free to use
  • Runs in your browser
  • No sign-up

How to use the YouTube Title and Thumbnail Preview

Read what the guide says

This is the YouTube Title and Thumbnail Preview.

See titles and thumbnails in mock feeds and search results,

and compare up to 3 variants side by side.

Enter your channel name and the video length,

then type a title and choose a thumbnail for variant A.

Or press Try an example to fill in sample details.

Add a second and third title or thumbnail to compare,

or leave one empty to reuse the first.

Switch between the layouts and light or dark mode, fix what the checks flag,

and choose the variants to test in YouTube Studio.

It runs in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded.

Try it free on this page.

Runs in your browser. Images are read on your device and never uploaded.

Shown on the thumbnail.

Variants to compare

Up to 3, as in YouTube Studio's A/B test. Leave a thumbnail or title empty to reuse the first one, for a title-only or thumbnail-only test.

Variant A

Variant B

Variant C

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Embed this tool on your websiteFree. Paste one code; it runs in your visitors' browsers.

Copy this code into a page of your site. The tool sets no cookies and sends nothing your visitors type to us. Change height="760" if it needs more room.

Preview the embed

How to embed a free tool on your website

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Open any of our browser tools, such as the GST Calculator.

Below the tool, find Embed this tool on your website, and open it.

Press Copy code.

The code is a frame with the tool in it, plus a short credit line that links to the tool's page.

In your website's editor, add an HTML block where you want the tool, and paste the code.

In WordPress, that's the Custom HTML block.

If the tool needs more room, change the height in the code.

Publish the page, and the tool works on your site.

Here, it's on a sample page for a made-up sweet shop.

Visitors use it right there. It sets no cookies, and sends nothing they type to us.

The credit line under it links to the tool on DigitalSnot.

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About the YouTube Title and Thumbnail Preview

Type up to 3 titles and choose up to 3 thumbnails, with your channel name and the video length. You see each variant in simple mock-ups of a phone home feed, computer search results, the suggested videos list and a small phone list, in light and dark mode, side by side. The tool checks each title against YouTube's 100-character limit and each thumbnail's size, shape, format and file size, and shows where a long title may be cut off. Images are read in your browser and never uploaded.

How it works

  1. Step 1

    Enter your channel name and the video length, then type a title and choose a thumbnail for variant A.

  2. Step 2

    Add a second and third title or thumbnail to compare, or leave one empty to reuse the first.

  3. Step 3

    Switch between the layouts and light or dark mode, fix what the checks flag, and choose the variants to test in YouTube Studio.

YouTube's title and thumbnail rules

Titles can be up to 100 characters and cannot contain < or >. YouTube recommends thumbnails of 3840 × 2160 pixels in a 16:9 shape, at least 640 pixels wide, as JPG or PNG, up to 2 MB in the mobile app or 50 MB from a computer. Custom thumbnails need a verified account.

Testing titles and thumbnails

YouTube Studio's A/B test (Test & compare) can test up to 3 titles, 3 thumbnails or 3 title and thumbnail pairs on one video, and at the end shows the one with the highest watch time to all viewers. It runs on a computer and needs advanced features. Shorts, scheduled live streams, Premieres and videos set as made for kids, for mature audiences or private cannot be tested. This tool helps you choose the variants before you start.

What this tool cannot do

The mock-ups are our preview, not YouTube's own layout: YouTube's apps differ by device and change over time, so where a title is cut off is approximate. The suggested size for thumbnail text is our suggestion. The tool cannot predict which variant will win, and it does not sign in to YouTube or upload anything.

Frequently asked questions

How long can a YouTube title be?

Up to 100 characters, and YouTube does not allow < or > in titles. Long titles are often cut short in feeds and lists, so put the words that matter first. The tool highlights the part of each title that fits in every mock-up, as our preview.

What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?

YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels in a 16:9 shape, and accepts thumbnails at least 640 pixels wide. Save it as JPG or PNG: the limit is 50 MB from a computer and 2 MB in the mobile app. Custom thumbnails need a verified account, so verify your channel with a phone number first.

How do I A/B test YouTube titles and thumbnails?

In YouTube Studio on a computer, with advanced features, you can test up to 3 titles, thumbnails or title and thumbnail pairs on a video. At the end YouTube shows the one with the highest watch time to all viewers, and results can take up to about two weeks. Use this tool to compare the variants before you set up the test.

Why does my thumbnail text look tiny?

Thumbnails are often shown small, for example in the suggested videos list. The tool shows each thumbnail at the size of its smallest preview and suggests how tall the letters should be on your image, which is our suggestion rather than a YouTube rule. Fewer, larger words are easier to read.

Does it show exactly how YouTube will look?

No. The mock-ups are plain sketches of common layouts, with a placeholder view count and date. YouTube's apps differ by phone, computer and app version, so treat where a title is cut as approximate. The checks for title length and thumbnail size follow YouTube Help.

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