How To Change YouTube Thumbnail

This Itechguide teaches you how to change YouTube thumbnail. The guide offers steps to change YouTube thumbnail from a PC or from the YouTube Studio App – one section offers steps for Android, another for iPhone.

This guide assumes that you already uploaded a video to your YouTube channel and just need to modify the thumbnail. It does not cover steps to change thumbnail while uploading a new video.

Option 1: Change Thumbnail from a PC

• Open Studio.YouTube.com from your PC and login with your YouTube Account.
• Then on the left pane of the site, click Videos.

The tabs in my image appears like icons because I had to reduce the page to be able to screen-capture it. When you view the page full screen, the tabs will display the names.

• When the Video tab opens, click the video you want to change thumbnail for.

• Then on the Basic tab, to change YouTube thumbnail, scroll down to Thumbnail section and select a different thumbnail from the list. You could also upload a custom thumbnail – see the next point for steps to do this…

• You can add a custom thumbnail but before you do that your account must be verified and in “good standing”. To upload a custom thumbnail, on the thumbnail section, click Upload thumbnail. If this button is grayed out, see steps to fix it below…

• If Upload thumbnail button is grayed out, hover over the question mark on top – see my mouse button in the image below. Then click VERIFY. The link will open in a new tab. Follow the steps to verify your account.

• When you receive a confirmation that your account has been verified, go back to the YouTube Studio page and refresh it.

• Then on the Thumbnail category, click Upload thumbnail button and upload a an image you want to use as your YouTube video thumbnail.

• When you finish, click SAVE button – top right of the page.

Option 2: Change Thumbnail from the YouTube Studio App for Android

• If you have not installed the YouTube Studio App install it before you proceed. Then open the App on your Android phone.

• When the App opens, click the 3 lines on the top left. Then click Videos.

• To change YouTube thumbnail, click a video from the list.

• When the video opens, on the top right, click the edit icon (like a pencil) – see the image below…

• The video will open for editing. Click Edit thumbnail.

• Scroll down and select a different thumbnail. You could also upload a custom thumbnail by tapping Custom thumbnail.

• After selecting a new thumbnail, scroll up and tap SELECT. You will be returned to the Edit video screen. Tap SAVE.

Option 3: Change Thumbnail from the YouTube Studio App for iPhone

• If you have not installed YouTube Studio App for iPhone, install it before you proceed to the next step.
• Then open the App from your iPhone.

• On the top left of the App, tap the 3 lines – highlighted in black in the image below…

• Then tap Videos. When the list of videos opens, tap to open the video you want to change the thumbnail.

• Finally, to change YouTube thumbnail from iPhone App, tap on the edit button – top right of the video.

• The video will open for editing. To change the thumbnail, tap Edit thumbnail.

• Then, from the list of available thumbnails, tap to select a new thumbnail. If you want to upload and use your own image as thumbnail, tab Custom thumbnail. When you finish, click SELECT.

• You will be returned to the edit video screen. Click SAVE.

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