Video size
YouTube landscape video size
16:9 has been the player shape for two decades. Anything else gets pillarboxed, and pillarboxed video looks like it was made for a different platform.
- Resolution
- 1920x1080
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9
- Also accepted
- 4K 3840x2160
File: MP4, H.264 video, AAC-LC audio at 48 kHz.
Length: Length is effectively unbounded for verified accounts.
Dimensions and ratios are stable. Length and file caps change often, these were checked in July 2026. Platform docs.
Crop calculator
Put in the size of the footage you have. You get the largest 16:9 crop that fits inside it, where to place it, and what to export.
- Crop box
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- Offset from top left
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- Trimmed away
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- Export at
- —
Shaded bands are where the YouTube interface sits. Keep text and faces out of them.
Do the crop on your phone
Cropzen crops, trims and resizes video to these ratios on Android. No watermark, no sign-up, exports up to 4K.
What to watch out for on YouTube
- The progress bar and controls cover the bottom strip while the viewer is interacting.
- Upload 4K when you have it. YouTube gives 4K uploads a better codec even when the viewer watches at 1080p.
- Thumbnails are 1280x720, a separate asset from the video.
Questions people ask
What size should a YouTube landscape video be?
1920 by 1080 pixels, an aspect ratio of 16:9. 16:9 has been the player shape for two decades. Anything else gets pillarboxed, and pillarboxed video looks like it was made for a different platform.
Which aspect ratio does YouTube accept besides 16:9?
4K 3840x2160 all upload, but they show bars or get cropped. 16:9 is the one that fills the frame.
Where does the YouTube interface cover the video?
Roughly the top 0 pixels, the bottom 90 pixels and the right 0 pixels at 1920x1080. Keep text and faces out of those bands.
How do I crop a video I already shot to this size?
Use the calculator on this page to get the exact crop box, then apply it in any editor. On Android, Cropzen does it in a few taps with no watermark and no sign-up.