How to change your YouTube Shorts thumbnail on iOS and Android
YouTube has rolled out the ability on iOS and Android to choose any frame of your Short to serve as the thumbnail.
Until now, there’s been no way to change your YouTube Shorts thumbnail. This is as most short-form videos are viewed in the Shorts tab, with videos playing instantly. However this restriction has led to unattractive YouTube channels who upload Shorts. Thankfully, YouTube moved Shorts into their own tab on channels last year. That being said, choosing your own thumbnail is still important to ensure your video stands out in places like the YouTube homepage. While you still can’t upload a custom thumbnail, you can now pick any frame of your video to serve as the thumbnail.
How to customize the thumbnail on YouTube Shorts
For now, the feature is only available on the YouTube iOS and Android app, but not desktop. You can currently only pick a thumbnail during this stage and not once the video has been uploaded.
- Upload your Short, then on the final Add details page, tap the pencil icon in the top left corner
- Then, simply drag the white box to your desired frame of the video and tap Done
