How to modify a Youtube short video's thumbnail

Updated on / dernière mise à jour : 05/04/2024

Although this may change in the future, the only way (i know of) to select your own thumbnail when you upload a short video on YouTube is through this method:

1- once your video is created and ready to be uploaded, transfer it to your Android phone (i.e.: in the "Download" folder). Avoid using a tablet because YouTube only considers landscape orientation for thumbnails when doing so. If you want a portrait orientation for your short video thumbnail (which should be the case), you'll need to use an Android phone;

2- now, do not use the YouTube Studio app since it does not allow the modification of thumbnails for short videos. Instead, open the YouTube app;

3- at the bottom of the YouTube app, smack in the middle, you will click on the "+" sign. Then, select "Video" at the bottom of the screen. You should see your video there. Select it by clicking on it;

4- now, you will have to click two times on the "Next" button appearing at the bottom right-side of the screen until you reach the "Add details" section. At the upper-left corner of the screen, you will see a thumbnail that YouTube selected automatically for your video. On this thumbnail, you should also see a pencil icon. Click on it;

5- by doing so, YouTube will allow you to select one of your video's frame as the thumbnail for your short video. Slide to the desired frame, wait a few seconds for the image to appear then click on the "Done" button at the lower right-side corner of the screen;

6- YouTube will now bring you back to the "Add details" section and you should now see that your thumbnail is the one you selected. Good work!

7- Now, one little trick… do not fill any information on this page. Click on "Visibility" and set it to "Private";

8- back to the "Add details" section, you can now click on the "Upload Short" button appearing at the bottom of the screen (wait a few seconds to make sure it has been uploaded properly);

9- once done, open YouTube Studio on your PC. From there, you should see that your short video has been uploaded with the desired thumbnail. You can now continue setting your additional details for your video directly from YouTube Studio (PC) and you'll then simply have to set its visibility to "Public" and finish the process as you would do normally.

And that's it!

I still do not understand why YouTube doesn't include such a pencil icon for thumbnails in YouTube Studio (PC)… let's hope they'll make this change in the near future.

Best regards,

Robert