YouTube Branding Watermark Size: What Does Studio Accept?
YouTube's exact watermark rules, the three display options and the related banner and profile picture sizes on one page.
3 min read
Summary
The YouTube branding watermark size rule is short: a square image of at least 150 x 150 pixels and less than 1 MB. You add it in YouTube Studio under Customization, then Profile, choose when it shows (the whole video, from a custom start time, or the last 15 seconds), and click Publish.
What size should a YouTube watermark be?
YouTube Help gives exactly two rules for the video watermark:
- minimum 150 x 150 pixels
- a square image, less than 1 MB in size
That is the whole list. The help page gives no exact maximum in pixels and no file-type list for the watermark itself. Our own advice: the watermark shows small in the corner of the player, so a simple logo or icon reads better than text.
How do you add a branding watermark in YouTube Studio?
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- From the left menu, select Customization, then Profile.
- Choose a display time.
- Click Change, select your image, adjust the size, then click Done.
- Click Publish.
You set it once there rather than on each upload.
When should the watermark appear?
YouTube offers three display times:
- End of video: the last 15 seconds only
- Custom start time: from a point you choose
- Entire video: all the way through
The last 15 seconds overlaps the stretch where end screens usually run, so check your end screen layout does not crowd that corner.
Where does the watermark show, and can people click it?
YouTube Help says the watermark shows in landscape view on computers and mobile devices, and is not clickable on mobile. It does not show on custom chromeless YouTube players or in Adobe Flash.
Why can't some viewers see my watermark?
The common reasons:
- Made for kids: watermarks are not available on videos set as made for kids. If a video is switched to made for kids later, viewers stop seeing the watermark you added.
- Player type: custom chromeless embeds do not show it.
- Orientation: the help page only lists landscape view.
How do you know if the watermark brings subscribers?
YouTube Help points to the Subscription source report in YouTube Analytics for watermark metrics.
What sizes do the profile picture and banner need?
The same help page lists the other branding images:
- Profile picture: JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG (no animated GIFs), no larger than 15 MB, and it renders at 98 x 98 pixels.
- Banner: at least 2048 x 1152 pixels at a 16:9 aspect ratio, 6 MB or smaller. The safe area for text and logos at that size is 1235 x 338 pixels, and YouTube recommends 2560 x 1440 for TV screens.
FAQ
What is the maximum file size for a YouTube watermark? Less than 1 MB.
Does the watermark have to be square? Yes. YouTube Help says it must be a square image.
Can I show the watermark only at the end? Yes. The End of video option shows it for the last 15 seconds.
Related
- How to add end screens on YouTube
- What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
- How do you add chapters to a YouTube video?
Sources
Lab evidence
What I found running this
Checked on 18 Oct 2026 against YouTube Help's 'Manage your channel branding' page (computer version). Watermark, banner and profile picture sizes are quoted exactly as published there; design advice is labelled as our own. No fresh hands-on upload test in YouTube Studio was done for this post, and menu names may differ slightly between Studio versions.
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