YouTube Branding and Identity Guides
Names, handles, banners and thumbnails: the parts of a channel people see first. Practical guides on choosing a name, checking that a handle is free and getting image sizes and safe areas right, based on YouTube’s published rules.
8 guides
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Branding & Identity8 min read
YouTube Channel Name vs Handle vs ID vs URL
YouTube channel name vs handle: what each identifier is, which are unique, which you can still change, and when to use the handle, the URL or the channel ID.
Name, @, IDthree identifiers every channel has
Branding & Identity10 min read
How to Get Verified on YouTube: 100K Subscribers, Steps
How many subscribers you need to get verified on YouTube (100,000), the 2-Step Verification and profile rules, the Studio steps and what removes a badge.
100Ksubscribers to apply for the badge
Branding & Identity5 min read
How to Download a YouTube Thumbnail: What to Watch For
How to get a video's thumbnail or a channel's profile image at full size, why some videos have no 1280 x 720 version, and what you can do with the image.
1280 × 720largest thumbnail size, missing on some videos
Branding & Identity5 min read
How to Choose a YouTube Channel Name and Handle
A practical way to pick a channel name: what YouTube limits, how a name differs from a handle, and how to test ideas for availability before you commit.
Name + @two separate choices, each changeable
Branding & Identity5 min read
YouTube Banner Size and Safe Area for Channel Art
The official YouTube banner size, the safe area for text and logos, the file limit, and how to check the banner a channel is already using.
2560 × 1440recommended banner size
Branding & Identity5 min read
YouTube Handles: Rules, Changes and Availability
What a YouTube handle is, the official rules for choosing one, how often you can change it and how to check that a handle is free before you commit.
@handleone per channel
Branding & Identity7 min read
YouTube Thumbnail Size and Safe Zones in 2026
The official YouTube thumbnail size, formats and file limits, plus where the video length badge covers your image and how to check it before you upload.
3840 × 2160recommended thumbnail size
Other topics
Free tools for this topic
The tools these guides send you to, ready to run on your own channel or video.
- YouTube Channel Name Availability CheckerCheck if a YouTube handle is available or not.
- YouTube Channel ID FinderResolve any handle or custom URL to its underlying channel ID.
- YouTube Channel Name GeneratorGenerate niche-specific handle ideas and check live availability.
- YouTube Thumbnail DownloaderSave a channel avatar or a video thumbnail in full resolution.