If you’ve been wondering how to set thumbnails for YouTube Shorts, here’s how you can do it. While creating a short video, add the thumbnail you want to use directly in the video. Unlike full-length videos, YouTube doesn’t allow you to upload a separate thumbnail for Shorts. Instead, you can only select a thumbnail from the video itself.

After your video is ready, you can either upload it from a PC or directly using the mobile app. If you’re using a PC, make all the necessary edits to the video, such as writing the title, description, tags, etc., and then open the YouTube app (not YouTube Studio). From there, you can edit by clicking on the pen icon and selecting the thumbnail from the video itself.

You can also directly use the YouTube app. For that, you’ll first need to transfer your Shorts from your PC to your phone, and then use the YouTube app to upload the Shorts by choosing the custom thumbnail.

Please note, if the pen icon doesn’t show up, it might be due to country restrictions on YouTube’s part, but otherwise, this method works fine.

We hope this guide was helpful. Thank you very much!