Fixing Problematic YouTube Shorts Thumbnails Display

Video thumbnails are important since they encourage people to click and watch the video. But what if your set YouTube Shorts thumbnail is not showing? YouTube will use a random part of the video as the thumbnail. It may be an unflattering or uninteresting shot. Then, your Shorts video is doomed.

That said, it is a problem you want to solve. Here are 7 FAQs about YouTube Shorts thumbnails. They may help you with fixing this issue.

Q1. Can I Customize YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Yes, you can. YouTube did allow short-form video creators to upload custom thumbnails for their Shorts. However, they aren’t that optimized. For instance, some people may not see them on the Shorts shelf. Also, if you share a link to the video somewhere else, the old video thumbnail may show instead of the new one.

Adding a custom thumbnail for YouTube Shorts is the same as adding one for long-form videos on the platform. Follow these steps:

• Open the YouTube mobile app. Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom center > “Create Short.” Upload, edit, and post your video.

• Get to your desktop computer or laptop. Open your channel’s YouTube Studio.

• On the left navigation menu, click “Content.”

• Click the “pencil” icon next to the Shorts you just uploaded. This video should be at the top of the list.
• Navigate to the Thumbnail section. Click “Create Thumbnail.”

Q2. Why Are YouTube Shorts Thumbnails Not Showing?

It’s not you who’s the only one with Shorts thumbnails not showing. Many short-form content creators on the platform are also facing this issue. A YouTuber took to Reddit to complain about how he uploaded custom thumbnails for all his videos. The thumbnails are correct in the editor. However, YouTube still displays a random frame as the thumbnail on the Shorts shelf.

“They ALL have randomly selected different parts of each video I have uploaded & somehow generated a new/unknown thumbnail that was neither what I uploaded as the custom option nor 1 of the 3 that YouTube auto populated.”

YouTuber on Reddit

The reason behind this is the difference in the thumbnail size. Regular YouTube video thumbnails are in the ratio of 16:9. Meanwhile, Shorts uses a ratio of 9:16. The thing is that YouTube does not yet allow you to upload 9:16 thumbnails. Thus, the thumbnail for Shorts may show correctly on the video section but not on the Shorts shelf.

Q3. How to Fix YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Problem?

Unfortunately, there is no reliable fix to this problem yet. YouTubers have tried different things in hopes that YouTube will display the correct thumbnail for their Shorts.

Some YouTubers have tried using different images. Others have experimented with changing the aspect ratio of the thumbnail or using Adobe editor for ratios. Clearing histories and cache, using different browsers, resizing, and changing the images’ resolution have also been done. Sadly, these are all failed attempts.

Q4. How To Boost Views When I Have no Control Over YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Attracting viewers on Shorts is the same as attracting viewers on the main YouTube. You use interesting thumbnails and video titles. Since thumbnails are out of the options, selecting great video titles has become even more important.

Here are some pointers. Your title should be at most 40 characters. Also, it should be concise and irresistible. And forget about SEO since no one is searching for YouTube Shorts anyway. People consume what they see in their feeds. So instead, the title should be “snappy.” It should intrigue, entertain, or enlighten the viewers. That will net you some views for your Shorts content.

Q5. How To Get More Views on YouTube Shorts?

Forgoing the intro is the way to go. An intro will just prolong the video when people are in Shorts to find bite-sized videos. So jump right into the video content. You can also start the video with a still frame instead. Using hashtags, captions, and text effects are also recommended. And interacting with your audience through comments and pinned comments will keep them coming back to your Shorts channel.

Of course, ensuring that the video quality is high is key to getting more views. For that, you need a good video editor. You can try Wondershare Filmora , a powerful and easy-to-use video editor.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

• Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

• Pause the video.

• Click “Library” on the left panel.

• Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

On a Mobile Phone

• Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

• Like the Shorts video.

• Tap “Library”

• Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

• Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

• Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

• Pause the video.

• Click “Library” on the left panel.

• Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

On a Mobile Phone

• Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

• Like the Shorts video.

• Tap “Library”

• Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

• Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.

Stand Out on YouTube: Innovative Title Brainstroms

Best YouTube Names Generators [+ How to Brainstorm]

Liza Brown

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

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It’s important to have a good name for your YouTube channel – something that people will remember. The following is a list of the 3 best YouTube name generators, an easy step-by-step for brainstorming, and instructions for updating your YouTube name.

Whether you’re a YouTuber beginner or want to improve your YouTube videos to the next level, a good YouTube video editing software will be a good helper. Wondershare Filmora is a video editor for all YouTube creators with plentiful effects and templates, and you can download it directly and have a try before purchasing.

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1. YouTube Name Generators
2. How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name
3. How to Change Your YouTube Name
4. Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Part 1: 3 Awesome YouTube Name Generators

Need some help brainstorming your channel name? Here are 3 tools for getting started. Even if you don’t use one of the names you generate you’ll get some great inspiration.

1. SpinXO

Key points:

- Lots of options

- Checks availability

This is a great generator. If you were brainstorming yourself, you’d probably write out a bunch of words related to yourself and the kinds of videos you want to make and see what goes together. SpinXO does that for you, and mixes in other words that sound good in usernames.

Here’s what happened when I tried to name a hypothetical baking channel:

Not all of the results are great, but there are some cool sounding options in there.

One of the most useful features of SpinXO is that you can check the availability of the usernames. I liked the sound of CupcakesCupola, and when I clicked on it I was able to see that nobody else was using it on other sites.

2. Name Generator

Key points:

- Can be hilarious

- Names tend to be a bit long

This is a fairly limited generator. You plunk in a prefix and a suffix, and it generates a random word or term to stuff between them. Here’s what I got for my fictional cupcake channel:

So, on one hand - that’s hilarious and I’m considering legally changing my name. On the other hand, all of the results look exactly like this (which means they’re all a bit too long). It shows you a longer list if you scroll down:

You can pick your favorite names and it’ll list them out so you can easily copy them into a word document. That’ll be useful if you’re collecting options from several sites.

3. Username Generator

Key points:

- Can generate a huge number of names at once

- You only input one word

For this name generator, you type in one important word and choose how many results you want to see. You can see up to 300 at once.

The generator will take your keyword and add endings (and occasional beginnings) to it. Some endings are words, and some are just suffixes. Here’s what I got:

Part 2: How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name – 3 Easy Steps

The name of your YouTube channel needs to accomplish two things:

1. Tell viewers what your channel is about
2. Stick in viewer’s heads by being catchy and unique

Here’s how you can brainstorm the perfect name for your channel!

Step 1: Gather up relevant words

Open up a journal (or a word document) and start writing down words that relate to you and your channel.

You may want to make one list of ‘you’ words (personality traits, nicknames, titles, etc.) and another of words related to your channel’s category (i.e. gaming, makeup, or baking).

Step 2: Combinations

Start combining your ‘you’ words with your category words to see what sounds good. You may want to use one of the name generators above (anchor) for this part.

Try to keep your name fairly short (3 words or less) so it’s easier for people to remember. Don’t include numbers if you can avoid it.

Step 3: Say it out loud

Once you have a shortlist of potential names, read them aloud to yourself to make sure they sound good. Ideally, you want to get that ‘oh, that has a nice ring to it!’ feeling.

Part 3: How to Change Your YouTube Name

In the early days of YouTube, you couldn’t change your name, but now you can!

1. Click on your account icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose settings.
2. Click Edit on Google.
3. Update your name and click OK.

Part 4: Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Here are several types of YouTube channel URL , wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of a string of numbers and letters, your channel URL included your name? YouTube can do that for you!

You need…

1. 100 Subscribers
2. to have been on YouTube for 30 days
3. use a photo as your channel icon/profile picture
4. have uploaded channel art

Here’s how to get your custom URL:

1. Click on your icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose Advanced under Settings / the gear icon.
2. If you meet the qualifications above, you’ll see ‘You’re eligible for a custom URL’ under Channel Settings.
3. YouTube will show you the custom URL you’re approved for in the Get a custom URL box. You can’t change what’s there, but you can add to the end of it.
4. Click Change URL after reading the terms of use.

You can delete your custom URL and claim a new one, but doing this might be confusing for your followers.

If you already have a YouTube channel name – are you happy with it? How did you choose it?

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

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