How to Change the Cover Photo on YouTube Shorts

Choosing the right cover photo for a YouTube Short is one of the most important things you can do to get more views, yet the process for actually changing it can feel confusing. Unlike regular YouTube videos, you can't upload a custom thumbnail file, which leaves many creators wondering what to do. This guide will walk you through exactly how to select the perfect cover image for your Shorts during the upload process and provide strategies to make your content impossible to ignore.

Why Your YouTube Shorts Cover Photo Matters More Than You Think

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Your Short's cover photo, or thumbnail, isn't just a decorative placeholder. It’s a tiny, powerful billboard for your content. In a sea of vertical videos, a compelling cover photo is what makes someone stop scrolling and tap on your video instead of someone else's. It's often the very first impression a potential viewer has of your content and your brand.

There are three key places where your Shorts cover makes a huge impact:

• The Shorts Shelf: As users browse, your cover vies for attention against dozens of others. A dynamic, clear, and intriguing image stands a much better chance of earning the tap.
• Your Channel Page: When a viewer visits your channel, they'll see a grid of your content in the "Shorts" tab. A collection of cohesive, high-quality cover photos makes your channel look more professional and inviting, encouraging deeper exploration.
• Suggested Videos and Search: When your Short appears in search results or as a suggested video, the cover photo does the heavy lifting to communicate what your video is about and convince someone to watch it.

Essentially, a great cover photo increases your video's click-through rate (CTR), signaling to the YouTube algorithm that your content is engaging and worth showing to more people. Spending a few extra seconds to select the right frame is a small investment with a huge potential payoff.

The Step-by-Step Guide: How to Change Your YouTube Shorts Cover Photo

Here’s the most important thing to know right away: you can only select a cover photo for your YouTube Short while you are uploading it from the YouTube mobile app. Unlike long-form videos, you cannot currently upload a custom image or change the cover photo after the Short has been published. That means getting it right during the upload process is critical.

Follow these steps carefully every time you upload a Short:

Step 1: Start the Upload Process on Mobile

This entire process works exclusively within the YouTube mobile app. Open the app on your phone and tap the center plus (+) icon at the bottom of the screen. From the menu that appears, select "Create a Short."

Step 2: Record or Select Your Video Clip

You can either record a new video directly using the Shorts camera or tap the small square icon in the bottom-left corner to upload a pre-edited video from your phone's camera roll. For the best results and more control over your cover photo options, it’s often better to edit your video in a separate app first and then upload the finished product.

Step 3: Make Your Edits and Proceed to the Final Screen

Once your video is loaded, proceed through the standard Shorts editing screens. You can add sound, text, filters, and use other simple editing tools. When you’re happy with the video, tap "Next" in the top-right corner to move to the final details screen.

Step 4: Change Your Cover Photo

This is the most important step! On the "Add details" screen where you write your caption, you will see a preview of your video at the top. In the top-left corner of this video preview, you should see a small pencil icon. Tap it.

Tapping the pencil will open the "Select frame" editor. You'll see a filmstrip of your entire video at the bottom of the screen. Simply slide your finger left and right along this filmstrip to scrub through the video. The main image will update in real-time. Your goal is to find the single most compelling frame in the entire clip to use as your cover.

Step 5: Confirm Your Selection and Upload

Once you’ve landed on the perfect frame, tap the "Done" button in the top-right corner. This will set your chosen frame as the cover photo for your Short. Now you can finish writing your title/caption, set your video's visibility, and tap the final "Upload Short" button.

That's it! When your Short is published, it will now use the frame you selected as its public-facing cover photo across all of YouTube.

What if I Already Uploaded My Short? Can I Change the Cover?

This is one of the most common questions, and unfortunately, the answer is currently no. Once a Short is published, YouTube does not provide a way to go back and edit or change the cover photo. If your Short was automatically assigned a blurry or awkward cover, you are mostly stuck with it.

The only workaround is to delete the video and re-upload it fully, making sure to select your preferred frame during the new upload process. However, you should think carefully before doing this. If you delete a video, you will lose all of the views, likes, comments, and engagement data associated with it. If the Short has already gained some traction, it’s almost always better to leave it as-is and focus on getting the cover right for a future upload.

For this reason, building the habit of selecting a cover image on every single upload is one of the most effective habits a Shorts creator can develop.

Pro Tips for Choosing the Perfect Shorts Cover Frame

Knowing how to change the cover is one thing, knowing what to pick is another. Not all frames are created equal. Use these simple strategies to select a cover photo that grabs attention and earns clicks.

• Prioritize Clarity: First and foremost, the image must be clear and in focus. Avoid blurry frames from moments of high motion unless the blur is intentional and artistic. A sharp, high-quality image looks more professional.
• Show Faces and Emotion: Human brains are hardwired to notice faces. If you are in the video, choose a frame that clearly shows your face. Even better, pick a frame that captures a strong emotion - like shock, excitement, laughter, or intense concentration. This creates instant curiosity.
• Hint at the Story: Your cover should ask a silent question that makes the viewer want to find the answer. A frame captured right before a big moment (the "before" of a before-and-after, the moment before a cake is cut, the glance before a joke's punchline) is often more effective than showing the final result.
• Think About Brightness and Color: Scroll through the Shorts feed. Which videos stand out? Often, they are the ones that are bright, colorful, and have high contrast. Look for a frame that will pop visually, especially when it’s surrounded by other content.
• Plan for it: If you are struggling to find a good frame, consider "baking" one into your video. Hold a specific pose for one full second at the beginning or end of your video clip to specifically serve as a perfect thumbnail option when you get to the selection screen. This takes the guesswork out of the process.
• Consider Your Grid Aesthetics: Remember that your cover photos all live together on your channel's Shorts tab. While each one should be optimized for discovery, think about an overall look and feel. Do you use consistent colors? A similar photographic style? A consistent on-screen expression? Creating a visually appealing grid can turn a first-time visitor into a subscriber.

Final Thoughts

Picking the perfect cover photo for your YouTube Shorts is a simple but vital step in the upload process. By using the on-screen frame selector to pinpoint a dynamic, clear, and curiosity-stoking image, you can dramatically improve your video's chances of getting noticed and build a more professional-looking channel.

As creators, managing a content calendar across multiple platforms can feel like a constant juggle, especially with each platform's unique quirks. It's why we built Postbase from the ground up to be centered around today's video-first reality. Our visual calendar helps you plan all your creative content, including Shorts, so you can map out your strategy at a glance and schedule posts reliably, without wrestling with tools that weren't designed for the way we all create content today.