You’ve probably spent hours agonizing over your "Starting Soon" screen or that perfect animated emote. But then you look at your channel when you're not live, and it’s just... empty. Or worse, it’s a blurry, stretched mess that looks like it was made in MS Paint circa 1998. It happens because people treat the twitch offline banner size as a suggestion rather than a strict requirement.
Honestly, your offline banner is your billboard. It’s the only thing people see when you aren't there to entertain them. If the dimensions are off, your schedule is unreadable, your socials are cut off, and potential followers just bounce.
The Magic Number: What Size Should Your Offline Banner Actually Be?
Let's cut to the chase. The standard, gold-standard, non-negotiable twitch offline banner size is 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Basically, it’s a standard 16:9 aspect ratio. This matches the same resolution as a high-definition stream. If you use anything else, Twitch is going to grab your image and stretch it like a piece of old gum to fit the video player.
You might see some old forums mentioning 1280 x 720. Sure, that works, but it's 2026. Screens are better now. Monitors are bigger. Using 720p is just asking for your art to look pixelated on a 4K display or a massive iMac. Stick to 1080p.
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File Requirements You Can't Ignore
- Format: stick to PNG or JPEG. PNG is usually better for graphics with text because it doesn't get those weird "crusty" artifacts around the letters.
- File Size: You have a 10MB limit. If your file is 10.1MB, Twitch will just reject it.
- The GIF Trap: Twitch technically lets you upload a GIF, but here’s the kicker: it won’t animate. It just shows the very first frame. Don't waste your time making a 10MB animation only for it to sit there like a frozen statue.
Why 1920x1080 Still Fails Sometimes
Dimensions aren't the whole story. You can have the perfect twitch offline banner size and still have a banner that looks like garbage on mobile.
Twitch is responsive. This means the site re-centers and crops your image depending on whether someone is on a phone, a tablet, or a browser window that isn't full-screen.
The biggest mistake? Putting your most important info—like your "Next Stream" time or your Twitter handle—right up against the edges. When the player scales down for a smartphone, those edges are the first thing to disappear.
Think of it like a "Safe Zone." Keep your text and your face (if you're using a photo) in the middle 70% of the canvas. Leave the edges for background textures, patterns, or colors that don't matter if they get clipped.
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Making Your Banner Work for You
Stop thinking of this as just a "placeholder." It’s a marketing tool.
When a random person stumbles onto your channel at 3 AM while you’re asleep, what do they see? If it's a blank screen, they leave. If it's a banner that says "I stream Valorant every Tuesday at 7 PM," they might actually hit follow.
What to Include in Your Design
- Your Schedule: This is the #1 reason someone visits an offline page. Use a clear, bold font.
- Social Handles: Make them easy to find. If you’re "@CoolStreamer" on everything, just put that once with the icons for X, Instagram, and TikTok.
- A Call to Action: "Follow to get notified when I'm live!" It’s simple, but it works.
- Brand Consistency: Use the same colors and fonts you use for your overlays. If your stream is "vaporwave aesthetic" but your offline banner is "corporate blue," it feels disjointed.
Common Blunders to Avoid
I’ve seen streamers try to put their entire life story on an offline banner. Bad idea.
Nobody is going to read a paragraph of text on a video player. Keep it punchy. If you have too much text, it becomes a cluttered mess on mobile devices.
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Another weird thing Twitch does is place UI elements over your banner. On the desktop site, there are often overlays, buttons, and "Recommended Channels" sidebars that can cover parts of your art. This is why centering your content is so vital.
Also, watch out for the "Dark Mode" effect. A lot of users use Twitch in dark mode. If your banner has a piercingly bright white background, it’s going to flash-bang your viewers when they click your profile. Maybe go with a darker, more muted palette. Your viewers' eyes will thank you.
How to Set It Up
Ready to actually upload the thing? It’s buried a bit in the settings.
Go to your Creator Dashboard. Click on Settings in the left sidebar, then hit Channel. Look for the Brand tab at the top. Scroll down past the profile picture and the accent color until you see Video Player Banner. That’s the spot.
Once you upload it, open your channel in an "Incognito" window or on your phone to see how it actually looks to a stranger. If your Discord link is hidden behind the "Follow" button, go back to your design tool and nudge it toward the center.
Essential Next Steps
- Audit your current banner: Open your channel on your phone right now. Can you read your schedule? If not, you need to resize and re-center.
- Export as PNG-24: If you're using Photoshop or Canva, use this setting. It preserves the most detail for text-heavy graphics.
- Update quarterly: Nothing looks more "dead channel" than a banner promoting a giveaway that ended three months ago. Keep your info current.
Designing a great offline presence isn't just about the twitch offline banner size, it's about making sure your channel stays "on" even when you're off. If you nail the 1920 x 1080 dimensions and keep your info centered, you're already ahead of 90% of the people on the platform.