How to Add Links and Social Media Icons to Your YouTube Banner

Channel links and social media icons on a YouTube banner both come from the same place — the Links section in YouTube Studio. There’s no separate icon uploader and no image editing involved, which trips people up because the icons visually sit on the banner image itself.

Before You Start: Upload a Banner

Links can only display on a banner if you have one. Go to YouTube Studio > Customization > Branding and upload a banner image first. YouTube recommends 2048 × 1152 pixels, with the important content kept within a 1235 × 338 “safe area” in the center — that’s the portion guaranteed to be visible on every device, since banners crop differently on phones, desktops, and TVs.

How to Add Links

1. Go to YouTube Studio > Customization > Basic info (labeled Profile in some versions).
2. Scroll to the Links section and click Add link.
3. Enter a title (e.g. “X”, “Instagram”, “My Website”) and paste the full URL.
4. Repeat for each platform you want to list.
5. Click Publish to save.

You can add up to 14 links in total. YouTube automatically displays the correct platform icon for recognized services — you never upload icon graphics yourself.

Choosing Which Links Show on the Banner

In the same Links section, find the Links on banner option. This controls how many of your links (up to 5) appear as icons directly over your banner image. The rest still appear in your channel’s About section, just not on the banner itself.

Order matters here: the links you list first are the ones that get the banner slots, so put your most important destination — usually your website or your most active platform — at the top rather than burying it at position 12.

Why This Is Worth Doing

Banner icons are visible the moment someone lands on your channel, before they scroll to About or click anything. For a viewer who just discovered you and wants to follow you elsewhere, that’s the difference between one click and giving up. It’s also the standard place brands and potential collaborators look for a business contact or website.

Common Problems

• Icons don’t appear at all — almost always means no banner image is uploaded yet, or “Links on banner” is set to 0.
• The wrong links show — reorder them; the banner takes the first ones in your list.
• A link shows a generic icon — YouTube only has icons for recognized platforms. Personal websites and niche services get a generic link icon, which is normal.
• Changes don’t appear immediately — make sure you clicked Publish, then hard-refresh your channel page; caching can delay what you see.
• Icons are hard to read — they overlay the right side of your banner, so avoid placing busy detail or text there when designing the image.

FAQ