Desktop Version

Adding or changing a thumbnail for a video post is fairly easy. You can choose to pick a thumbnail from the ones that are automatically generated or upload a custom thumbnail.

You can only upload a custom video thumbnail for Facebook Pages (videos & reels), Instagram reels, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Pinterest, and YouTube ( not shorts).

For TikTok, you can only select from one of the 10 existing/generated thumbnails. As for BlueSky, the ability to set a custom thumbnail for videos is not supported.

Posts that are directly published outside Publer will only have one thumbnail when synced.

To add or change the thumbnail:

Go to the Create tab on Publer.


Design the video post to your liking.
Click on the little camera icon underneath the thumbnail.


Choose the thumbnail you wish to set/change. You can also choose to create a thumbnail on the spot with Canva or VistaCreate (Crello).
Once you finish have uploaded the custom thumbnail, you will see it applied on Publer.
Following the same steps, you can change the thumbnails for other posts/social accounts, i.e. Instagram Reels.


For regular posts, you can always check the live preview on the right to make sure the it will be posted correctly to the social media.
Lastly, schedule the post accordingly.

To choose a thumbnail for TikTok video posts:

Go to Create.


Design the video post to your liking.
Use the arrows underneath the thumbnail to choose the one you want to use.

When it comes to TikTok videos, you can choose 1 of the 10 automatically generated frames only when you are posting directly.


You can always check the live preview on the right to make sure the it will be posted correctly to the social media, and finally schedule away.

For TikTok video posts, you can only select 1 out of the 10 generated frames as a thumbnail, you cannot upload a custom thumbnail. Keep in mind that for TikTok's case, this is only possible for when you are posting directly, not when using push notifications.

To choose a thumbnail for an Instagram post that's synced with Publer for reuse:

By design, when posts are uploaded directly on Instagram and synced with Publer for reuse, you will only see one thumbnail option.


Therefore, instead of reusing it from Publer, try to re-upload the video again.


Once you've uploaded your video, you can now choose from 1 of the 10 automatically generated thumbnails.
Alternatively, you can set a custom thumbnail by clicking the small camera icon located below the thumbnail.

Updated on: 19/12/2024