Twitch Emote Size: Required Dimensions and Upload Specs

Twitch requires every emote in three sizes: 28×28, 56×56, and 112×112 pixels. You must upload all three when creating an emote — Twitch will not generate the smaller versions for you. Miss one size and the upload fails.

Here are the exact dimensions, format rules, and design tips for every Twitch emote type, subscriber badges, bits badges, and channel points rewards.

Twitch Emote Sizes at a Glance

Format: PNG (required). Transparency supported — use it. Max file size: 1 MB (across all three uploads; in practice each is a few KB). Animated emotes: GIF format, same three sizes, same 1 MB limit.

Twitch Emote Size Requirements in Detail

Twitch serves emotes at three resolutions because chat runs on everything from a 1080p monitor to a mobile screen with a retina display. The 28×28 version loads in most chat contexts. The 56×56 appears in the emote picker. The 112×112 fires when a viewer hovers over an emote or when Twitch renders it on a high-DPI screen.

Because you provide all three, you control quality at every size. If you only upload a 112×112 and let Twitch downscale it, you get whatever their compression algorithm decides. Most streamers upload the 112×112 master and let a resize tool generate the smaller versions — which is exactly what Pixotter's resize tool does.

Technical Specifications

• Format: PNG only for static emotes (no JPEG, no WebP)
• Color space: sRGB
• Transparency: Supported and recommended — transparent backgrounds let emotes sit naturally on any chat theme
• Max file size: 1 MB per size (this is generous; a 112×112 PNG rarely exceeds 20 KB)
• Minimum channel level: Affiliate or Partner status required to upload custom emotes

Why Three Separate Uploads

Twitch does not auto-generate sizes. Each upload is independently stored and served. This means: if you upload a sloppy 28×28 (blurry, wrong dimensions), that is exactly what Twitch shows in chat. There is no safety net. Design for the 28×28 — it's where your emote lives most of the time.

Subscriber Badge Sizes

Subscriber badges appear next to a viewer's name in chat to show their subscription tier and duration. Like emotes, you upload three sizes.

Format: PNG, with transparency. Same 1 MB limit applies.

Badge design has even less room than emotes. At 18×18 pixels, you are working with roughly 324 individual pixels. That rules out text, fine lines, and anything with more than two or three distinct visual elements. Simple geometric shapes, bold symbols, or highly simplified mascot silhouettes work best.

Bits Badge and Channel Points Sizes

Bits Badges

Bits badges reward viewers who cheer. They follow the same size structure as subscriber badges:

Twitch provides default bits badges automatically, but Partners and Affiliates can upload custom ones. Same PNG format, same transparency support.

Channel Points Reward Icon

The channel points reward icon is a single upload at 112×112 px, PNG format. This is the icon viewers see when browsing your channel points rewards store. Unlike emotes and badges, only one size is needed here.

How to Design Emotes That Read at 28×28

Most emote designs look great at 112×112 and fall apart at 28×28. A few rules prevent this:

Use thick outlines. Lines thinner than 2–3 pixels vanish at small sizes. If your emote has a face, the outline around it should be bold — at least 3px at 112×112 scale.

High contrast between foreground and background. Chat themes vary: light mode, dark mode, low-contrast themes. An emote with a medium-gray outline on a medium-gray background disappears in dark mode. Aim for at least a 4:1 contrast ratio between your main subject and the edge of the image.

Keep shapes simple. Two or three recognizable shapes beat six detailed ones. Think logo, not illustration. An emote is a symbol, not a scene.

Use transparent backgrounds. A white or dark background that matches your stream design looks wrong on viewers with different themes. Transparent PNGs work everywhere.

Design at 112×112, then verify at 28×28. After you finish the design, scale it down and stare at the 28×28 version. If you can't tell what it is, simplify. Most professional emote artists design at 500px or higher and scale down — the extra resolution makes clean edges easier, and the downscaling acts as a natural smoother.

How to Resize Emotes for Twitch

If you have a finished emote image at any size and need to produce the three required Twitch sizes, Pixotter's resize tool handles this without any software to install:

1. Go to pixotter.com/resize/
2. Drop your emote image onto the tool
3. Set width and height to 112, 56, or 28 — lock the aspect ratio (your emote should already be square)
4. Download, then repeat for the other two sizes

All processing happens in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server. The output is a clean PNG at the exact pixel dimensions Twitch requires.

For file size reduction before upload — useful if you're working with an oversized source file — use Pixotter's compress tool after resizing.

If your emote source is in a different format (PSD export as JPEG, for example), convert it to PNG first using Pixotter's convert tool.

Animated Emote Specs

Animated emotes are GIF files and follow the same three-size requirement as static emotes.

File size is the main constraint. A 112×112 GIF with 30 frames at 24fps will exceed 1 MB quickly. Keep animations short (under 2 seconds), limit frame count, and reduce the color palette where possible. A 32-color GIF at a recognizable emote motion looks better than a full-color GIF you had to compress into artifacts to hit the size limit.

Animated emotes require at least Affiliate status on Twitch, and the feature must be enabled in your Creator Dashboard.

FAQ

Do I need to upload all three emote sizes separately? Yes. Twitch requires 28×28, 56×56, and 112×112 as three separate file uploads. You cannot upload one file and have Twitch generate the others.

What file format does Twitch require for emotes? PNG for static emotes. GIF for animated emotes. JPEG and WebP are not accepted.

Can my emote have a transparent background? Yes, and it's recommended. Transparent PNG backgrounds let the emote sit cleanly on any chat theme — light, dark, or custom. A white background will look like a white box on dark-themed chats.

What's the maximum file size for a Twitch emote? 1 MB per emote upload. In practice, a properly sized PNG is rarely over 20–30 KB, so this limit is not a real constraint for static emotes. Animated GIFs can approach it with many frames.

Do subscriber badges need to be the same style as my emotes? No requirement from Twitch, but visually consistent badges and emotes look more professional. Most streamers use the same color palette and design language across both.

Can I resize emotes without Photoshop? Yes. Pixotter's resize tool works entirely in your browser — drop the image, set the pixel dimensions, download. No software to install, no account required.

Other Platform Image Guides

If you're managing images across multiple platforms, these guides cover the rest of the major dimensions:

• Twitch Banner Size: Channel Art Dimensions and Upload Specs
• Discord Image Size: Every Dimension You Need
• YouTube Thumbnail Size: Exact Dimensions for Every Video Type
• How to Reduce Image File Size Without Losing Quality
• Convert PNG to ICO: Make Icons for Any Platform

Every Twitch emote needs three files: 28×28, 56×56, and 112×112 px, saved as PNG with a transparent background. Badge sizes follow the same three-tier pattern at 18×18, 36×36, and 72×72. Resize them all in one session with Pixotter's resize tool — no software, no upload, no signup required.