How do I download a YouTube thumbnail?

Paste the video's link above, pick a size, and press Get thumbnail. Check the preview, then press Download thumbnail to save the image. You need no account and no software.

What size is a YouTube thumbnail?

This tool offers five size choices, up to 1280 × 720. Which sizes exist depends on the video.

Why is the 1280 × 720 size missing?

YouTube does not store that size for every video. When it is missing, this tool shows the next size down and says so, instead of stretching a small image.

Why does my thumbnail have black bars?

The 640 × 480, 480 × 360, and 120 × 90 versions use a 4:3 frame, so the 16:9 picture sits inside black bars. Crop them off, or pick 1280 × 720 or 320 × 180, which have none.

Does this work for Shorts?

Yes. Paste a Shorts link and pick a size. If the size you picked doesn't exist for that Short, the tool steps down to one that does.

Do I need to upload the video?

No. You paste the link, and the tool only fetches the thumbnail images for that video.

Can I download thumbnails of private videos?

Usually not. Thumbnails of private videos usually can't be retrieved. If you get an error, open the link in a private browser window to check that anyone can watch the video.

Can I download many thumbnails at once?

No. The tool takes one video link at a time. Paste the next link when you are done with the first.

YouTube thumbnail downloader

Get the thumbnail of a public YouTube video or Short in up to five sizes, from 1280 × 720 down to 120 × 90. Paste the link, preview the image, and save it.

Input: A public video or Shorts link
Output: Five sizes, up to 1280 × 720
Limit: One video at a time
Price: Free, no account

How to download a YouTube thumbnail

01
Copy the video link
On a computer, copy the address bar. In the YouTube app, tap Share, then Copy link.
02
Paste it and pick a size
Choose 1280 × 720 for the largest picture, or a smaller size from the menu, then press Get thumbnail.
03
Save the image
Check the preview and press Download thumbnail. If the video has no image at that size, the next size down is shown and a note says so.

Which thumbnail size should you download?

Take 1280 × 720 whenever the video has it. It is the only large size without black bars. Smaller sizes blur when you enlarge them, so pick the one that matches where the image will sit.

Size	Shape	Best for
1280 × 720	16:9, no bars	Slides, blog posts, mood boards, design references
640 × 480	4:3, black bars	Medium previews, after cropping the bars
480 × 360	4:3, black bars	Small previews and embeds, after cropping
320 × 180	16:9, no bars	Lists and link previews
120 × 90	4:3, black bars	Tiny icons

Why the biggest size is sometimes missing

YouTube does not make a 1280 × 720 thumbnail for every video. Older uploads and some other videos only have the smaller sizes.

When a size doesn't exist, YouTube answers with a tiny grey placeholder instead of an error. The tool spots that placeholder and steps down to the next size: 1280 × 720, then 640 × 480, 480 × 360, 320 × 180, and 120 × 90. A note under the preview tells you which size you got.

Can you get a YouTube thumbnail without a tool?

Yes. Every thumbnail sits at a public address. Replace VIDEO_ID in https://img.youtube.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpg with the video's ID, open it in your browser, and save the image.

The ID is the part after v= in a watch link, and the part after the last slash in youtu.be and /shorts/ links. To get another size, swap maxresdefault for sddefault, hqdefault, mqdefault, or default. A small grey image means that size doesn't exist for the video.

The tool above does the same check for you, and it only shows sizes that exist.

Need the whole video or its text instead? Try the YouTube video downloader or the YouTube subtitle downloader.