Free tool

YouTube thumbnail downloader, every size.

Paste the link of a YouTube video or Short and see its thumbnail in every size YouTube keeps, from the full HD 1280 x 720 picture down to the small one. Save any of them as JPG, PNG or WebP. Handy for getting back the thumbnail of your own video, planning a redesign, or a playlist page.

The thumbnails come straight from YouTube to your browser. Nothing goes through our servers.

The sizes

What YouTube keeps.

01 / Full HD

1280 x 720

The biggest size, and the one to use on a website or in an edit. Some videos, often older ones, do not have it; the page then shows the biggest one there is.

02 / Standard and high

640 x 480 and 480 x 360

Older 4:3 sizes, with black bars above and below a widescreen picture.

03 / Medium and small

320 x 180 and 120 x 90

The small pictures YouTube uses in lists and on slow connections.

Questions

Good to know.

Can I use a thumbnail I download?

A thumbnail is the creator's work, so it is theirs to use. Download your own freely. For someone else's, ask first, or keep to uses the law allows where you live, such as quoting it in a review. Never pass it off as your own video.

Why is there no full HD version?

YouTube does not keep a 1280 x 720 picture for every video, often not for older ones. When it is missing, the biggest size YouTube has is shown first.

Does it work with Shorts?

Yes. Paste the Shorts link. The thumbnail is still a landscape picture, the way YouTube stores it.

Does it work with private videos?

No. Only public and unlisted videos have thumbnails anyone can open.

I lost the thumbnail I made for my video. Can I get it back?

Yes, as YouTube keeps it: paste your video's link and save the biggest size. It is a compressed copy, so keep your design file for future edits.

Is anything stored?

No. Your browser asks YouTube for the pictures directly; this site does not see or keep the link.