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PlaylistTime / Creator tools / Shorts thumbnail

YouTube Shorts thumbnail grabber: every size YouTube has

Paste a Shorts link to see each thumbnail YouTube serves for it, the vertical one included, at its real size. Copy the link or save the image.

This YouTube Shorts thumbnail grabber shows every thumbnail image YouTube serves for a Short. Paste the Shorts link and you get the vertical thumbnail in the Short's own shape, the wide sizes YouTube makes for every video (from 120 x 90 up to 1280 x 720), and three small frames from the video. Each one is loaded from YouTube's image server in your browser, so you see the size it really has, and any size YouTube does not have for that video is marked as missing instead of showing a grey box. Copy a link, open the image or save the JPG. It works as a Shorts thumbnail downloader for your own videos, for checking how a Short looks in a grid, or for reference. No account or API key is needed.

How does the Shorts thumbnail grabber work?

YouTube serves thumbnails at fixed addresses: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/, then the 11-character video ID, then a file name such as maxresdefault.jpg. The grabber reads the ID from your link, builds the address for each known file name and lets your browser load it. When a size does not exist, YouTube answers with an error and a 120 x 90 grey placeholder, which the grabber recognises and marks as not available.

Worked example from our test on 26 October 2026: for the Short with ID mND4T0lzg_g, oardefault.jpg loaded at 1080 x 1920 and maxresdefault.jpg at 1280 x 720. For a second Short, QRn8XR3PMAI, the vertical image was 720 x 1280. For a regular landscape video, dQw4w9WgXcQ, there was no oardefault.jpg at all.

What thumbnail sizes does YouTube have for a Short?

FileSizeNotes
oardefault.jpgVertical, up to 1080 x 1920 in our testsThe Short in its own shape. Not documented in the API; regular landscape videos do not have it
maxresdefault.jpg1280 x 720Largest wide size; not available for every video
sddefault.jpg640 x 480Not available for every video
hqdefault.jpg480 x 360Always present
mqdefault.jpg320 x 180Always present
default.jpg120 x 90Always present
hq1.jpg, hq2.jpg, hq3.jpg480 x 360Stills from the video, not documented

The five wide sizes and their pixel sizes are the ones listed in the YouTube Data API documentation, which notes that the standard and maxres sizes exist only for some videos.

Why do the wide thumbnails have filled-in sides?

A Short is vertical, but the classic thumbnail sizes are 16:9 or 4:3. In our tests YouTube fills them by placing a vertical frame in the middle over an enlarged, softened or darkened copy of itself. The wide sizes and the vertical image were not always the same picture: for mND4T0lzg_g the vertical image was a different moment from the one in the wide sizes. For the Short as viewers see it in the Shorts feed, use the vertical (original shape) image.

How to download a YouTube Shorts thumbnail

Step 1: Copy the Short's link

On a phone, tap Share under the Short and then Copy link. On a computer, copy the address from the browser bar (it contains /shorts/).

Step 2: Paste it and press Get thumbnails

Paste the link above. A watch link, a youtu.be link or the 11-character ID also work.

Step 3: Pick a size

Each card shows the size the image really loads at. Sizes YouTube does not have for this video are marked as not available.

Step 4: Copy the link or save the image

Copy link puts the i.ytimg.com address on your clipboard; Save image downloads the JPG.

How to get a Shorts thumbnail on a phone

In the YouTube app, open the Short, tap Share and then Copy link. Open this page in your phone's browser, paste the link and tap Get thumbnails. Save image downloads the JPG to your phone; on an iPhone you can also press and hold the image and choose to save it to Photos.

Frames vs a custom Shorts thumbnail

For a long time a Short's thumbnail was a frame from the video. YouTube's July 2026 update lets creators in the YouTube Partner Program upload custom thumbnails for Shorts, with more creators to follow, and lets anyone choose from three suggested frames for Shorts on a computer or pick any frame in the YouTube app on a phone. So the vertical image you see here is either the frame the creator picked or a custom image they uploaded. The three small frames further down are separate stills YouTube serves; they are not documented and may not match the creator's choice.

How to change the thumbnail of your own Short

Planning text on the thumbnail frame? Check it against the Shorts safe zone so the buttons do not cover it.

Can I use someone else's Shorts thumbnail?

Not on your own video without permission. A thumbnail is part of the creator's work. YouTube's copyright help says that giving credit to the owner does not give you the right to use their content, and a disclaimer such as "no infringement intended" does not either. Using another creator's thumbnail on your upload risks a copyright removal request. Fair use is decided case by case, by courts, not by the uploader. For your own Shorts, or to look at how other Shorts present themselves, the grabber is fine.

Why is a thumbnail size missing?

How accurate is this grabber?

The images come straight from YouTube's image server, and the sizes shown are the sizes your browser actually loaded. The file names for the vertical image and the frames are not part of YouTube's documentation: they worked in our tests on 26 October 2026, and YouTube can change them without notice, in which case they will show as not available.

Sources

Why we built this Shorts thumbnail grabber

Most thumbnail grabbers were made for wide videos: they show the 16:9 sizes, miss the vertical image a Short actually uses, and leave grey placeholder boxes where a size does not exist. Nitin Raja, who builds PlaylistTime, tested a lot of these pages before building this one: after testing out a lot of websites, he found what people need and what they do not, and built around that. People need the vertical image, the real size of each file, and a clear word on what they may do with someone else's thumbnail.

What this grabber does

Why it is different

This grabberA typical thumbnail downloader
Vertical Shorts imageYes, in the Short's own shapeUsually only 16:9 sizes
Missing sizesDetected and labelledGrey placeholder boxes
Real size of each imageShown as loadedA fixed label
CopyrightExplained, with YouTube's own help pageRarely mentioned

Built by Nitin Raja. Last updated 26 October 2026.

Questions

How do I get the thumbnail of a YouTube Short?

Copy the Short's link (Share, then Copy link), paste it into the grabber above and press Get thumbnails. You get every size YouTube has, with links to copy and save.

What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?

The vertical image YouTube serves for a Short was up to 1080 x 1920 in our tests. YouTube also makes wide versions from 120 x 90 up to 1280 x 720 with the Short in the middle.

Why is there no maximum resolution thumbnail?

YouTube's API documentation says the standard and maxres sizes exist only for some videos. The grabber marks them as not available when YouTube has none.

Can Shorts have custom thumbnails?

Yes, for creators in the YouTube Partner Program first, from YouTube's July 2026 update. Everyone can pick a frame: any frame in the mobile app, or one of three suggested frames on a computer.

Can I use someone else's Shorts thumbnail on my video?

Not without permission. The thumbnail belongs to its creator, and YouTube's copyright help says giving credit does not give you the right to use it.

Does this tool need my YouTube account?

No. It loads the public thumbnail images in your browser and needs no sign-in or API key.

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