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PlaylistTime / Creator tools / Thumbnail downloader

YouTube thumbnail downloader: save any video's thumbnail in every size

Paste a video, Shorts or live link (or several) to see every thumbnail YouTube has for it, at its real size. Copy the link, open it or save the image.

More options

WebP files are the same picture, usually less than half the size of the JPG. Some older apps cannot open WebP.

This YouTube thumbnail downloader shows every thumbnail image YouTube keeps for a video and lets you save the one you need. Paste a link and you get the five standard sizes (from 120 x 90 up to 1280 x 720) plus the original-shape image, which was full HD (1920 x 1080) for the videos we tested. Each file is loaded from YouTube's image server in your browser, so the size you see is the size the file really has, and sizes that do not exist are marked instead of showing a grey box. Paste several links at once to grab thumbnails in bulk, choose JPG or WebP, and copy, open or save each image. It works for normal videos, Shorts and live streams, and needs no account or API key.

How does the thumbnail downloader work?

YouTube serves thumbnails at fixed addresses: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/, the 11-character video ID, then a file name such as maxresdefault.jpg. WebP copies live under /vi_webp/ with a .webp ending. The downloader reads the ID from your link, builds the address of each known file and lets your browser load them all. When a size does not exist, YouTube answers with an error and a 120 x 90 grey placeholder, which the tool recognises and marks as not available. Then it puts the largest image that loaded at the top.

Worked example from our test on 26 October 2026, for the video dQw4w9WgXcQ:

FileLoaded atJPG size
oar2.jpg1920 x 108075,680 bytes
maxresdefault.jpg1280 x 72065,324 bytes
sddefault.jpg640 x 48031,029 bytes
hqdefault.jpg480 x 36021,011 bytes
mqdefault.jpg320 x 18010,303 bytes
default.jpg120 x 902,888 bytes

The WebP copy of maxresdefault was 28,620 bytes, 44% of the JPG for the same 1280 x 720 picture.

What thumbnail sizes does YouTube have?

NameFileSizeNotes
Original shapeoar2.jpgUp to 1920 x 1080 in our testsThe image in the video's own shape (vertical for a Short). Not documented; missing on some videos
Maximum resolutionmaxresdefault.jpg1280 x 720Largest documented size; only for some videos
Standardsddefault.jpg640 x 480Only for some videos; 4:3 with bars
Highhqdefault.jpg480 x 360Always there for a public video; 4:3 with bars
Mediummqdefault.jpg320 x 180Always there; 16:9
Defaultdefault.jpg120 x 90Always there; 4:3

The five named sizes and their pixel sizes come from the YouTube Data API documentation, which also says that higher sizes exist only for some videos, depending on the resolution of the upload.

How to download a YouTube thumbnail

Step 1: Copy the video link

On a computer, copy the address from the browser bar. In the YouTube app, tap Share and then Copy link. Shorts and live links work too.

Step 2: Paste it and press Get thumbnails

Paste the link above. For several videos, paste them one per line under More options (up to 20 at once).

Step 3: Pick a size

The largest image is shown first. Each row shows the size the file really loads at; sizes YouTube does not have are marked as not available.

Step 4: Copy, open or save

Copy link puts the i.ytimg.com address on your clipboard, Open shows the image in a new tab and Save image downloads it as JPG or WebP.

How to download YouTube thumbnails in bulk

Open More options and paste up to 20 links or IDs, one per line (or paste them all into the main box with spaces between them). Each video gets its own block with its largest image on top. Copy all best links puts the largest image address of every video on your clipboard, one per line, ready for a spreadsheet. Save all best images downloads them one after another; your browser may ask once whether this site may download several files.

How to get the thumbnail of a YouTube video on a phone

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

How to get the highest quality YouTube thumbnail

Use the image at the top of the result: the tool picks the largest file that really loaded. For most HD uploads this is the original-shape image at 1920 x 1080, then maxresdefault at 1280 x 720. If a video was uploaded in low resolution, or is very old, the largest file may be hqdefault at 480 x 360, and nothing larger exists. YouTube's help asks creators to upload thumbnails as large as 3840 x 2160, but the public image server only hands out these smaller copies.

Shorts and live stream thumbnails

A Short's original-shape file is vertical (1080 x 1920 in our test of mND4T0lzg_g), and the wide sizes show the vertical frame in the middle of a wider background. For Shorts, the Shorts thumbnail grabber also shows the vertical oardefault image and the three small frames. For a stream that was live during our test (0sfDth4lMLc), there was no original-shape file, but maxresdefault loaded at 1280 x 720; live thumbnails can change while the stream runs.

JPG or WebP?

Both are the same picture. WebP is a newer format from Google that makes smaller files; in our test the WebP copy was less than half the size of the JPG. Choose JPG when you need the file in an older editor or in YouTube Studio (YouTube Help names JPG and PNG for thumbnail uploads); choose WebP for a web page or to save space.

Why is a thumbnail size missing?

Can I use a downloaded YouTube thumbnail?

For your own videos, yes. For someone else's, saving it to look at, compare or reference is one thing; putting it on your own video, channel art or product is another. A thumbnail is part of the creator's work, and YouTube's copyright help says giving credit does not give you the right to use content, and a line such as "no copyright infringement intended" does not either. Fair use is decided case by case. When you need to show another video, link to it or embed it instead.

How accurate is this downloader?

The images come straight from YouTube's image server and the sizes shown are the sizes your browser loaded, so the numbers are exact for the moment you check. The five documented sizes are part of YouTube's API. The oar2 file name is not documented: it worked in our tests on 26 October 2026, and YouTube can change it without notice, in which case it shows as not available and the next size takes its place.

Sources

Why we built this thumbnail downloader

Most thumbnail downloaders show four fixed boxes with fixed labels, including boxes for sizes that do not exist, and handle one video at a time. 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 largest real file first, the true size of each one, several videos at once, and a straight answer on what they may do with someone else's thumbnail.

What this tool does

Related: check your own image with the thumbnail size checker and see it in a feed with the thumbnail preview tool.

Why it is different

This downloaderA typical thumbnail downloader
Sizes shownEvery file YouTube has, including the full HD original-shape imageFour or five fixed sizes
Missing sizesDetected and labelledGrey placeholder boxes
Several videosUp to 20 at once, copy all, save allOne at a time
File typeJPG or WebPJPG
CopyrightExplained, with YouTube's own help pageRarely mentioned

Built by Nitin Raja. Last updated 26 October 2026.

Questions

How do I download a YouTube thumbnail?

Copy the video's link, paste it into the downloader above and press Get thumbnails. Every size YouTube has is listed with buttons to copy the link, open the image or save it.

What is the highest quality YouTube thumbnail?

The original-shape image, which was 1920 x 1080 for HD videos in our tests, then maxresdefault at 1280 x 720. Not every video has them; the tool puts the largest one that exists first.

Can I download thumbnails from several videos at once?

Yes. Paste up to 20 links or IDs under More options, one per line. Copy all best links and Save all best images work on the largest image of each video.

Why does it say maximum resolution is not available?

YouTube only makes the larger sizes for some videos, usually ones uploaded in HD. The downloader loads each file and marks the ones YouTube does not have.

Does this work for Shorts and live streams?

Yes. Paste a Shorts or live link. For a Short's vertical image and frames, the Shorts thumbnail grabber shows a few more files.

Is it legal to download YouTube thumbnails?

Viewing and saving a public thumbnail for reference is common, but the image belongs to the creator. Using someone else's thumbnail on your own video without permission is a copyright risk, and credit does not make it allowed.

All of them in one place: YouTube creator tools.