Free YouTube downloader

YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

Paste a YouTube video or Shorts link to see all five thumbnail sizes YouTube makes, up to 1280x720, and save any of them as a JPG without logging in.

No signup
Public content only
Files not stored

Example outputPlaceholder data, not a real account

Placeholder video title to preview the layout

Example Channel1.3M views12:34

Standard · 640×480
High quality · 480×360
Medium quality · 320×180
Small · 120×90

Some videos, mostly older or low-resolution uploads, have no max-resolution image. Then the largest available size is the one to use.

How to download a YouTube thumbnail

Step 1
Copy the video link
In the YouTube app, tap Share under the video and choose Copy link. On a Short, Share is on the right side of the screen. On a computer, copy the address bar.
Step 2
Paste it and press Get thumbnails
Watch, youtu.be, Shorts and live links all work, and so does the 11-character video ID.
Step 3
Pick a size
The 1280x720 image appears first as a large preview, with the four smaller sizes and their pixel sizes below it.
Step 4
Download the JPG
Press Download JPG, or JPG under a smaller size. The file is named after the video ID and the size.

What you get

Item	Format	Details
Max resolution16:9. Missing on some old or low-resolution uploads	JPG, 1280x720	16:9. Missing on some old or low-resolution uploads
Standard4:3 with black bars on widescreen videos. Missing on some old uploads	JPG, 640x480	4:3 with black bars on widescreen videos. Missing on some old uploads
High quality4:3 with black bars. Exists for almost every video	JPG, 480x360	4:3 with black bars. Exists for almost every video
Medium quality16:9, no bars	JPG, 320x180	16:9, no bars
SmallThe smallest version YouTube makes	JPG, 120x90	The smallest version YouTube makes
Video detailsShown above the images so you can confirm the video	Title, channel, views, length	Shown above the images so you can confirm the video

Links it accepts

youtube.com/watch?v=<id>
youtu.be/<id>
youtube.com/shorts/<id>
youtube.com/live/<id>
<11-character video ID>

What is the YouTube Thumbnail Downloader?

The YouTube Thumbnail Downloader takes a link to a YouTube video or Short and shows the five thumbnail images YouTube publishes for it: 120x90, 320x180, 480x360, 640x480 and 1280x720. Each size has its own download button and saves as a JPG file exactly as YouTube serves it, with no resizing.

YouTube keeps every video's thumbnail on its image server, i.ytimg.com, in five fixed versions: default (120x90), mqdefault (320x180), hqdefault (480x360), sddefault (640x480) and maxresdefault (1280x720). The tool looks up the video's public page as a logged-out visitor to confirm it exists and to get its title, channel, views and length, then lists the five images with a download button under each.

The sizes are not all the same shape. 320x180 and 1280x720 are 16:9 like the video, while 120x90, 480x360 and 640x480 are 4:3, so a widescreen thumbnail gets black bars at the top and bottom. YouTube only makes the 640x480 and 1280x720 files when the upload or custom thumbnail is big enough: Me at the zoo, from 2005, stops at 480x360. Creators can upload larger custom thumbnails, but the public image server stops at 1280x720, so there is no 4K file to get.

A thumbnail is the creator's artwork. Save it for reference, research, commentary or to recover your own, and ask the creator before you reuse it in your own videos or ads.

Who uses it

Creators researching a niche
Study what the top videos in your topic put in their thumbnails, at 1280x720, before you design your own.
Recovering your own thumbnail
Lost the original file? Save the copy YouTube still serves for your video.
Slides, reviews and articles
Show a video in a presentation, newsletter or review, with credit to the channel.
Checking small sizes
See how a thumbnail reads at 320x180 and 120x90, closer to how it looks in a crowded feed.

What this tool can't do

It saves thumbnail images only. It does not download YouTube videos or audio.
The largest standard thumbnail is 1280x720. YouTube does not serve a bigger one, so there is no 4K version.
Some old or low-resolution videos have no 640x480 or 1280x720 image, so those sizes do not load.
Shorts get the same five horizontal images. The vertical cover shown in the Shorts feed is not included.
Private, deleted and members-only videos do not work.
Up to 30 new lookups a day per visitor. For more, use the API.

If something goes wrong

The large preview is blank or broken: The video has no 1280x720 image, which is common for very old or low-resolution uploads. Use the 480x360 size below it.
The link is not accepted: Paste a link to one video or Short. Channel, playlist and search links have no single thumbnail.
Video not found: The video is private, deleted or the link is mistyped. Open it on YouTube while logged out to check that it plays.
YouTube did not answer: YouTube sometimes turns away automated visits for a moment. Wait a minute and try again.

Use downloads responsibly

Videos, photos and sounds belong to the people who made them. Download content you created, content you have permission to use, or a copy for personal offline viewing where the law allows it. A download does not give you the right to re-upload, edit, sell or advertise with someone else's work. If you share it, credit the creator. If you own content and want it blocked here, see our copyright policy.

Scrape Everything is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by YouTube or Google. YouTube is named here only to describe which links this tool accepts. Scrape Everything is operated by Senyo Labs Technology, Finanskent Mah. Prof. Hasan Küçük Cad. Sinpaş Finans Şehir 9. Blok No: 5 İç Kapı No: 5, Ümraniye/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Safe to use

No pop-up ads or redirect pages
Nothing to install: no app, no browser extension
We never ask for your YouTube password
Public content only: private accounts stay private
Files stream from the platform to you and are not saved on our servers

Security · Privacy · Copyright

YouTube Thumbnail Downloader FAQ

How do I download a YouTube thumbnail?

Paste the video link above and press Get thumbnails. Then press Download JPG under the size you want; 1280x720 is the largest.

What is the highest resolution I can get?

1280x720, which is 720p HD, for most videos. YouTube does not publish a larger standard thumbnail, even when the creator uploaded a bigger custom image, so this tool does not offer 4K.

Why is the 1280x720 size missing for some videos?

YouTube only makes the 640x480 and 1280x720 versions when the video or custom thumbnail is large enough. Very old and low-resolution uploads often stop at 480x360.

Can I download the thumbnail of a YouTube Short?

Yes. Paste the /shorts/ link to get the same five horizontal sizes as any other video. The vertical cover used in the Shorts feed is not included.

Why do some sizes have black bars?

The 480x360 and 640x480 versions are 4:3, so a 16:9 thumbnail is letterboxed with black bars at the top and bottom. Use 1280x720 or 320x180 for a clean 16:9 image.

Is it legal to download YouTube thumbnails?

The thumbnail belongs to the creator. Saving it for reference, research or commentary is common, but reusing it commercially or in your own videos needs permission. This is not legal advice. Read our copyright policy.

Can I download the video too?

No. This tool only saves thumbnail images. It does not download YouTube videos or audio.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Yes. Copy the link with Share > Copy link in the YouTube app, paste it here in your phone's browser and press Download JPG.

For developers

Need this for many links?

The same data as JSON from one request. Use it on hundreds of links from your own code, a spreadsheet or n8n.

curl -X POST https://api.scrapeeverything.com/v1/youtube/video \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"}'

Not a developer? Fill a Google Sheet or use the n8n workflow with the same API key.

All YouTube tools

Updated 27 Oct 2026 · Maintained by the Scrape Everything team