What is the highest quality YouTube thumbnail?

The HD thumbnail is 1280x720 pixels, which YouTube calls maxresdefault. Most videos uploaded in HD have it. Older or low-resolution videos may only have the 480x360 version, and the tool shows which sizes exist for each video.

Is the YouTube thumbnail downloader free?

Yes. You can view and download thumbnails in every size for free, with no sign-up and no watermark.

Why is the HD 1280x720 thumbnail not available?

YouTube only creates the HD thumbnail when the uploaded video or custom thumbnail is large enough. When it is missing, the 640x480 or 480x360 version is the largest one the video has.

Should I download JPG or WebP?

JPG opens everywhere, including older photo editors and Office apps. WebP files are about half the size at the same quality and work in every current browser, Photoshop, Figma and Canva.

Can I download the thumbnail of a YouTube Short?

Yes. Paste the Shorts link the same way as a normal video link. Shorts thumbnails come in the same sizes as other videos.

Can I use a downloaded thumbnail in my own video or website?

Thumbnails belong to the creator of the video. Use them for reference, research, or with the creator's permission, and give credit when you share them.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Yes. The tool runs in any mobile or desktop browser. On iPhone the image is saved to the Files app, or you can open it and long-press to save it to Photos.

Free YouTube thumbnail tool

YouTube Thumbnail DownloaderSave it in HD 1280x720 or any other size, as JPG or WebP

Paste a YouTube video or Shorts link to see its thumbnail in every size. Free, with no sign-up, on iPhone, Android and PC.

Up to 1280x720 HDJPG and WebPWorks on every device

Try:

How it works

How to download a YouTube thumbnail

Save the thumbnail of any video in three steps, with no account and nothing to install.

1
Copy the video link
Open the video on YouTube and copy its link from the address bar or the Share button. Shorts links work too.
2
Paste it above
Paste the link and select Get thumbnail. Every size the video has appears, from 1280x720 HD down to 120x90.
3
Download the image
Pick a size and download it as JPG or WebP, or copy the image link to use it somewhere else.

Features

Every thumbnail size, in one place

Preview, pick a size and save it in the format you need.

HD thumbnail in 1280x720

See the largest version of the thumbnail before you download it, in the same quality YouTube shows.

Every size the video has

Get all five sizes, from 1280x720 HD down to 120x90. Sizes a video does not have are marked, so nothing fails.

JPG or a smaller WebP

Save as JPG for any app, or as WebP, which is about half the file size at the same quality.

Copy the image link

Copy the direct image address to paste into a document, a design tool or a message.

Sizes

YouTube thumbnail sizes

YouTube stores each thumbnail in up to five sizes. These are the ones you can download here.

Size	Resolution	File name	Good for
HDBest	1280 x 720 (16:9)	maxresdefault.jpg	Blog posts, slides and design mockups
SD	640 x 480 (4:3)	sddefault.jpg	Documents and email
High quality	480 x 360 (4:3)	hqdefault.jpg	Available for every video
Medium quality	320 x 180 (16:9)	mqdefault.jpg	Lists and previews
Small	120 x 90 (4:3)	default.jpg	Icons and tiny previews

Guide

How to get the thumbnail of a YouTube video

Every YouTube video has a thumbnail: the still image shown in search results, on the home page and before the video plays. YouTube has no button to save it, so this tool finds every size of the thumbnail from the video link and lets you download the one you need.

The largest size is 1280x720 pixels in 16:9, the same shape as an HD video. The 640x480 and 480x360 sizes are 4:3, so a 16:9 thumbnail has black bars at the top and bottom in those files. For a sharp image without bars, pick HD when it is available, or the 320x180 size for small previews.

Tips

If a creator changed the thumbnail recently, the new one can take a few minutes to show up.
Download WebP for websites, where the smaller file loads faster.
Respect the creator's rights: ask before reusing a thumbnail and give credit when you share it.

More free YouTube tools

YouTube transcript downloaderCopy or download TXT, SRT and VTT.YouTube to MP3MP3 in 320 kbps, plus M4A, FLAC and WAV.YouTube tag extractorSee and copy the tags of any video.

Questions

Something else? [email protected]

Copy the video link, paste it into the box at the top of this page and select Get thumbnail. Then select Download JPG or Download WebP under the size you want.

Need the video too?

Download the same video in 4K or 1080p MP4, or save the audio as MP3 at up to 320 kbps.

Open the video downloader Get another thumbnail