YouTube Thumbnail Downloader — Grab Any Thumbnail in HD

YouTube thumbnail sizes and dimensions

Max resolution — 1280 × 720

16:9, served as maxresdefault.jpg. This is also the size YouTube asks for when you upload a thumbnail of your own. It only exists if the video itself was published in 720p or higher.

Standard definition — 640 × 480

4:3, served as sddefault.jpg. The 16:9 frame sits letterboxed inside a 4:3 canvas, so it carries bars above and below. Missing on low-resolution uploads, same as the HD version.

High quality — 480 × 360

4:3, served as hqdefault.jpg. Generated for every public video without exception, which makes it the one to fall back on when the larger sizes are missing.

Medium quality — 320 × 180

16:9, served as mqdefault.jpg. Small but correctly proportioned — the usable one for link previews and cards.

Default — 120 × 90

4:3, served as default.jpg. The smallest of the set; YouTube itself uses it in playlists and sidebars.

Uploading your own thumbnail

YouTube asks for 1280 × 720 pixels at a 16:9 ratio, under 2 MB, as a JPG, PNG, GIF or BMP. Anything under 640 pixels wide is rejected.

How to download a YouTube thumbnail

1. Open the video on YouTube and copy its link. The Share button gives you one, and the address bar works just as well.
2. Paste it into the box above. Every thumbnail YouTube stored for that video appears straight away, largest first.
3. Press Download under the size you want. The image saves to your device as a JPG — no right-clicking, no screenshot.

Frequently asked questions

Is this free?

Yes — no account, no payment, and no limit on how many thumbnails you download. The images are public files on YouTube's own servers; this page finds them and hands them to you as a proper download.

What size is a YouTube thumbnail?

The largest version is 1280 × 720 pixels at a 16:9 ratio, which is also the size YouTube asks for when you upload one. Below it are 640 × 480, 480 × 360, 320 × 180 and 120 × 90. The table above lists all five with their exact dimensions.

Why is the HD version missing for some videos?

YouTube derives the 1280 × 720 and 640 × 480 versions from the uploaded file, so a video published at 360p never had them in the first place. The 480 × 360 version exists for every public video, so use that one when the larger sizes don't appear.

Does it work with Shorts and live streams?

Yes. Shorts links, live links, embed links, youtu.be share links, the mobile and music subdomains, and a bare video id all resolve. Timestamps, playlist parameters and share tokens in the link are ignored rather than rejected.

Can I download the thumbnail of a private video?

No. Only public and unlisted videos serve thumbnails from YouTube's image servers. A private video returns nothing, whichever tool you use.

Can I reuse someone else's thumbnail on my own video?

Not without their permission. A thumbnail is the creator's work, and downloading it transfers no rights — reuploading one as your own can get your video taken down. Reference, study and design mockups are the ordinary use for this tool.