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Free. No sign-up, no watermark, no limit.

YouTube Thumbnail Downloader Every Size, Free

Paste a YouTube video or Shorts link to see every thumbnail size YouTube has for it, from the full 1280×720 image down to small previews. Download one, copy it, or grab a whole list in bulk.

Automatic lookup on paste. Works with full videos, Shorts, live streams & embeds.

Paste any YouTube or Shorts link to begin

Our tool directly extracts the highest native resolution from YouTube CDN, plus vertical 9:16 Shorts covers, auto-generated frames, and 2K or 4K upscaled copies.

Finding every thumbnail size for this video…

That thumbnail could not be found

Please check your link and ensure the video is public.

  • No sign-up
  • Bulk download
  • Shorts supported
  • Copy to clipboard

How it works

How to download a YouTube thumbnail in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Copy the video link

    On YouTube, tap Share and Copy link, or copy the address from your browser. Shorts links work too.

  2. 2

    Paste it above

    Paste the link into the box and press Get Thumbnail. Every available size appears with its real dimensions.

  3. 3

    Download or copy

    Click Download on the size you want, or Copy to paste it straight into a design app.

What you get

Every thumbnail YouTube has, in one place

YouTube keeps several copies of each thumbnail. Raha checks which ones exist for your video and shows them with their exact sizes.

Biggest size first

The maximum-resolution image (usually 1280×720) is shown first, ready to download.

Max resolution

Shorts thumbnails

Paste a Shorts link to get its thumbnail, plus a 1080×1920 vertical cover for Reels, TikTok and Stories.

Shorts

Bulk download

Paste a list of links, one per line, and download the best thumbnail of each.

Many videos

JPG and WebP

Choose YouTube's JPG or its smaller WebP version where one exists.

Formats

Copy to clipboard

Copy the image and paste it into Canva, Photoshop, Slides or a chat in one step.

Copy

Bigger copies

Need a larger file for a slide or print? Get a 2K or 4K enlarged copy of the largest thumbnail.

2K / 4K upscaled

Thumbnail sizes

Every YouTube thumbnail size

These are the files YouTube stores for a video. Older or low-resolution videos may not have the largest ones; Raha only shows the sizes that exist.

File name Size (pixels) Notes
maxresdefault Up to 1280 × 720 The original-quality thumbnail. Only exists for videos uploaded in HD.
hq720 1280 × 720 HD version, available for most recent videos.
sddefault 640 × 480 Standard definition, 4:3 with bars at the top and bottom.
hqdefault 480 × 360 Exists for every video. Also 4:3 with bars.
mqdefault 320 × 180 Medium 16:9, used in lists and search results.
default 120 × 90 Smallest preview.
1, 2, 3 120 × 90 Small frames YouTube picks automatically from the video.
oar2, oar3 … Up to 1920 × 1080 Frames in the video's own shape and size. Only some videos have them; Raha lists them under Original aspect ratio.

Many sizes also come as WebP files, which are smaller than the JPG versions.

Step-by-step guides

YouTube thumbnail guides

How to save a YouTube thumbnail on any device

  1. iPhone and Android: in the YouTube app, tap Share, then Copy link. Open this page, paste the link and tap Download; on iPhone, long-press the image and choose Save to Photos if your browser opens it instead.
  2. Windows and Mac: copy the address from the browser bar, paste it into the downloader, and click Download.
  3. Links from youtube.com/watch, youtu.be, /shorts/, /embed/ and /live/ all work, and so does an 11-character video ID.

How to download a YouTube Shorts thumbnail

  1. Copy the Shorts link, for example youtube.com/shorts/…, and paste it above.
  2. YouTube stores Shorts thumbnails as 16:9 images. Raha also makes a 1080×1920 vertical cover, either a centre crop or the full image on a blurred background.
  3. Use the vertical cover for Instagram Reels, TikTok or Stories.

How to download many thumbnails at once

  1. Switch to Bulk / Batch Downloader.
  2. Paste your links, one per line, and click Process All Links.
  3. Download each thumbnail, or use Download All Best Thumbnails to save the largest size of every video.

How to copy a thumbnail into Canva or Photoshop

  1. Click Copy on any size.
  2. In your design app, press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac) to paste the image directly.

What the 2K and 4K copies are

  1. YouTube's main thumbnail is at most 1280×720.
  2. The 2K and 4K options enlarge the largest thumbnail in your browser with light sharpening. They're bigger files for slides or print, but they can't add detail that wasn't in the original.

What size should my own YouTube thumbnail be?

  1. YouTube recommends 1280 × 720 pixels (16:9), at least 640 pixels wide.
  2. Use JPG, PNG or GIF, and keep the file under 2 MB. Compress Image helps if yours is too big, and Resize Image sets the exact size.

Use cases

Why people download YouTube thumbnails

Your own videos

Get back a thumbnail you made but no longer have the file for.

Thumbnail research

Study what top videos in your niche do with colour, faces and text.

Slides and lessons

Show a video's cover in a presentation or lesson plan, with credit.

Blogs and reviews

Illustrate a review or roundup that links to the video.

Client reports

Collect thumbnails for a channel audit or a content report.

Shorts and Reels

Turn a thumbnail into a vertical 9:16 cover.

FAQ

YouTube thumbnail questions, answered

How do I download a YouTube thumbnail?

Copy the video's link, paste it into the box at the top of this page and click Get Thumbnail. Then click Download on the size you want.

What is the highest quality YouTube thumbnail?

The maxresdefault image, usually 1280 × 720 pixels. It only exists for videos uploaded in HD; for others, the largest is 640 × 480 or 480 × 360. Raha shows the real size of each image.

Can I get a thumbnail in 1080p or 4K?

The main thumbnail is at most 1280 × 720. Some videos also have original-ratio frames at up to 1920 × 1080, which Raha lists when they exist. Raha can also make enlarged 2K and 4K copies, but they're upscaled, so they don't contain extra detail.

Does it work with YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Paste a Shorts link to get its thumbnail, and download a 1080 × 1920 vertical cover if you need one.

Can I download thumbnails from many videos at once?

Yes. Use Bulk / Batch Downloader, paste one link per line, and download them all.

Is it free?

Yes. There's no sign-up, no watermark and no download limit.

Why can't I find a thumbnail for my video?

The video may be private, deleted or age-restricted, or the link may be incomplete. Check that it opens in a private browser window, then try again.

Is it legal to download YouTube thumbnails?

Thumbnails belong to the people who made them. Downloading your own, or using one for reference, commentary or news with credit, is generally fine. Ask the creator before using someone else's thumbnail in your own work.

Do you store the links or images?

No. Thumbnails come from YouTube's public image servers and pass through our download service only so your browser can save them. Nothing is stored.

Ready to grab a thumbnail?

Paste any YouTube or Shorts link and download it in seconds.

Get a YouTube thumbnail

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