How to Download a YouTube Thumbnail in HD (iPhone, Android, PC)

Why save a YouTube thumbnail?

• Checking your own thumbnail: see exactly the image YouTube shows viewers, in every size.
• Getting back a lost file: keep a copy of a thumbnail you designed when the original is gone.
• Reference: show a video in a blog post, presentation or school project.

Thumbnails belong to the channel that made them. Save your own freely, but ask before reusing someone else's, and credit the creator.

Step 1: Copy the video's link

1. Open the video or Short in the YouTube app.
2. Tap Share, then Copy link.
3. On a computer, copy the address from the address bar instead.

Links like youtu.be/…, youtube.com/watch?v=…, youtube.com/shorts/… and youtube.com/live/… all work.

Step 2: Get the thumbnail from the video link

1. Open the YouTube Thumbnail Downloader.
2. Tap Paste. If your browser asks for permission to read the clipboard, allow it. Or tap the box and paste the link yourself; it starts automatically.
3. If you typed the link instead, press Get thumbnails. A preview appears for each size YouTube has for that video.

Step 3: Pick a size and download

• HD thumbnail (1280 × 720) is the sharpest version, shown when the video has one.
• SD thumbnail (640 × 480) and High thumbnail (480 × 360) are smaller backups.
• Medium thumbnail (320 × 180) is a small preview size.

Each card shows the size in pixels and KB. Press Download under the one you want and you get a JPG. The images load straight from YouTube's public image servers into your browser. Marukit only saves thumbnails; it doesn't download YouTube videos or their sound.

Why some videos have no HD thumbnail

YouTube doesn't make a 1280 × 720 thumbnail for every video. Older uploads and low-resolution videos often only have the smaller sizes. The tool lists only sizes that really exist, so if HD is missing, the biggest card you see is the best available. The SD and High sizes are a squarer 4:3 shape, so a widescreen thumbnail can have black bars at the top and bottom.

Where the file goes on each device

• iPhone: Safari shows a download icon in the address bar. The file is in the Files app under Downloads. To move it to Photos, open it, tap Share, then Save Image.
• Android: open the Files or Downloads app. Most gallery apps also show it in a Downloads album.
• Windows or Mac: it's in your Downloads folder.

If it doesn't work

• "That doesn't look like a YouTube video link": the link is to a channel, playlist page or search, not a single video. Open the video itself and copy its link.
• "No thumbnails found. The video may be private or deleted.": there's no public thumbnail to get, so it can't be downloaded. Check the link opens the video in a private browser window.
• "Your browser blocked the Paste button": tap the box and paste the link yourself (long-press › Paste, or Ctrl+V).
• "Your clipboard is empty": copy the video link first, then press Paste again.

Resize, crop or shrink the thumbnail

Need a different size? Open the Image Resizer, untick Lock aspect ratio, type a width and height and choose Crop to fill. For example, 640 × 360 trims the black bars off an SD thumbnail without stretching it. To make the file smaller, use the Image Compressor.

Adding the thumbnail to a blog post? Convert it with Image to WebP first. The file is usually much smaller, so your page loads faster.

Try the YouTube Thumbnail DownloaderGet any YouTube video's thumbnail in HD and every size. Free, no signup.Open tool