# YouTube thumbnail downloader

> Paste the link to a video and see its cover image in every size YouTube serves. Save the HD one, or the smaller ones, with one click.

Source: https://clipscript.app/youtube-thumbnail-downloader · Updated: 2026-10-31 · Publisher: ClipScript

## Paste a YouTube link

Paste a YouTube link; the video's cover image is shown in every size YouTube serves, ready to download.

## How do you download a YouTube thumbnail?

Paste the video's link above and press the button. YouTube keeps every video's cover image at fixed addresses in up to four sizes: 1280×720 (maxres), 640×480, 480×360 and 320×180. This page shows the ones that exist for that video and lets you save each as a JPG. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is charged. The picture belongs to the channel that made it: use it for reference, for your own videos, or with permission.

- **Sizes:** 1280×720, 640×480, 480×360, 320×180
- **Links:** watch, Shorts, youtu.be, embed
- **Cost:** Free, no account
- **Not every video:** Older uploads have no 1280×720 copy

## How to save a thumbnail in HD

1. **Copy the video link** From the address bar or the Share button. A Shorts link or a youtu.be short link works the same.
2. **Paste it here** The cover appears in every size YouTube has for that video. A size YouTube never made is simply not shown.
3. **Download** Press Download under the size you want; the JPG is saved with the video id in its name.

## The four sizes, and which to pick

YouTube stores each cover as JPG files at i.ytimg.com/vi/<video id>/<name>.jpg. These are the ones this page fetches, as the code lists them.

| Spec | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HD · maxresdefault.jpg | 1280 × 720, 16:9 (The cover at full size: the channel's custom thumbnail if it set one, otherwise a frame YouTube picked. Made only when the upload was large enough, so older videos often lack it.) |  |
| SD · sddefault.jpg | 640 × 480, 4:3 (The 16:9 picture shrunk into a 4:3 frame, with black bars above and below. Missing on many videos.) |  |
| HQ · hqdefault.jpg | 480 × 360, 4:3 (Also letterboxed in 4:3. The size you are most likely to find for any video, old or new.) |  |
| MQ · mqdefault.jpg | 320 × 180, 16:9 (Small and without bars: close to how big a cover looks in a phone feed, which makes it the honest size for judging whether a cover reads.) |  |

Last checked: 2026-10-29

## Thumbnail downloader questions

### Why do the 640×480 and 480×360 pictures have black bars?

Those two sizes are 4:3 frames, and a 16:9 cover is fitted inside them with bars above and below. For a clean 16:9 picture take 1280×720, or 320×180 if small is enough.

### Why is there no HD size for some videos?

YouTube makes the 1280×720 copy only when the upload was large enough; many older or low-resolution videos have only 480×360. The page shows what exists.

### Can I download my own channel's thumbnails in bulk?

Not here: one video at a time. YouTube Studio keeps your own thumbnails; this page is for a quick grab from a link.

### Can I use another channel's thumbnail?

It is the channel's picture. Save it for reference, to study what works, or with the owner's permission; do not reuse it as your own cover.

### Does it work for Shorts?

Yes. A Shorts link carries the same video id, and YouTube serves the same cover sizes for it.

### Is anything uploaded or tracked?

No. The pictures load from YouTube's own image host; the download passes through this site only so your browser can save a file. Nothing is kept.

## Make your own thumbnail

Write what the cover should show and get a 1280×720 picture from an image model.

[Open the AI thumbnail maker](https://clipscript.app/)