All tools
YouTube Thumbnail Downloader
Download a YouTube video's thumbnail in any size YouTube has, with or without a play button on it.
A watch, youtu.be or Shorts link, a thumbnail address or an 11-character video ID. One video at a time.
- Thumbnails come straight from YouTube's image server (i.ytimg.com) to your browser.
- The play button is drawn, and PNG and WebP files are made, here in your browser.
- If YouTube has no thumbnail for the video, your browser also asks youtube.com whether the video exists.
- Where the browser can't make WebP itself (Safari), it loads Google's WebP encoder (libwebp, BSD licence) from OpsDrawer.
- Nothing you paste is sent to or stored by OpsDrawer.
Only download thumbnails you own or have permission to use.
Learn more about downloading YouTube thumbnails
How to do it
- Copy the video's link from YouTube — a watch, youtu.be or Shorts link — its 11-character ID, or the address of a thumbnail image.
- Paste it into YouTube link or video ID. The thumbnail is found as soon as you paste, and shows in the Preview.
- Pick a Thumbnail size. Only the sizes YouTube has for the video are listed, largest first, with each one's real dimensions.
- Choose a File type — JPEG, PNG or WebP — and, if you want one, a play button: set Add play button to With, then pick its style, size and colours.
- Press Download to save the file, or Copy image to paste it straight into another app.
Questions
- Which thumbnail sizes can I download?
- Whichever of YouTube's sizes the video has: Max (1280 × 720), Standard (640 × 480), High (480 × 360), Medium (320 × 180) and Default (120 × 90), and for some Shorts a Vertical one.
- Why does my thumbnail have black bars?
- YouTube adds them itself when a size's shape differs from the video's, such as a 16:9 video in the 4:3 Standard size. The bars are kept, never cropped, and the largest size without them is picked first.
- Is the file exactly what YouTube serves?
- Yes, as a JPEG without a play button: you get YouTube's own file, byte for byte. A PNG, a WebP or anything with a play button is saved again in your browser, at the thumbnail's own size.
- Can I add a play button to the thumbnail?
- Yes. Set Add play button to With and choose from eight styles, a size and the button and arrow colours. For opacity, a shadow, a border or darkening, use Add Play Button to Image.
- What does Copy image copy?
- Always a PNG, whatever the File type, with the play button if you added one. If your browser blocks copying images, use Download instead.
- Can I use any thumbnail I find?
- Only download thumbnails you own or have permission to use. A thumbnail is the channel's artwork, so check before you publish it anywhere.
- Does OpsDrawer see what I paste?
- No. Thumbnails come straight from YouTube's image server to your browser, and the play button and PNG or WebP files are made on your device. Your file type and play button choices are remembered in this browser; the link and the video aren't.