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YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

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Every thumbnail size for a video, up to 1280×720.

Free to use with no account. JSON, password and 2FA tools run entirely in your browser.

YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

Every thumbnail size for a video, up to 1280×720.

Free

About

Paste a video link and the page lays out every thumbnail YouTube stores for it: maxresdefault at 1280×720, sddefault at 640×480, hqdefault at 480×360, mqdefault at 320×180 and default at 120×90. The images load straight from i.ytimg.com into your browser, and CheckKit's server never hears about the video. A full link like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ works, and so does the bare ID dQw4w9WgXcQ.

How to use

Paste a watch, youtu.be, Shorts, embed or live URL, or the 11-character ID, into the box. The size cards appear as soon as the ID is recognised. Use Open full size to view an image in a new tab and save it from there, or Copy image URL to paste the address somewhere else. A card that says the size does not exist means YouTube has no image at that resolution for this video.

Which size to take

For a blog header, a slide or a link preview, take the 1280×720 file if it exists. It is the only one that matches the full width of what the creator uploaded. The 640×480 and 480×360 files are 4:3 frames, so a widescreen thumbnail sits between black bars at the top and bottom. The 320×180 file is 16:9 with no bars, which makes it the better pick when you need something small and clean, such as a row of cards in a list.

When the HD thumbnail is missing

Not every video has a maxresdefault image. YouTube does not return an error for a size it lacks; it serves a small grey 120×90 placeholder in its place. The page checks the width of each image after it loads, and when a large size comes back that small it labels the card as missing instead of showing you the grey box. In that case sddefault or hqdefault is the largest real version available.

Every link format resolves to one ID

Shared links come in many shapes: youtube.com/watch?v=, youtu.be/, youtube.com/shorts/, youtube.com/embed/ and youtube.com/live/, on m. and music. hosts too, often with extra parameters such as t= or a playlist. The parser pulls out the 11-character video ID and ignores the rest, so a link copied from a phone share sheet works as well as one from the address bar. A playlist or channel URL has no single video ID and will not resolve.

Using someone else's thumbnail

The image is the creator's artwork. Using it to point at their video, in a review, a roundup or a link card, is the ordinary case. Reusing it as the cover of your own upload is something the creator and YouTube's policies may object to, and the downloader cannot tell you which side of that line you are on.

FAQ

How do I download a YouTube thumbnail in HD?

Paste the video link, open the 1280×720 card at full size and save the image from the new tab. If that card says the size does not exist, the video has no HD thumbnail and 640×480 is the next best.

Why does the max resolution thumbnail show as unavailable?

Because YouTube only made the smaller sizes for that video. It answers a request for the missing one with a 120×90 grey placeholder, which the page detects and reports.

Can I get the thumbnail of a YouTube Short?

Yes. Paste the youtube.com/shorts/ link. Shorts use the same image addresses as regular videos, keyed by the same kind of 11-character ID.

Does the thumbnail downloader send my link to a server?

No. The ID is read from the link in your browser, and the images come directly from YouTube's image host.

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