Free tool · no sign-up
YouTube Thumbnail Downloader
Paste any YouTube URL and get the video’s thumbnail in every size YouTube hosts, straight from YouTube’s own image servers. Useful for studying how the winning videos in your lane earn their clicks — composition, contrast, where the text sits — at the sizes viewers actually see them.
Studying winners properly is a method: see step five of starting a faceless channel.
Common questions
How do I download a YouTube thumbnail?
Paste the video's URL into the tool and it resolves the thumbnail images YouTube hosts for that video, from maximum resolution (1280×720) down to the small feed sizes. Open the size you need and save it. The images come directly from YouTube's public image servers — nothing is re-hosted.
Is it legal to download YouTube thumbnails?
Thumbnails are the creator's copyrighted work. Downloading one to study composition, to reference in your own research, or to use your own video's thumbnail is normal practice; re-using someone else's thumbnail on your video can be both a copyright problem and a channel-strike risk. Study, don't lift.
Why is the maximum-resolution thumbnail missing for some videos?
YouTube only generates the 1280×720 'maxresdefault' image for videos whose upload supported it; older or low-resolution uploads may top out at 640×480 ('sddefault') or 480×360 ('hqdefault'). The tool shows every size that exists for the video.