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YouTube thumbnail downloader

Paste a YouTube link and get the thumbnail in every size YouTube offers — including 1280 × 720 HD — with the black bars removed if you want.

HD 1280×720All sizesRemove black barsNo sign-up

Nothing is uploaded to any server. Your browser loads the public thumbnail straight from YouTube’s image servers, and the video title from YouTube’s public oEmbed. Mokivo never sees the link you paste.

How it works

Get a thumbnail in three steps

Paste the link

Any YouTube link works: watch, youtu.be, Shorts, embed or live. You can also paste just the 11-character video ID.

Pick a size

See every size YouTube has for the video. The maximum resolution is 1280 × 720; older videos may only have smaller ones.

Download or copy

Save the JPG, crop the black bars to a clean 16:9, or copy the image to paste straight into a design or document.

Why use it

The whole set, without the clutter

HD when it exists

Gets the 1280 × 720 maxresdefault image, and tells you plainly when a video does not have one.

Black bars removed

The 4:3 sizes come with black bars baked in. One click crops them to a proper 16:9 image.

Nothing goes through us

The image is fetched by your browser directly from YouTube. We run no server for this, so there is nothing to log.

Frames too

Also grabs the three automatic frames YouTube generates from the video.

Good to know

How YouTube thumbnails work

Where the images come from

Every YouTube video has a set of public thumbnail images at predictable addresses on i.ytimg.com. This tool builds those addresses from the video ID in your link, loads them in your browser and lets you save them. The video title is read from YouTube’s public oEmbed endpoint.

Why some sizes have black bars

The Standard (640 × 480), High quality (480 × 360) and Small (120 × 90) images are 4:3, so YouTube pads a 16:9 picture with black bars at the top and bottom. Maximum resolution (1280 × 720) and Medium (320 × 180) are real 16:9. Use Crop bars to get the clean 16:9 version of the padded sizes.

When there is no HD version

The 1280 × 720 file only exists if the video was uploaded with a high-resolution thumbnail. Many older videos, and some uploads without a custom thumbnail, top out at 640 × 360 after cropping. This tool marks the missing sizes instead of showing a broken image.

Using thumbnails fairly

A thumbnail is part of the creator’s work. It is fine to download one to study it, compare designs, build a mood board or credit the video, but do not publish someone else’s thumbnail as if it were yours. To make your own, try the Thumbnail Generator or preview it first with the YouTube thumbnail preview.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the YouTube thumbnail downloader free?

Yes — completely free, no account and no watermarks. Part of Mokivo.

Is the link I paste sent to Mokivo?

No. Your browser talks directly to YouTube’s image servers. Mokivo has no server involved and never sees the link.

What is the best thumbnail size?

Maximum resolution, 1280 × 720, when it is available. If it is not, use High quality or Standard with the black bars cropped.

Why does my download have black bars?

The Standard, High quality and Small sizes are 4:3 and YouTube pads them. Use the Crop bars button to get a clean 16:9 image.

Why is there no 1280 × 720 thumbnail?

The maximum resolution image exists only for videos uploaded with a high-resolution thumbnail. Older videos often do not have one.

Does it work with Shorts and live streams?

Yes. Shorts, live, embed, youtu.be and normal watch links all work, as does the bare 11-character video ID.

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Resize, crop, convert and clean up images, audio and video — all in your browser.

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