Paste any YouTube URL - youtube.com/watch?v=, youtu.be/, shorts/, /live/, /embed/ - and we extract the video ID, fetch all five thumbnail sizes (maxres, sdefault, hqdefault, mqdefault, default), and let you download any of them. Works for Shorts and live streams too. No login, no API key, no quota.
When to use this
Quick scenarios where 'thumbnail from URL' beats other inputs: someone shared a YouTube link in WhatsApp / Slack / email and you want the thumbnail, you're researching a video you already have the link to, you're building a content calendar referencing existing YouTube content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which YouTube URL formats are supported?
All of them: youtube.com/watch?v=ID, youtu.be/ID, youtube.com/shorts/ID, youtube.com/live/ID, youtube.com/embed/ID, m.youtube.com/watch?v=ID, music.youtube.com/watch?v=ID. Also direct 11-character video IDs without any URL.
Does it work for unlisted or private videos?
Unlisted videos: yes (thumbnails are public for unlisted). Private videos: no (private = no public thumbnail). Deleted videos: no (YouTube removes the thumbnail when the video is deleted).
Powered by YouTube Thumbnail Downloader.