How to Get YouTube Thumbnails
Three methods compared. One clear winner.
Screenshot
Pros
- Works anywhere
- No tools needed
Cons
- Low resolution
- Includes UI elements
- Needs cropping
- Compression artifacts
URL Hack
Pros
- Free
- Direct file access
Cons
- Need to know the format
- Can fail silently
- No size options
- Tedious for multiple videos
ThumbGrab
Pros
- All resolutions shown
- One-click download
- Works with any URL
- No cropping needed
Cons
- 3/day limit (free)
The Easy Way (30 seconds)
Copy the video URL
Go to any YouTube video and copy the URL from your browser's address bar. Works with regular videos, Shorts, or any YouTube link format.
Paste into ThumbGrab
Paste the URL into the input box below or on our homepage. We'll instantly detect the video ID and fetch all available thumbnails.
Choose resolution & download
Pick from all available sizes (up to 1280×720). Click download. Done. The file saves directly — no popups, no redirects.
Try it now
Free • No signup • 3 downloads/day
The Manual Way (URL Hack)
If you prefer doing things manually, you can construct the thumbnail URL yourself:
https://img.youtube.com/vi/[VIDEO_ID]/maxresdefault.jpgReplace [VIDEO_ID] with the 11-character video ID (e.g., dQw4w9WgXcQ). But this method doesn't tell you if maxresdefault exists — you have to guess. ThumbGrab shows you exactly which sizes are available.