Free · no sign-up · runs in your browser
Download YouTube Thumbnails in Every Size
Paste a video link to see every thumbnail YouTube has made for it, from 120 × 90 up to 1280 × 720. Sizes that don't exist are marked, so you never save a grey placeholder by mistake.
Get a video's thumbnail
Works with normal watch links, youtu.be share links, Shorts links, embed links and bare 11-character IDs. The images load straight from YouTube's image server into your browser.
What you can do here
GrabYTthumb is a small, focused toolkit for people who work with YouTube videos: creators checking how their thumbnails look, writers who need the right preview image, and developers puzzling over why maxresdefault.jpg sometimes returns a grey box. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing you paste is stored.
Thumbnail downloader
See all five standard sizes for any public video, with real dimensions, a download button and clear "not available" labels.
Chapter timestamp checker
Check a chapter list against YouTube's rules (start at 0:00, at least three, 10 seconds each) and copy a tidy version.
Description builder
Lay out a clear description with chapters, links, credits and hashtags, and keep an eye on the 5,000-character limit.
Transcript to SRT converter
Turn your own transcript into an SRT or VTT caption file to upload in YouTube Studio.
Guides worth reading first
Our guides are checked against YouTube's own help pages and dated, so you can see when they were last reviewed. If you're new to thumbnails, start with these:
- YouTube thumbnail sizes and resolutions explained: what YouTube recommends you upload (now 3840 × 2160) and the smaller copies it serves.
- Why maxresdefault.jpg is missing for some videos: the grey placeholder explained, with a simple way to detect it.
- Using YouTube thumbnails legally: a cautious, plain-English look at copyright, UK fair dealing and US fair use.
- Thumbnail design tips and Shorts thumbnails: designing for small screens and awkward crops.
A quick word on using thumbnails
Thumbnails are the creators' work and are normally protected by copyright. This tool shows you the images YouTube itself serves publicly. It doesn't give you permission to reuse them. If you want to feature someone's video, embedding it with YouTube's player is the simplest option, and the thumbnail comes with it. Our copyright guide explains more.
GrabYTthumb is run by Rob Falconer at The AI Barn and isn't affiliated with YouTube or Google. More about us.