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Heroes of Might and Magic 3Get a Video's Full-Size Thumbnail
Any YouTube video's thumbnail opens at img.youtube.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpg, 1280 by 720 pixels when the video has one, with hqdefault.jpg (480 by 360) as the size every video has.
To get a YouTube video's thumbnail at full size, open https://img.youtube.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpg in a browser, putting the video's 11-character id in place of VIDEO_ID, then right-click the image and choose Save image as. For the video youtube.com/watch?v=kEn58iCruwc that is https://img.youtube.com/vi/kEn58iCruwc/maxresdefault.jpg, a 1280 by 720 image (tested Nov 6, 2026). If that address shows a small gray image instead, the video has no image at that size: use hqdefault.jpg, which every video has. No account, extension or download site is needed.
Thumbnails belong to the creators who made them. Saving one to look at, or to study what works, is one thing; reusing it in your own video or site needs the owner's permission, or a reason that holds up under fair use.
Quick facts
| Full size | img.youtube.com/vi/<id>/maxresdefault.jpg, 1280 x 720, only some videos |
| Always there | hqdefault.jpg, 480 x 360 |
| Also at | i.ytimg.com/vi/<id>/..., the same files |
| Documented by YouTube | The sizes are, in the YouTube Data API; the addresses are not |
| Tested | Nov 6, 2026 |
How do I get a YouTube video's thumbnail?
- Copy the video id: the 11 characters after
watch?v=in the address (or afteryoutu.be/orshorts/). - Type
https://img.youtube.com/vi/then the id, then/maxresdefault.jpginto the address bar and press Enter. - If a large image appears, right-click it and choose Save image as.
- If you see a tiny gray placeholder instead, change
maxresdefaulttosddefault, thenhqdefault.
Every size
| File name | Size in Vi.ki's test | Data API name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
maxresdefault.jpg |
1280 x 720 | maxres | Only some videos have it |
sddefault.jpg |
640 x 480 | standard | Only some videos have it |
hqdefault.jpg |
480 x 360 | high | Every video; letterboxed 4:3 |
0.jpg |
480 x 360 | The same image as hqdefault.jpg |
|
mqdefault.jpg |
320 x 180 | medium | Every video; 16:9 with no bars |
default.jpg |
120 x 90 | default | Every video |
1.jpg, 2.jpg, 3.jpg |
120 x 90 | Small frames from the video |
Sizes as measured on Nov 6, 2026 for kEn58iCruwc and other videos; which sizes exist and their pixel sizes per name are from the YouTube Data API thumbnails reference, which says the standard and maxres sizes exist only for some videos. Vi.ki checked the gap on a 2005 upload, jNQXAC9IVRw: its hqdefault.jpg answered, its maxresdefault.jpg returned a 404 with a 120 by 90 gray image.
George Vanous, who runs the Freedom! YouTube network, noted in his tips that 1.jpg, 2.jpg and 3.jpg are the three frames from the video that Studio offered as automatic thumbnails. At 120 by 90 pixels they are previews, not usable images; larger versions answered at hq1.jpg to hq3.jpg (480 x 360) and maxres1.jpg to maxres3.jpg (1280 x 720) in Vi.ki's test, but YouTube documents none of these names.
Shorts
The same addresses work for a Short, but they give a 16:9 image. For a Short from YouTube's own channel, maxresdefault.jpg was 1280 x 720 on Nov 6, 2026, while oar2.jpg returned a vertical 1080 x 1920 image. That name is undocumented too: treat it as something that worked on the day, not a promise.
Why it is not bigger
Custom Thumbnails can be uploaded far larger: YouTube Help recommends 3840 x 2160 pixels, with a minimum width of 640. The image YouTube serves at these addresses stops at 1280 x 720, so a 4K original is not available this way, and Vi.ki knows of no public address that serves it.
WebP versions
Each image also exists as WebP, a smaller format, at i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/<id>/maxresdefault.webp (tested Nov 6, 2026). Most browsers and editors open WebP, but some older tools only take JPEG, so the .jpg address is the safe choice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I download a YouTube thumbnail in full resolution? Open img.youtube.com/vi/ followed by the video id and /maxresdefault.jpg, then right-click the image and save it. If YouTube shows a small gray image there, use hqdefault.jpg instead.
Why does maxresdefault.jpg not work for some YouTube videos? YouTube's Data API says the 1280 x 720 size exists only for some videos. Where it is missing, sddefault.jpg (640 x 480) or hqdefault.jpg (480 x 360) is the largest.
Is it legal to use someone's YouTube thumbnail? The thumbnail is the creator's work. Viewing or saving it is harmless, but publishing it needs the owner's permission or a fair use reason.
Can I see a YouTube thumbnail before it changes? No: these addresses always show the current thumbnail, and YouTube serves no history of older ones. A creator testing thumbnails with Thumbnail Test and Compare may show different viewers different images.
Does this work for private YouTube videos? Vi.ki has not tested private videos, and YouTube does not document these addresses, so there is no reliable answer.
Sources
- Thumbnails, YouTube Data API, Google for Developers, read Nov 6, 2026
- Add custom thumbnails on YouTube, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- George Vanous's YouTube tips document, thumbnail addresses, read Nov 6, 2026
- Vi.ki's requests to img.youtube.com and i.ytimg.com, Nov 6, 2026
Related
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Hidden YouTube Studio PagesYouTube Studio pages can be opened directly by address, studio.youtube.com/channel/YOUR_CHANNEL_ID/ followed by a path such as content/inspiration (saved ideas), copyright/history (copyright removal requests) or monetization/affiliate_hub (Shopping affiliate offers).
-
Keyboard ShortcutsYouTube's main keyboard shortcuts on a computer are k to play or pause, j and l to jump 10 seconds, f for full screen, m to mute, c for captions, and comma and period to step frames; Shift + ? shows the full list in the player.
-
Link to an Exact TimeTo share a YouTube video from a set time, click Share under the video, tick Start at, enter the time and copy the link, or add &t=90 (seconds) to the address yourself; embeds use start= and end= instead.
- Loop a VideoTo loop a YouTube video on a computer, right-click the player and click Loop; in the app, tap Settings, Additional settings, Loop video; a playlist loops with the Loop button in its playlist box.
- Open a Video's TranscriptTo open a YouTube video's transcript on a computer, click "...more" under the video to expand the description, scroll to the Transcript section and click Show transcript; it works on any video that has captions.
-
Playback SpeedChange YouTube's speed in the player's Settings gear under Playback speed, from 0.25x to 2x for everyone (up to 4x with YouTube Premium), press and hold the video for 2x, or use Shift + > and Shift + < on a keyboard.
-
Right-Click Twice to Copy a Video FrameOn YouTube in Chrome on a computer, pause the video, right-click it once for YouTube's menu, then right-click again for the browser's own menu, which offers Copy video frame and Save video frame as.
- See a Video's Hidden TagsYouTube hides a video's tags from viewers, but on a computer anyone can read them in the page source: open view-source: before the watch address and search for name="keywords".
See also
-
Fair Use on YouTubeFair use is a US legal defense judged on four factors: purpose, the nature of the work, how much is used and the effect on its market. YouTube says it cannot decide fair use; only courts can, and no disclaimer makes a video fair use.
-
YouTube ShortsYouTube Shorts are vertical or square videos of up to three minutes, watched by swiping in the Shorts feed. Since Oct 15, 2024 any square or vertical upload of three minutes or less becomes a Short; before that the limit was 60 seconds.
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Custom ThumbnailsYouTube recommends custom thumbnails of 3840 x 2160 for videos (2160 x 3840 for Shorts), at least 640 pixels wide, in JPG or PNG, up to 50 MB on a computer or 2 MB on a phone. Uploading one needs a verified account; Shorts thumbnails are set only in YouTube Studio on a computer.
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Thumbnail Test and CompareYouTube's Test and compare (A/B testing) shows up to three thumbnails, titles, or pairs of both to viewers of one video and picks the winner by watch time share, in a few days to two weeks. It runs in YouTube Studio on a computer and needs advanced features.
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Find a Channel IDFind any YouTube channel's ID on its channel page by opening the description (the About panel), then Share channel > Copy channel ID; your own is also under Settings > Advanced settings, or at youtube.com/account_advanced.
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Frame by Frame with Comma and PeriodOn YouTube on a computer, pause the video, then press the period key to step one frame forward and the comma key to step one frame back.