ytbud Add to Chrome

How to download a YouTube thumbnail in full size

Updated · tested in Chrome

Short answer

Every thumbnail is at https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpg. Swap in the video ID from the URL and save the image. Or click Thumbnail under the player with ytbud: it tries the largest size first and saves it as “title-thumbnail.jpg”.

Add to Chrome — it’s free
Thumbnail button, recorded on YouTube with ytbud.

By hand

  1. Copy the video ID: the 11 characters after v= in the URL.
  2. Open https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpg.
  3. If it’s missing, try sddefault.jpg, then hqdefault.jpg.
  4. Right-click → Save image as.

With ytbud, step by step

  1. Add ytbud to Chrome. The Thumbnail button is on by default.
  2. Open the video and click Thumbnail under the player.
  3. The largest available cover is saved to your downloads.

Good to know

Respect the creator
Thumbnails are the creator’s work. Use them for reference, notes and fair use.

Questions

Why is maxresdefault missing on some videos?

Older or low-resolution uploads don’t have it. ytbud falls back to the next size automatically.