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YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Downloader
Paste any YouTube Shorts link to preview and download its cover image — this uses the exact same downloader as our main tool, just tuned for vertical Shorts links.
- youtube.com/watch?v=…
- youtu.be/…
- youtube.com/shorts/…
- youtube.com/live/…
- youtube.com/embed/…
- 11-character video ID
How Shorts thumbnails work
Shorts run on the same video infrastructure as regular YouTube uploads, so every Short gets the same family of auto-generated thumbnail files at YouTube's image CDN. This tool automatically detects a youtube.com/shorts/ link — you don't need to convert it to a regular watch URL first.
Related tools
YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Downloader
Grab the cover image from any YouTube Shorts link.
Open tool →Bulk YouTube Thumbnail Downloader
Look up and download thumbnails for up to 20 videos at once.
Open tool →Thumbnail Resizer
Resize a thumbnail to common social and ad dimensions, right in your browser.
Open tool →YouTube Thumbnail Size Guide
Every official thumbnail resolution and when it's actually available.
Open tool →Shorts thumbnail FAQ
How do I download a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?
Copy the Shorts link (it looks like youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID) and paste it into the tool above, then tap Get Thumbnails and download the size you need.
Why does my Shorts thumbnail look cropped or letterboxed?
Shorts are filmed vertically, but the underlying auto-generated thumbnail file follows the same 16:9 or 4:3 shapes as regular videos, so YouTube crops or letterboxes the frame to fit. This is expected and comes directly from YouTube's servers.
Does this work for Shorts with a custom cover image?
Yes — whatever image YouTube is currently serving for that video, custom cover or auto-generated, is what gets fetched and shown here.