How to Get a YouTube Thumbnail’s URL

Article last updated on:
June 03, 2024

Related: How to copy the thumbnail image of a video.

How to Find the URL of a YouTube Thumbnail

To find the URL of a YouTube video, you can either right-click the image and select “Copy image Address”.

Alternatively: Right-click anywhere → Click “Inspect” and select the thumbnail. Then, click the URL on the right and it will open in a new tab.

Method #1: Copy image Address

Copying a YouTube Thumbnail's URL
  1. Open YouTube > Find the desired video
  2. Right-click the thumbnail (sometimes you need right-click x2)
  3. Select Copy image Address

This is the quickest way to find the URL — and it doesn’t involve any coding!

Alternatively: “Open image in New Tab” > URL is visible in the Search Bar.

Method #2: Element Inspector

  1. Open YouTube > Find a video
  2. Right-click anywhere > Inspect
  3. Click on the thumbnail
  4. Find & Copy the URL on the right side
Copying the URL of a YouTube Video Thumbnail in Element Inspector
Method #2 involves copying HTML Code, but not using any of it

Here you can follow two similar paths:

  1. Left-Clicking the URL will open the thumbnail in a New Tab.
  2. Right-Clicking the link will open the menu where you can copy it.

Of course, you can copy the URL from the search bar even after opening in a new tab.

Are your Thumbnails GREAT?

People often look up the URL of a thumbnail to see its highest resolution for inspiration when designing their own. Our suggestion:

  1. Find high-quality thumbnails for inspiration.
  2. Create 2 → 6 thumbnails for your video.
  3. Upload them to ThumbnailTest.
  4. ThumbnailTest shows each thumbnail to different viewers.
  5. It analyzes the data for each one.
  6. Then, it picks and sets the best-performing thumbnail for your video.
Thumbnail Test Homepage

In just 6 simple steps, you can find out which thumbnail drives the best conversion from your viewers.

Conclusion

These are the two very quick methods to find the link of a YouTube video’s thumbnail.

Hope you find this guide helpful!


Thank you for reading this,
Thumbnail Test

About the author

David is the head of the editing team at ThumbnailTest. With his help, the editorial team is able to provide you with the best free guides related to YouTube thumbnails and A/B testing.