YouTube thumbnail with play button
Paste a video link and download its thumbnail with a play button drawn in the middle. Use it in a newsletter, slide or PDF, and link the image to the video.
Free, no sign-up. Runs in your browser. Nothing you type or upload is sent to us or stored.
At a glance
- Output size with the HD thumbnail
- 1280 × 720 pixels, the same as YouTube's file
- Play button size
- A circle 28% of the image's shorter side across, centred
- Play button design
- A plain dark circle with a white triangle, drawn by the tool. It isn't YouTube's logo.
- Who owns a video's thumbnail
- Usually the person who made it, under copyright law
- Source: support.google.com, checked 2026-11
Show your videos on your page
Paste a YouTube link into a Liite page and it turns into a player, right next to your other links. Your page lives at liite.co/yourname and is free to start.
YouTube thumbnail with play button: what to know
This page starts the YouTube thumbnail downloader for this case. For every option and how to use it, see the YouTube thumbnail downloader.
Where a play button helps
A still image with a play button tells people the picture leads to a video. That's useful anywhere a YouTube player can't go: an email newsletter, a printed handout with a QR code, a slide or a PDF. Put the image in, then link it to the video's YouTube address.
The button is drawn on a copy of the thumbnail in your browser. Choose PNG if you'll edit the image further, or JPG for a smaller file.
Use your own videos
A thumbnail belongs to the video's creator. Adding a play button doesn't change that. Use this for your own videos, or with the owner's permission. On a web page, embedding the video itself is often simpler than an image.
Questions
How do I put a play button on a YouTube thumbnail?
Paste the video's link above with "Add a play button" ticked, then download the size you want. The button is drawn in the centre.
Is the play button YouTube's logo?
No. It's a generic dark circle with a white triangle, so the image doesn't look like an official YouTube badge.
Can I make the image vertical for a Short?
Yes. Pick "Vertical 9:16" under Crop and the download keeps the centre strip, with the play button in its middle.
