# YouTube Thumbnail Downloader (`moving_beacon-owner1/my-actor-73`) Actor

Download high-quality thumbnails from YouTube videos.\
Bulk processing allows simultaneous downloads from multiple URLs.\
Choose from quality options: maxresdefault, sddefault, hqdefault, or mqdefault.\
Automatic fallback switches to a lower quality if necessary.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/moving_beacon-owner1/my-actor-73.md
- **Developed by:** [Jamshaid Arif](https://apify.com/moving_beacon-owner1) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Social media, Videos
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 573 total users, 19 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## YouTube Thumbnail Downloader — Apify Actor

Downloads high-quality thumbnails from one or more YouTube videos.

### Features

- **Bulk processing** — pass a list of YouTube URLs and download all thumbnails in one run.
- **Quality selection** — choose from `maxresdefault`, `sddefault`, `hqdefault`, or `mqdefault`.
- **Automatic fallback** — if the requested resolution isn't available, the actor tries the next lower quality.
- **Key-value store** — optionally saves each image to the run's default KV store for easy retrieval.
- **Dataset output** — every processed URL produces a row with video ID, status, thumbnail URL, and quality.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `videoUrls` | `string[]` | *required* | YouTube video URLs (`youtube.com`, `youtu.be`, shorts, embeds) |
| `quality` | `string` | `maxresdefault` | Desired thumbnail quality |
| `fallbackToLowerQuality` | `boolean` | `true` | Try lower qualities if requested one is unavailable |
| `uploadToKeyValueStore` | `boolean` | `true` | Save images to the actor's key-value store |

#### Example input

```json
{
    "videoUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
        "https://youtu.be/9bZkp7q19f0"
    ],
    "quality": "maxresdefault",
    "fallbackToLowerQuality": true,
    "uploadToKeyValueStore": true
}
```

### Output

Each video produces a dataset record:

```json
{
    "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "quality": "maxresdefault",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://img.youtube.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/maxresdefault.jpg",
    "status": "ok"
}
```

Images are saved in the key-value store under the key `{videoId}_{quality}` (e.g. `dQw4w9WgXcQ_maxresdefault`).

# Actor input Schema

## `videoUrls` (type: `array`):

List of YouTube video URLs to download thumbnails from. Supports youtube.com and youtu.be formats.

## `quality` (type: `string`):

The quality/resolution of the thumbnail to download.

## `fallbackToLowerQuality` (type: `boolean`):

If the requested quality is not available, automatically try lower quality options.

## `uploadToKeyValueStore` (type: `boolean`):

Save downloaded thumbnail images to the actor's default key-value store.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "videoUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ],
  "quality": "maxresdefault",
  "fallbackToLowerQuality": true,
  "uploadToKeyValueStore": true
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "videoUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("moving_beacon-owner1/my-actor-73").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("moving_beacon-owner1/my-actor-73").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "videoUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ]
}' |
apify call moving_beacon-owner1/my-actor-73 --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,moving_beacon-owner1/my-actor-73"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/IHNCNdOYzBHS28hBy/builds/y7hicl8hfHFfKfPVY/openapi.json