Replace the thumbnail of a video on a connected YouTube account via API. Set or replace the thumbnail image of a video on a connected YouTube account.
Set or replace the thumbnail image of a video on a connected YouTube account.
About this model
YouTube Set Thumbnail replaces the thumbnail image of an already-published video on a connected YouTube channel through a single API call. Provide the video ID and the public URL of a new thumbnail image, and the thumbnail is uploaded and applied to the video automatically — no manual upload through YouTube Studio required.
Built for creators, agencies, and automated content pipelines, YouTube Set Thumbnail lets you A/B test thumbnails, refresh custom thumbnails after AI generation, or fix a bad auto-selected frame at scale across one or many connected channels.
Cost analysis
| Provider | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| muapiapp | $0.01 per call | Replace a video's thumbnail on a connected YouTube channel via a single API call — ideal for A/B testing and automated content pipelines. |
| Fal.ai | Not available | Does not offer YouTube thumbnail management. |
| Replicate | Not available | Does not offer YouTube thumbnail management. |
Replace a video's thumbnail on a connected YouTube channel via a single API call — ideal for A/B testing and automated content pipelines.
Does not offer YouTube thumbnail management.
Does not offer YouTube thumbnail management.
** Competitor pricing is estimated based on similar model architectures and usage tiers.
Configuration schema
| Parameter | Type | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account ID | integer | ID of the connected YouTube account. | - |
| Video ID | string | YouTube video ID to set the thumbnail for (the 'v' parameter of its watch URL). | - |
| Thumbnail URL | string | Public URL of the thumbnail image (JPEG/PNG, under 2MB, 16:9 recommended). | - |
ID of the connected YouTube account.
-YouTube video ID to set the thumbnail for (the 'v' parameter of its watch URL).
-Public URL of the thumbnail image (JPEG/PNG, under 2MB, 16:9 recommended).
-Developer documentation
Connect your YouTube account: Link your channel in the dashboard so it appears as a selectable connected account. Use its account_id in the request.
Identify the video: Set video_id to the target video's ID — the v parameter of its watch URL (e.g. dQw4w9WgXcQ from youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ).
Provide the thumbnail: Set thumbnail_url to a public URL of the new thumbnail image (JPEG or PNG, under 2MB, 16:9 aspect ratio recommended).
Submit and track: The API returns a request_id. Poll the result endpoint until status is completed; the output contains the resulting thumbnails object with the new image URLs at each size YouTube generates.
curl -X POST https://api.muapi.ai/api/v1/youtube-set-thumbnail \
-H "x-api-key: $MUAPI_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"account_id": 12, "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "thumbnail_url": "https://example.com/thumb.jpg"}'
Frequently asked
It replaces the thumbnail image of a video already published on a connected YouTube account via a single API call. You provide the video ID and a thumbnail image URL, and YouTube applies it automatically.
Connect your YouTube account once in the dashboard. It then becomes a selectable account, and you reference it by its `account_id` in your requests.
It's the `v` query parameter in the video's YouTube watch URL, e.g. `dQw4w9WgXcQ` in `youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ`.
JPEG or PNG under 2MB, with a 16:9 aspect ratio recommended (YouTube's standard thumbnail ratio). The image must be reachable at a public URL.
You can set thumbnails on videos owned by the connected YouTube channel. Custom thumbnails also require the channel to be in good standing with YouTube's phone-verified feature enabled.
YouTube Set Thumbnail costs $0.01 per call, making it inexpensive to automate thumbnail updates and A/B tests at scale.