YouTube: video thumbnail is not displayed - what to do?
Some videos may not show a thumbnail on YouTube. We explain what you can do in such a case here.
YouTube: Missing video thumbnails for foreign clips
If the videos are not uploaded yourself, you can retrieve the thumbnails in different ways:
- Reload the page by pressing the key combination [Ctrl] + [F5].
- Make sure that cookies are activated in your browser. You can read about how this works in Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Internet Explorer in the corresponding practical tips.
- Clear the browser cache. You can also find more detailed instructions for Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Internet Explorer in our practical tips.
- It is also possible that a browser plug-in prevents the thumbnails from being displayed. Deactivate all plug-ins and add-ons as a test and check whether the preview images are displayed correctly.
- Firefox users can also adjust the settings: Enter the "about: config" command in the address bar. Confirm the security notice and enter "dom.disable_image_src_set" in the search field. Make sure that the value of the found setting is set to "false". If this is not the case, double-click on the entry.
YouTube: Missing video thumbnails for own clips
If the video thumbnails are missing from videos that you have recently uploaded yourself, you should be patient at first. Sometimes it takes a while for the thumbnails of new videos to appear. Alternatively, you can exchange the thumbnails for your own pictures. However, this is only possible if you have confirmed your YouTube account.
- To do this, click on your user picture at the top right and then on "YouTube Studio".
- To the right of the video, click the "Edit" button.
- Then select the "Custom Thumbnail" option. Find an image from your hard drive and click "Save changes".
If you only see a green screen when playing YouTube videos, our next practical tip will help you.