Download a TikTok cover image
the image TikTok shows, in original quality
Updated: October 2026 · 4 min read
Paste the TikTok link (tiktok.com/@user/video/… or the short vm.tiktok.com/…) in AppGrabbit's Thumbnail tab and tap Save thumbnail. TikTok has no size ladder like YouTube: the app saves the cover as Original, in JPG, PNG or WebP. Public videos only. Free on Free and Pro
What the cover is and who picks it
When posting, the creator taps "Select cover" and picks a frame from the video or uploads an image, with text on top if they like. That image is what shows on their profile, in search results and in shared links. AppGrabbit saves exactly that image, the one TikTok serves, without going through the video or recompressing.
What size it is
The cover has the video's size: vertical, 9:16; usually 1080×1920. In the profile grid TikTok shows it cropped top and bottom, so whatever matters in a cover lives in the middle. If the video was uploaded landscape, the cover comes out landscape too: the app saves what's there, it doesn't adapt it.
What can't be done
A private account or a "friends only" video has no cover to hand out: TikTok serves it only to followers, and the app never uses your account or your session. It's not a cover editor either: to set or change the cover of your own video you do it in TikTok when posting. And it's one video at a time: it doesn't pull the covers of a whole profile.
Where and how it's saved
- Folder — the app's download folder, in its images subfolder; change it in Settings
- Name — the video's description, cleaned of odd characters
- Format — JPG as it arrives; PNG or WebP are converted on your PC
- Rights — the cover belongs to the creator: for your reference or notes; to republish it, ask
Compared
| Cover (Thumbnail tab) | Video (Single link tab) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One image: the cover | The full MP4 |
| Watermark | ✓ None | ✓ None, via the link |
| Sizes | ~ Original only | ✓ Up to 1080p, whatever TikTok has |
| Cost | ✓ 0 credits | ~ 1 credit per download (5 free a month; Pro unlimited) |
| Private accounts | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Several at once | ✗ One at a time | ✓ Batch: up to 10 links for 1 credit |
Step by step
- 1Copy the TikTok link — Share › Copy link, in the app or the browser. The short vm.tiktok.com form works.
- 2Open the Thumbnail tab — in Download, to the right of Subtitles with AI.
- 3Paste the link — the cover shows up full size with the user and the description.
- 4Pick the format — JPG, PNG or WebP. The size is Original: the only one TikTok serves.
- 5Save thumbnail — the toast has "Open folder". No credits, no cap.
Frequently asked questions
No. TikTok stamps the watermark on videos saved from its own app; the cover is a separate image and arrives clean.
No. TikTok serves it only to followers, and AppGrabbit doesn't use your account.
No: one video at a time. For downloading several videos there's the Batch tab.
Generally yes: the app asks each platform for the cover it serves for that link and saves it as Original. If a platform doesn't hand it out, the app says so.
The video's: vertical 9:16, usually 1080×1920. On the profile it shows cropped top and bottom.
In TikTok, when posting: "Select cover" lets you pick a frame or upload an image. This guide is about saving the cover of a video that's already posted.
Related guides
Any TikTok's cover, on your PC
One link, the Thumbnail tab, done: free on Free and Pro. Download AppGrabbit for Windows 10/11.