What is a YouTube video ID?
A YouTube video ID is the 11-character string YouTube assigns to every video when it is uploaded, like dQw4w9WgXcQ. It uses the URL-safe Base64 character set: letters A to Z in either case, digits 0 to 9, plus the hyphen and underscore. The video ID does not change for the lifetime of the video, which makes it the reliable way to reference a video in embeds, the YouTube Data API, and direct share links.
How to find a YouTube video ID
Paste any of the following into the box above and Keep returns the video ID along with the embed URL, iframe snippet, and thumbnail URLs:
- A standard watch URL like
youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ - A short share link like
youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ - A Shorts URL like
youtube.com/shorts/aqz-KE-bpKQ - An embed URL like
youtube.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ - A live stream URL like
youtube.com/live/jfKfPfyJRdk - The raw 11-character video ID on its own
Where the video ID lives in each URL
In the standard watch URL the video ID is the value of the v query parameter. In the youtu.be short link and the Shorts, embed, and live URLs the video ID is the path segment after the slash. The finder strips the surrounding URL, validates the ID, and returns the canonical forms.
How to build a YouTube embed URL
Every YouTube video can be embedded with the URL https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID. Drop that URL into the src attribute of an iframe and the video plays on your own page. The result card above generates the full iframe markup with sensible defaults for accessibility, fullscreen, and autoplay permissions, so you can copy it straight into your HTML.
How to get a YouTube thumbnail URL
YouTube hosts thumbnails for every video at predictable URLs:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/hqdefault.jpgfor a 480 by 360 image that exists for every videohttps://i.ytimg.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpgfor a 1280 by 720 image when the uploader provided a high-resolution thumbnail
The result card returns both URLs. Use the high-resolution one when it is available and fall back to the high-quality default if a video does not have a max-resolution thumbnail.
Video ID vs channel ID vs playlist ID
- Video ID (11 characters): identifies one video and is used in
watch?v=,youtu.be/, and embed URLs. - Channel ID (
UC+ 22 characters): identifies the channel that uploaded the video and is used in/channel/URLs and the YouTube Data API. - Playlist ID (usually starts with
PL): identifies a playlist and is used inlist=query parameters and playlist embed URLs.
When you'd need a video ID
- Embedding a video on a webpage, blog post, or documentation site
- Building a thumbnail URL for a link card, preview image, or sitemap
- Calling the YouTube Data API
videos.listendpoint for metadata, statistics, or captions - Storing a stable reference to a video without keeping the full URL
- Generating share links in formats that other apps and platforms accept
Frequently asked questions
What is a YouTube video ID?
A YouTube video ID is the 11-character string YouTube assigns to every video when it is uploaded. It contains letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores, like dQw4w9WgXcQ. The video ID stays the same for the lifetime of the video, even when the title, description, or thumbnail changes, which makes it the reliable identifier for embeds, API calls, and direct links.
How do I find a YouTube video ID from a URL?
Paste the YouTube URL into the box above and this tool returns the video ID. The finder accepts the standard watch URL, the youtu.be share link, Shorts URLs, embed URLs, and live stream URLs. You can also paste an 11-character video ID on its own and the tool will verify it and return the video details.
Where is the video ID in a YouTube URL?
In a standard URL like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ the video ID is the value of the v parameter, dQw4w9WgXcQ. In a youtu.be short link like https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ it is the part after the slash. In a Shorts URL like https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aqz-KE-bpKQ it is the part after /shorts/. The finder above handles every format automatically.
How long is a YouTube video ID?
A YouTube video ID is always 11 characters long. It uses the URL-safe Base64 character set: uppercase letters A to Z, lowercase letters a to z, digits 0 to 9, plus the hyphen and underscore. That gives YouTube enough unique combinations to identify every video ever uploaded with room to spare.
How do I get a YouTube embed URL from a video ID?
The embed URL follows the format https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID. Replace VIDEO_ID with the 11-character ID and the URL is ready to drop into an iframe src attribute. The tool above generates the embed URL and a full iframe snippet you can copy directly into your HTML.
How do I get the thumbnail image for a YouTube video?
YouTube hosts thumbnails at https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/FILENAME.jpg. The most useful sizes are hqdefault.jpg (480 by 360) and maxresdefault.jpg (1280 by 720). The finder above returns both URLs in the result card. The maximum-resolution image is only available if the uploader provided a high-resolution thumbnail.
Does the finder work for YouTube Shorts and live streams?
Yes. YouTube Shorts and live streams use the same 11-character video ID format as regular videos, and the finder resolves all three from their public URLs. Shorts URLs use the /shorts/ path and live URLs use the /live/ path, but both contain the same ID that works in the watch URL and the embed URL.
What is the difference between a video ID and a channel ID?
A video ID identifies a single YouTube video and is 11 characters long. A channel ID identifies the channel that uploaded the video, always starts with UC, and is 24 characters long. The finder above returns both: the video ID for the video itself and the channel ID for the uploader, so you can link to either.
Can I use the video ID with the YouTube Data API?
Yes. The YouTube Data API videos.list endpoint takes a video ID as the id parameter and returns the title, description, statistics, and other metadata for that video. The finder above gets you the ID without needing an API key, which is helpful when you only need a quick lookup or want to confirm an ID before making an API call.
Is this YouTube video ID finder free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no paywall, and no API key required. The tool resolves video IDs by parsing the URL and reading the publicly available YouTube watch page, so it works for any public video.
Save YouTube videos as clean Markdown with Keep
Keep saves YouTube videos as clean, searchable Markdown bookmarks. Drop a video URL into Keep and it captures the title, description, channel, and transcript in one place, ready to read or hand to your AI agent.