YouTube Channel ID Finder

Find the channel ID from a YouTube channel URL.

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Paste a YouTube channel link in the /channel/ format and this tool pulls out the channel ID: the permanent 24-character code starting with "UC" that YouTube uses internally for every channel. Developers need it for the YouTube Data API and RSS feeds, and many analytics dashboards and third-party tools ask for it when you connect a channel.

What a channel ID looks like

A channel ID is always "UC" followed by 22 characters drawn from upper and lower case letters, digits, hyphens and underscores, for example UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw. It is different from the @handle and the channel name. A creator can change the handle or the display name, but the ID stays the same for the life of the channel, so anything built on it keeps working after a rebrand.

Which links the finder can read

Paste the link into the box and press Get result:

Channel-ID links such as https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw/videos return Channel ID: UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw. Anything after the ID, like /videos or a tracking parameter, is ignored, and mobile m.youtube.com links work too.
Handle links (youtube.com/@name) and older /c/ or /user/ links do not contain the ID. The finder only reads the text of the URL and does not query YouTube, so for these it shows instructions for finding the ID instead.
Video links or a bare ID produce the message "Paste a YouTube channel URL."

Because the ID is read from the pasted text in your browser, nothing is sent to YouTube or to our server.

Getting the ID when you only have an @handle

From the channel page: open the channel's About panel (the "more" link under the description), choose Share channel, then Copy channel ID.
From the page source: on a desktop browser, view the channel page's source and search for "channelId"; the value that follows is the ID.
For your own channel: signed in to YouTube, go to Settings and then Advanced settings, where YouTube lists your channel ID.
With our live counter: the YouTube live subscriber counter accepts an @handle and looks the channel up through the YouTube Data API. Its "View channel" link and its shareable link both end with the channel ID.

What you can do with a channel ID

Follow uploads by RSS: https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id= followed by the ID gives a feed of the channel's latest videos for any feed reader.
Call the API: the Data API's channels.list method takes the ID to return the channel's title, statistics and settings.
Find the uploads playlist: swapping the leading "UC" for "UU" gives the playlist that holds all of the channel's public uploads, which developers use to list every video.
Share a link that never breaks: youtube.com/channel/ plus the ID keeps pointing at the right channel even if its handle changes.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find a YouTube channel ID?

It appears in any link of the form youtube.com/channel/UC..., in the channel's Share menu under Copy channel ID, and for your own channel in YouTube's Advanced settings.

Is the channel ID the same as the @handle?

No. The handle is a readable name that the owner can change, while the channel ID is a fixed code starting with UC that never changes.

Why does the tool show instructions instead of an ID for my @handle link?

Handle links do not contain the ID, and this finder only reads the link you paste without contacting YouTube. Use one of the listed methods, or the live subscriber counter, to resolve the handle.

Can a YouTube channel ID ever change?

No. It is assigned when the channel is created and stays the same even if the channel is renamed or given a new handle.

Is it safe to share my channel ID?

Yes. It is public information that appears in your channel's own URLs, and it gives nobody access to your account.