How to Find a YouTube Channel ID

Fastest way: paste any channel URL, @handle or one of the channel's video links into the tool below and it returns the ID. A YouTube channel ID always starts with UC and is exactly 24 characters long, like UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ.

To find your own: go to YouTube Studio → Settings → Channel → Advanced settings. Your channel ID is listed there and can be copied directly.

What a channel ID actually is

It is the channel's permanent, unique identifier. Every YouTube channel has exactly one, it is assigned at creation, and it never changes — not when the channel is renamed, not when the handle changes, not when a custom URL is set up.

That permanence is the whole point, and it's why the ID matters more than the pretty URL. A channel can be reached by several different addresses:

If you're storing a reference to a channel in a spreadsheet, a script or an API call, store the ID. Anything else can break without warning when the owner renames something.

Where to find your own channel ID

Two reliable routes:

YouTube Studio (desktop): Settings → Channel → Advanced settings. The channel ID is displayed with a copy button. This is the authoritative source for your own channel.

Your channel URL: open your channel page and look at the address bar. If it reads youtube.com/channel/UC…, the part after /channel/ is your ID. If it reads youtube.com/@yourhandle instead, YouTube is showing your handle and the ID isn't visible — use Studio, or paste the handle into the tool above.

Finding someone else's channel ID

You can't see another channel's Studio, so you work from what's public. In rough order of speed:

1. Check the URL. If the channel page URL already contains /channel/UC…, you're done.
2. Paste the handle or URL into a resolver. The tool above takes @handle, /c/ URLs, /user/ URLs, or a link to any of the channel's videos, and returns the ID.
3. Read the page source. Open the channel page, view source, and search for channelId. The UC… string next to it is the ID. Slower, but it works with no tools at all.
4. From a video. Any video link is enough — the video's metadata identifies its channel, which is how the tool above resolves video URLs.

Finding a channel ID on mobile

The mobile YouTube app hides URLs, so the desktop tricks don't apply directly. Three options that do work on a phone:

• Share the channel, then paste the link. In the app, open the channel → the share icon → Copy link. Paste that into the tool above. The shared link is usually a handle URL, which resolves fine.
• Request desktop site. In Chrome or Safari, open the channel in the browser rather than the app and switch to the desktop site. The full URL becomes visible and view-source becomes possible in Chrome.
• For your own channel: the YouTube Studio mobile app doesn't expose the ID. Use a browser to reach studio.youtube.com, or just use the share-and-resolve route above.

What you actually need it for

• RSS feed. youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UC… returns the channel's latest uploads as a feed — no API key, no login. Useful for monitoring competitors or wiring uploads into another system.
• YouTube Data API calls. Almost every channel-scoped endpoint takes the ID.
• Analytics and third-party tools. Most expect an ID rather than a handle.
• Embedding a subscribe button or a channel widget.
• Filing a claim or support request where YouTube asks you to identify a channel unambiguously.

Things worth knowing

• A channel ID is public information. Sharing it exposes nothing private — it's in the URL of every channel that hasn't set up a handle.
• Playlist IDs (PL…), video IDs (11 characters) and channel IDs (UC…, 24 characters) are different things and aren't interchangeable.
• The uploads playlist ID of any channel is its channel ID with the second character changed from C to U. A small trick that saves an API call.
• You cannot change your channel ID, and you cannot transfer it to another channel. If you need a different one, that means a different channel.

FAQ

Where is my YouTube channel ID?

In YouTube Studio: Settings → Channel → Advanced settings. It's shown there with a copy button. If you'd rather not open Studio, paste your channel URL or @handle into the tool above and it returns the same string.

How do I check my channel ID quickly?

Open your channel page. If the URL contains /channel/UC…, the part after /channel/ is it. If it shows /@yourhandle instead, YouTube is displaying your handle — use Studio or the tool above.

What does a YouTube channel ID look like?

It starts with UC and is 24 characters long, made of letters, digits, hyphens and underscores — for example UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ. If the string you have isn't 24 characters or doesn't start with UC, it isn't a channel ID.

Is the channel ID the same as the @handle?

No. The handle is a chosen, changeable name like @mychannel. The ID is a permanent assigned string starting with UC. A handle can be changed or given up; the ID cannot.

Can I change my YouTube channel ID?

No. It's fixed at channel creation. You can change your channel name, handle and custom URL freely, but the ID stays the same for the life of the channel.

How do I find a channel ID from a video link?

Paste the video URL into the tool above — it reads the video's metadata and returns the owning channel's ID. Manually, you can open the video, click through to the channel, and check that page's URL.

Why doesn't my channel URL show an ID any more?

Because you have a handle. YouTube shows /@yourhandle in preference to the /channel/UC… form once a handle exists. The ID still works and still resolves — it's just not what gets displayed.

Next steps

• Resolve any channel to its ID with the Channel ID Finder.
• Don't know the channel's URL? Find it by name with Channel Search.
• Got the ID? Pull its public numbers with Channel Statistics.