YouTube Video ID Extractor
Extract the video ID from any supported YouTube URL instantly. Paste a YouTube video, Shorts, live, or youtu.be link and get the video ID ready to copy.
Extract a YouTube video ID
Supported URL formats
youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_IDyoutu.be/VIDEO_IDyoutube.com/live/VIDEO_IDyoutube.com/shorts/VIDEO_IDyoutube.com/embed/VIDEO_IDyoutube-nocookie.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
The www. and m. versions of these hosts work too, and extras such as ?si= or &t= are ignored. The ID must be 11 characters: letters, numbers, - and _.
YouTube Video ID Extractor
A YouTube video ID is the unique identifier YouTube uses to refer to a video. It commonly appears in a watch URL after v=, or as part of a youtu.be, Shorts, live or embed URL. This tool finds it in the link you paste, so you can copy it without picking it out by hand.
It all happens in your browser. Nothing is fetched from YouTube, no account or API key is involved, and the link isn't sent to a StreamTiles server. Because it only reads the link, it can't tell you whether the video is still available. StreamTiles is an independent service and isn't affiliated with YouTube or Google.
How to extract a YouTube video ID
- Paste a YouTube URL.
- Click Extract Video ID.
- Copy the returned video ID.
- Use the ID with your website, embed, timestamp or other compatible tools.
Working with a list of links? Choose Multiple URLs, paste one link per line, and copy all the IDs in one go.
Where is the YouTube video ID?
- Watch link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbC123dEf45 - Short link
https://youtu.be/AbC123dEf45 - Live link
https://www.youtube.com/live/AbC123dEf45 - Shorts link
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AbC123dEf45 - Embed link
https://www.youtube.com/embed/AbC123dEf45
In every one of these links the video ID is AbC123dEf45. In a watch link it's the value of v=; in the other links it's the last part of the address. Anything after the ID, such as ?si=, &t=30 or &feature=shared, is tracking or playback information and isn't part of the ID.
The tool also accepts the m.youtube.com mobile address and the privacy-enhanced youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ form. Links from any other site are rejected, including look-alike addresses such as youtube.com.example.com.
Related tools
Once you have the ID, you can build a clean embed with the YouTube Embed URL Generator, link to a specific moment with the YouTube Timestamp Link Generator, or see a video's images with the YouTube Thumbnail Viewer & Downloader. To check whether a live stream plays in an embedded player, try the YouTube Live Stream Embed & Compatibility Tester. See all StreamTiles tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is a YouTube video ID?
It's the short code YouTube uses to identify one video. It appears in the video's URL, and it's the part that other tools and websites need in order to refer to that specific video, for example to embed it or to build its thumbnail address.
Where can I find the YouTube video ID?
In a watch link it's the value after v=, as in youtube.com/watch?v=ID. In youtu.be, live, Shorts and embed links it's the last part of the address, as in youtu.be/ID or youtube.com/live/ID. Paste the link into the tool above and it picks out the ID for you.
Can I extract an ID from a youtu.be link?
Yes. A youtu.be link gives the same ID as the matching youtube.com watch link, and extras such as ?si= or ?t= are ignored.
Can I extract IDs from YouTube Shorts?
Yes, when the link is a youtube.com/shorts/ address that contains a valid video ID.
Can I extract an ID from a YouTube Live URL?
Yes. Links in the youtube.com/live/ form, and ordinary watch links to a live stream, both work. The tool only reads the ID from the link; it doesn't check whether the stream is live.
Can I extract IDs from several links at once?
Yes. Switch to Multiple URLs and paste one link per line. You get one ID for each valid link, in the same order, and any line that isn't a supported YouTube link is marked as invalid without affecting the rest. Repeated IDs are kept and marked as duplicates. Copy All IDs gives you the IDs one per line.
What does a valid YouTube video ID look like?
It's exactly 11 characters long, made up of letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores, and it's case-sensitive. A link whose ID is shorter, longer or contains other characters is rejected.
Does this tool use the YouTube API?
No. The tool reads the ID from the link itself, in your browser. It doesn't use the YouTube API, needs no API key or account, and doesn't contact YouTube.
Does StreamTiles store the URLs I paste?
No. The links you paste are read in your browser. They aren't sent to a StreamTiles server or stored, and the tool keeps no history of what you extracted.
Does the tool check whether the video exists?
No. It extracts the ID from the URL and checks only that the ID is well-formed. It doesn't look the video up, so a well-formed ID from a deleted, private or unavailable video is returned like any other.