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Video ID Finder

Paste any YouTube URL - a full link, short youtu.be link, Shorts, embed, or live link - and instantly get the 11-character video ID.

Category: youtube
Use Case: Building Custom Embeds or Links, API & Developer Integrations, Cleaning Up Messy Shared Links
Privacy: 100% browser-based

Recommended Settings

Pro Tips

  • Works with every common YouTube URL format: youtube.com/watch?v=, youtu.be/, /shorts/, /embed/, and /live/
  • You can also paste a bare 11-character video ID directly to confirm it's valid
  • The video ID is the unique identifier YouTube uses internally - it's what most embed codes, APIs, and integrations actually need
  • Extra URL parameters like timestamps or playlist references are ignored, extracting just the core ID

Most Popular

Most users paste a full shared YouTube link to quickly grab just the video ID for a script or embed

When to Use This Tool

Building Custom Embeds or Links

Get the raw video ID needed to construct a custom embed or deep link.

API & Developer Integrations

Extract the video ID required by YouTube API calls or third-party integrations.

Cleaning Up Messy Shared Links

Pull just the essential ID out of a long link full of tracking parameters.

Verifying a Link Points to the Right Video

Double-check that two different-looking URLs actually reference the same video.

How It Works

1

Check the pasted input against the known URL patterns for every common YouTube link format

2

Extract the 11-character alphanumeric ID from whichever pattern matches

3

Display the raw ID, ready to copy

100% Private

Files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser.

Lightning Fast

Powered by Client-side URL pattern matching for optimal performance on modern browsers.

Open Source

Built with verified, open-source libraries. Fully transparent.

Frequently Asked Questions

What YouTube URL formats does this support?

Standard watch URLs, youtu.be short links, Shorts links, embed URLs, and live stream URLs - covering every common way a YouTube video link is shared.

Why is the video ID always 11 characters?

YouTube uses a fixed-length 11-character identifier (letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores) for every video, which is what this tool extracts.

Is my data sent to a server?

No. The URL is parsed entirely in your browser.

Can I paste just the video ID instead of a full URL?

Yes, if you paste a valid 11-character ID directly, the tool recognizes and confirms it as-is.

Does this work for playlists?

This tool extracts a video ID specifically, not a playlist ID - a URL containing both will still correctly extract the video portion.