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Free · Instant · No API key needed

YouTube Video
ID Finder

Paste any YouTube URL and extract the unique 11-character video ID instantly. Works with every URL format YouTube uses.

Video ID
Embed URL
Short URL
Thumbnail URL
11
Characters per ID
5+
URL formats supported
0
API key needed
How it works

Instant ID extraction

1

Find the video

Open any YouTube video you want to extract the ID from.

2

Copy the URL

Copy the full video URL from the address bar or share button.

3

Paste & find

Paste it in the field above and click "Find ID".

4

Copy the ID

Copy the video ID along with bonus URLs like embed and short link.

Supported URL formats

Works with every YouTube URL type

No matter where you found the link, Mate2Tube can extract the video ID from it.

Standard watch URL
youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

The most common YouTube URL format.

Short URL
youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ

Used in share links and social media posts.

Embed URL
youtube.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ

Used when embedding videos in websites.

With timestamp
youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&t=42s

Timestamped links that start at a specific time.

Shorts URL
youtube.com/shorts/dQw4w9WgXcQ

YouTube Shorts use the same ID format.

Mobile URL
m.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Links copied from the mobile browser or app.

About this tool

What is a YouTube Video ID?

Every YouTube video has a unique identifier — an 11-character alphanumeric string that YouTube uses to identify it across its entire platform. This ID is embedded in every URL format YouTube uses and never changes for the lifetime of the video.

Knowing a video's ID is useful for developers building YouTube integrations, content creators embedding videos on their websites, marketers using the YouTube API, and anyone who needs to reference a specific video programmatically. The ID can be used to construct embed URLs, thumbnail URLs, API requests and more.

For example, if the video ID is dQw4w9WgXcQ, the embed URL would be youtube.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ and the HD thumbnail would be at img.youtube.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/maxresdefault.jpg.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does this tool need an API key? +
No — the Video ID Finder works entirely in your browser without any API key. It parses the URL locally to extract the ID, so it's instant and requires no external requests.
Can I get the ID from a Shorts URL? +
Yes. YouTube Shorts use the same 11-character ID format as regular videos. The tool supports youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID URLs.
What can I do with a YouTube Video ID? +
You can use it to build embed URLs for your website, construct API requests to fetch video metadata, generate thumbnail URLs, create timestamped deep links, and reference the video in any YouTube API integration.
Does the video ID ever change? +
No. Once YouTube assigns an ID to a video it never changes. Even if the creator renames the video, changes the description or moves it to a different channel, the ID stays the same for the lifetime of the video.
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