YouTube Channel ID Finder

Convert any YouTube @handle, channel link, or video URL into its permanent 24-character UC... Channel ID, canonical URL, and XML RSS feed in one click.

Developer & Creator Reference

How to Convert YouTube @Handles to UC Channel IDs, API Playlists & RSS Feeds

Understand immutable 24-character YouTube identifiers, cut Data API v3 quota usage by 99%, and build reliable RSS and webhook alerts.

How to Find Any YouTube Channel ID from a Handle, Link, or Video

To find a YouTube channel's permanent UC... ID, paste its @handle, channel page URL, or any uploaded video link into our YouTube Channel ID Finder above and click Find ID (full youtube.com and youtu.be URLs resolve automatically on paste). Within a second, you receive the 24-character Channel ID, verified @handle, canonical channel URL, and native XML RSS feed with one-click copy buttons.

Since YouTube replaced visible /channel/UC... browser bar URLs with human-readable @handles across profile pages, comments, and Shorts, copying a channel's address bar no longer exposes the underlying database identifier required by APIs, bots, and feed readers.

  1. Copy a handle, channel URL, or video link: Grab an @handle (such as @mkbhd), a channel URL, or even a single YouTube video or Short whose uploader you want to identify.
  2. Paste or type into the lookup box: Pasting a full YouTube URL triggers an instant lookup; if you type a bare handle like @mkbhd, press Find ID.
  3. Copy the exact identifier you need: Click the copy icon beside the Channel ID (UC...), Canonical URL, or RSS Feed URL to paste directly into your code, bot config, or analytics dashboard.

YouTube @Handle vs. UC Channel ID vs. UU Uploads Playlist ID

YouTube references every creator account through multiple routing layers. Knowing which identifier is mutable versus permanent prevents broken webhooks, dead integrations, and wasted API calls when a creator rebrands:

Identifier TypeFormat & LengthCan It Change?Best Technical Use Case
Channel IDUC + 22 Base64URL chars (24 total)Never (immutable primary key)Database foreign keys, Data API v3, XML RSS feeds, Discord & Slack upload bots, and CMS allowlists.
Public @Handle@ + 3–30 alphanumeric/_-. charsYes (changeable twice per 14 days; 14-day hold)Public branding, video mentions, Shorts attribution, and verbal sharing.
Uploads Playlist IDUU + same 22 trailing chars (24 total)Never (derived directly from UC ID)Fetching a channel's chronological public uploads via playlistItems.list at 1 API quota unit.
Legacy Custom / User URL/c/CustomName or /user/LegacyNameDeprecated (historical redirects)Resolving older embedded backlinks to their modern UC... destination.

Developer Guide: Cut YouTube API Quota by 99% & Use XML RSS Feeds

Most developers look up a UC... Channel ID for one of two workflows: polling new uploads or querying the YouTube Data API v3. Two battle-tested shortcuts can save you thousands of API quota units every day:

1. The "UC → UU" Uploads Playlist Quota Shortcut

By default, Google Cloud grants new YouTube Data API v3 projects 10,000 quota units per day. Calling search.list?channelId=UC...&order=date costs 100 units per request—meaning just 100 lookups exhaust your entire daily quota. Instead, swap the second letter of any 24-character Channel ID from C to U:

  • Channel ID: UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA
  • Uploads Playlist ID: UUX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA

Pass that UU... string to playlistItems.list?part=snippet&playlistId=UU.... Each request costs just 1 quota unit (100× cheaper) and returns up to 50 chronological public uploads per page. Note: when looking up a channel directly from an @handle in Data API v3, you can also call channels.list?part=id,snippet&forHandle=@handle for 1 unit.

2. Zero-API-Key Monitoring via Native YouTube Atom/XML RSS

If you only need real-time notifications for a channel's latest 15 uploads—for Feedly, NetNewsWire, Inoreader, Zapier, Make, n8n, or Discord/Telegram announcement bots—you do not need a Google Cloud API key at all. Every public YouTube channel exposes an official Atom XML feed at:

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UC_CHANNEL_ID

Our finder builds this exact RSS URL automatically for every lookup so you can copy and paste it straight into your reader or automation webhook.

All Supported Input Formats (Handles, Channels, Videos & Shorts)

You don't need to strip query parameters or navigate away from a video before running a lookup. The resolver accepts six input patterns out of the box:

  • Handle with or without @: @veritasium or veritasium
  • Full Handle URL: https://www.youtube.com/@veritasium (including trailing tabs like /videos, /shorts, or /streams)
  • Standard Watch or Mobile Share Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID or https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID — extracts the parent uploader's channel automatically
  • YouTube Shorts URL: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID
  • Legacy Custom & User URLs: youtube.com/c/ChannelName and youtube.com/user/Username
  • Canonical UC ID Verification: Paste an existing UC... string or /channel/UC... link to verify its current @handle, display title, and avatar.

How to Find a Channel ID Manually on YouTube & Connected Tools

Want to double-check a Channel ID directly inside YouTube's native interface? YouTube hides it two clicks deep inside the channel bio modal:

  1. Open the creator's channel homepage on youtube.com or the YouTube mobile app.
  2. Click ...more right beneath the channel header description to open the About dialog.
  3. Scroll to the bottom, click Share channel, and select Copy channel ID.

Using our lookup tool above saves those extra clicks—especially when you only have a video link, need the ready-made XML RSS URL, or are auditing multiple channels alongside our other creator utilities:

Troubleshooting Handle Lookups, Renamed Channels & Privacy

  • Recently changed @handle returns old or 404: When a creator changes their handle in YouTube Studio, YouTube holds the previous @handle as a personal redirect for 14 days before releasing it. If that 14-day window has expired, paste any video URL from that creator instead to resolve their immutable UC... ID.
  • Auto-generated Music "Topic" channels: YouTube's automated artist Topic channels still possess standard 24-character UC... IDs even when they do not display a custom @handle—paste any track URL to extract the Topic Channel ID.
  • Privacy & zero authentication: All lookups read publicly visible YouTube channel metadata server-side. You never connect your Google account or expose OAuth tokens.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Every standard YouTube Channel ID is an immutable 24-character string that begins with the uppercase letters "UC" followed by 22 alphanumeric, hyphen, or underscore characters (for example, UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA).

No. While creators can edit their display name or update their public @handle in YouTube Studio, the underlying 24-character UC... Channel ID is permanently bound to the channel at creation and never changes.

Yes. Paste any standard watch?v= link, short youtu.be link, or youtube.com/shorts/ URL into the input box above. Our lookup engine identifies the uploading channel and returns its permanent UC... ID, @handle, and RSS feed.

Append the 24-character Channel ID to https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UC... — or simply look up any @handle in our tool above and copy the pre-built RSS Feed URL in one click.

Replace the leading "UC" in the 24-character Channel ID with "UU" (for example, UUX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA) to get the channel’s hidden Uploads Playlist ID, then query playlistItems.list for 1 quota unit per call instead of spending 100 quota units on search.list.

Sign in to YouTube, open Settings → Advanced settings (youtube.com/account_advanced), and copy the strings next to "Channel ID" and "User ID". For any public channel without signing in, paste its @handle into our finder above.