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YouTube Video ID Extractor

Extract the video ID from any YouTube URL instantly. Supports watch links, Shorts, embeds, and youtu.be short links.

Supports: youtube.com/watch?v=… · youtu.be/… · /shorts/ · /embed/

Overview

Turn messy YouTube links into a clean 11-character video ID

This extractor normalizes watch, Shorts, embed, and youtu.be links into one ID, then shows copy-ready watch, short, and embed URLs for sheets, scripts, or your CMS. Extra query parameters and playlist wrappers are ignored so the ID stays clean.

The ID is the unique 11-character string in ?v= or after the slash on short links. APIs, embeds, and thumbnail URLs all depend on it. Keeping the canonical ID saves headaches when you automate pulls or regenerate assets later.

Features

Four outputs from one paste

Each field is something you can copy into another tool — the raw ID plus three common URL shapes teams reuse every day.

Video ID

Main
11 chars

Every public video maps to one stable 11-character ID, and that token is what APIs, embeds, and thumbnail URLs all rely on behind the scenes.

Watch URL

Watch

You get a canonical youtube.com/watch?v= link you can paste into spreadsheets, CMS fields, or scripts without carrying extra tracking parameters you do not need.

Short URL

Short

We format a compact youtu.be/ link that is easier to share in chat, SMS, or QR codes while still opening the exact same watch experience for your audience.

Embed URL

Embed

Copy the raw youtube.com/embed/ source your iframe or custom player expects, ready for optional query flags such as start time or privacy-oriented hosts.

How to Use

Extract IDs in three taps

01

Paste any YouTube URL

Works with watch links, Shorts, embeds, or raw video IDs.

02

Click Extract

The video ID and related URLs appear instantly.

03

Copy what you need

Click any field to copy it to your clipboard in one click.

Use Cases

Ways People Use This Tool

API integration

Video IDs are required by the YouTube Data API for fetching stats, captions, and metadata.

Embed code

Build custom embed iframes by plugging the ID directly into the embed URL template.

Thumbnail access

Use the ID to construct direct thumbnail URLs at any resolution without an API key.

Spreadsheets

Store clean IDs instead of full URLs when bulk-processing video lists in sheets.

Shorts & mobile

Resolve the same 11-character ID from Shorts links and mobile share sheets before you normalize URLs in your app.

Automation

Feed stable IDs into Zapier, n8n, or custom scripts so retries and webhooks do not break when marketing adds UTM parameters.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a YouTube video ID look like?

It's an 11-character string like dQw4w9WgXcQ, using letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.

Does this work with YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Shorts use the same video ID format at youtube.com/shorts/{id}.

Can I extract IDs from embed URLs?

Yes. Paste a youtube.com/embed/{id} URL and the tool will extract the ID correctly.

Is the video ID the same as the channel ID?

No. Channel IDs start with UC and are 24 characters. Video IDs are 11 characters.