How to find a YouTube channel ID: your own channel or anyone else’s

To find your own YouTube channel ID, sign in on youtube.com, click your profile picture, choose Settings, then Advanced settings: your Channel ID is listed there, a 24-character code that starts with UC. To find another channel's ID on a computer, open the channel, click its description to open the About panel, click Share channel and choose Copy channel ID. If a channel's address already looks like youtube.com/channel/UC…, the part after /channel/ is the ID.

Most people look this up because a form asks for it: a music distributor, an analytics or automation tool, a sponsor's sign-up page or a developer project. Below are the steps for your own channel and for other channels, on a computer and on a phone, plus how the ID differs from your @handle and when you can skip the ID and share a normal link instead. Steps were checked against YouTube Help in November 2026; menus can move between app versions.

What a YouTube channel ID looks like

Every YouTube channel has a channel ID. It is assigned when the channel is created and never changes, even when you rename the channel or change your @handle. It starts with UC and is followed by 22 letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores, 24 characters in total.

The examples are the YouTube Creators channel, the one YouTube Help uses. The handle and the ID open the same channel; one is made to be read by people, the other to be stored by software. YouTube handle vs custom URL vs channel ID compares all the formats in more depth.

A quick check when a form rejects what you pasted: a channel ID is not your @handle, not your channel name and not a full URL, unless the form asks for a URL. Copy only the UC… part.

How to find your own channel ID on a computer

1. Go to youtube.com and sign in.
2. Click your profile picture in the top right.
3. Click Settings.
4. In the left menu, click Advanced settings.
5. Next to Channel ID, click the copy button, or select the code and copy it.

The same page also shows a User ID. They look alike, but forms that ask for a channel ID want the one that starts with UC.

YouTube Help notes that you must be signed in as the channel's primary owner to see these IDs (find your user and channel IDs). If you manage a channel as a manager or editor, ask the owner for the ID, or use the method for other channels below, which works for any public channel.

If you manage more than one channel from the same Google account, switch to the right channel first (profile picture, Switch account), then open Advanced settings. The ID shown is for the channel you are currently using.

Shortcut: the YouTube Studio address bar

Open studio.youtube.com while signed in and look at the browser's address bar. Studio usually opens on an address like studio.youtube.com/channel/UC…/. The UC… part between /channel/ and the next slash is your channel ID.

How to find your own channel ID on a phone

The YouTube app itself does not list your channel ID in its settings. YouTube Help says the advanced account settings are available on a computer or a mobile browser, so:

1. Open Safari, Chrome or another browser on your phone (not the YouTube app).
2. Go to youtube.com/account_advanced and sign in if asked.
3. Copy the Channel ID.

If the phone hands the address over to the YouTube app instead of opening it in the browser, long-press the link and choose to open it in the browser, or request the desktop site, then go to Settings > Advanced settings.

How to find someone else's channel ID

You do not need to own a channel to get its ID; it is public.

On a computer

1. Open the channel on youtube.com (click the channel name under any of its videos).
2. Click the channel description, or the "more" link after it, to open the About panel.
3. Scroll to the bottom and click Share channel.
4. Click Copy channel ID.

This option is not described in YouTube Help, so treat it as a convenience that YouTube can move. If you do not see it, check the address bar: some links and older bookmarks still open channels as youtube.com/channel/UC…, and in that case the ID is right there.

On a phone

In the YouTube app, open the channel and tap its description to open the About panel. Depending on your app version, the share option there may offer Copy channel ID as well. If it only offers to copy the link, you will usually get the @handle URL, which is not the ID. In that case, open the channel in your phone's browser with the desktop site turned on and follow the computer steps.

Using a channel ID finder

Many websites offer a "YouTube channel ID finder": you paste a channel link or handle and they look up the ID. They work, but they are third-party tools. You do not need to sign in or give them access to your account to look up a public channel's ID, so skip any that ask.

For developers: the YouTube Data API

If you need IDs in code, the YouTube Data API's channels.list method accepts a forHandle parameter: pass a handle such as @youtubecreators and the response includes the channel's ID. That needs an API key from Google Cloud and is only worth it if you are building something.

When you actually need the channel ID

• Forms and integrations that ask for it by name: music distributors and content ID services, analytics and automation tools, some sponsorship and affiliate sign-ups, and anything built on the YouTube Data API.
• Links that must never break. Because the ID never changes, youtube.com/channel/UC… keeps working after a rename or a handle change. That makes it the safer choice for print, QR codes and other people's websites. How to change your YouTube handle explains what happens to old @handle links.

When you don't need it

For sharing your channel with people, the channel ID is rarely the best choice. It is long, impossible to remember and looks suspicious in a bio. Use:

• Your handle URL (youtube.com/@yourhandle) in bios you can edit any time. How to find your YouTube channel link shows where to copy it in the app and on a computer.
• A short link when you want something short that also survives a handle change. Shorten the youtube.com/channel/UC… address with the YouTube channel link shortener and Ytgo gives you a short link and a QR code, free and without expiry. The short link points at the exact address you pasted, and when it is tapped inside Instagram, TikTok or Facebook it asks the phone to open the channel in the YouTube app.

Frequently asked questions

What is a YouTube channel ID?

It is the permanent identifier YouTube gives every channel, a 24-character code that starts with UC, for example UCUZHFZ9jIKrLroW8LcyJEQQ. It never changes, even if the channel is renamed or its handle changes.

How do I find my YouTube channel ID on my phone?

Open your phone's browser, not the YouTube app, and go to youtube.com/account_advanced, or open Settings and then Advanced settings on youtube.com. Sign in as the channel's primary owner and copy the Channel ID that starts with UC.

How do I find someone else's YouTube channel ID?

On a computer, open the channel, click its description to open the About panel, click Share channel and choose Copy channel ID. If the channel's address is youtube.com/channel/UC…, the part after /channel/ is already the ID.

Is the channel ID the same as my @handle?

No. The handle is the readable name that starts with @ and can be changed. The channel ID is a fixed code that starts with UC. Both lead to the same channel, but a form that asks for a channel ID needs the UC code.

Why can't I see my channel ID in Advanced settings?

YouTube shows the IDs only when you are signed in as the channel's primary owner. Check that you have switched to the right channel, or ask the owner, or copy the ID from the channel's About panel like any other public channel.

Can I change my YouTube channel ID?

No. The channel ID is fixed for the life of the channel. You can change the channel name and the handle, but the youtube.com/channel/UC… address stays the same.