How to Find Your YouTube Channel ID, URL, and Username (2026 Guide)

How to Find Your YouTube Channel ID, URL, and Username (2026 Guide)

You need to connect a third-party tool. Or set up API access. Or share your channel link with a brand. And suddenly YouTube's three different types of channel identifiers are confusing everyone.

Here is what you actually have:

• A channel ID (the permanent UC... string)
• A channel handle (@yourname, changeable)
• A channel URL (your shareable link)

This guide covers how to find youtube channel id in three methods, how to do a youtube user search or youtube username search to find other channels, how to find your youtube channel url and link, and what each identifier is actually for.

CheckTheWorth accepts channel handles and names, no channel ID required to check your estimated earnings. But if another tool needs the UC... string, here is where to get it.

What Is a YouTube Channel ID?

Your YouTube channel ID is a 24-character alphanumeric string that permanently and uniquely identifies your channel. It always starts with UC followed by 22 more characters.

Example format: UCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The channels id system was designed to be immutable. Unlike your channel name (which you can change anytime), your handle (changeable up to twice per 14 days), or your custom URL (legacy, sometimes transferable), your youtube id never changes.

This stability is why the YouTube Data API, Google Search Console verification, and most serious analytics platforms use the channel ID as the primary lookup key. No ambiguity. No "which account named 'Guitar Lessons' are we looking at?", just one channel, one ID, forever.

Method 1: Find Your YouTube Channel ID via YouTube Studio

The fastest way to get your youtube channel id, takes about 15 seconds:

1. 1.Sign in to YouTube
2. 2.Click your profile picture (top right)
3. 3.Select YouTube Studio
4. 4.Click the Settings gear icon in the bottom left sidebar
5. 5.Go to Channel → Basic info
6. 6.Your Channel ID is displayed there, copy it

If you manage multiple channels, switch to the correct one using the channel switcher before opening Studio. How do i find my channel on youtube for a second channel: click your profile picture, then Switch Account, select the correct channel, then repeat the Studio steps above.

Method 2: Find YouTube Channel ID from the URL

If your channel url youtube shows the format youtube.com/channel/UCxxxxxxxxx..., the channel ID is embedded in the URL right after /channel/. Copy everything after that slash.

If your url youtube channel has been customised to youtube.com/@yourhandle or youtube.com/c/yourcustomname, the channel ID is not visible in the URL. In that case:

1. 1.Go to your YouTube channel page
2. 2.Right-click anywhere → View Page Source (or Ctrl+U on Windows, Cmd+U on Mac)
3. 3.Use Ctrl+F and search for channelId
4. 4.The value in quotes next to it is your channel ID

It looks like: `"channelId":"UCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"`

This method also works for finding another channel's ID. Go to their channel page, view source, search channelId, copy the UC... string.

Method 3: YouTube Channel ID Finder Tool

If digging through HTML source code is not your preference, a youtube channel id finder tool does the lookup instantly. Enter:

• The channel's @handle (e.g. @MrBeast)
• The channel's URL
• The channel's name

...and the tool returns the channel ID.

CheckTheWorth works this way, enter a channel handle or name, and the tool resolves the channel ID in the background while also returning subscriber count, estimated earnings, engagement rate, and channel value. This is the most practical path if you want to find channel id youtube for a channel you do not own.

How to Find Your YouTube Channel URL

Your youtube channel url (also called your channel link) is different from your channel ID. It is the shareable web address that takes people to your channel.

How to find your youtube url:

1. 1.Log into YouTube
2. 2.Click your profile picture → Your channel
3. 3.Your channel page opens, the URL in the browser bar is your channel URL

What your url for youtube channel looks like:

• With a handle: youtube.com/@YourHandle
• With old custom URL: youtube.com/c/YourCustomName
• With channel ID only: youtube.com/channel/UCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

How to get my youtube channel link to share:

Copy the URL from your browser bar when you are on your channel page. If you want the cleanest version, set up a handle (youtube.com/@yourname) via YouTube Studio → Customisation → Basic Info.

How do i find my youtube channel url on mobile:

Open the YouTube app → tap your profile picture → Your channel. Tap the share icon or the three-dot menu → Share channel. Copy the link.

How to find url in youtube for a specific video (different from channel URL):

Go to the video, tap Share, and copy the short youtube.com/watch?v= link or the shortened youtu.be/ link.

YouTube Username Search: Finding Channels

YouTube moved away from usernames to handles in 2022, but many channels still have legacy usernames in their URL format (youtube.com/user/oldname). Here is how to do a youtube user search or youtube username search depending on what you know:

If You Know Their @Handle

Go to youtube.com/@handlename directly. The youtube search by username path using the @ format is the most reliable lookup.

YouTube User Search in the Search Bar

In YouTube search, type the name or handle you are looking for. On the results page, find the People and channels filter to narrow results to channel profile pages only rather than video results.

How to find a user on youtube when you only know part of their name: the youtube users search applies fuzzy matching, you do not need an exact name match. Search terms like their niche plus partial name often surface the right account.

YouTube User Finder for Account Research

A youtube user finder or youtube account finder tool (like CheckTheWorth) lets you look up channels by name or handle and returns their stats, subscriber count, estimated earnings, and channel worth. This is useful for brands evaluating creators, creators researching competitors, or anyone wondering how to look up users on youtube without digging through YouTube's own search.

YouTube Username Search for Legacy Accounts

Old YouTube accounts created before 2022 had usernames rather than handles. The youtube username search at youtube.com/user/username still resolves for legacy accounts. If you know someone's old YouTube username but not their new handle, search for their name on YouTube, the results will include the channel regardless of whether it uses the old /user/ format or the new @ handle.

How to Search for a YouTube Channel by Name

How to search youtube channel by name or find a channel you are looking for:

1. 1.YouTube Search bar: type the channel name directly. Use quotes for exact name matching (e.g. "Guitar Tabs Daily")
2. 2.Filter to channels: in search results, apply the People and channels filter
3. 3.Direct URL: if you know the handle, go to youtube.com/@handle directly
4. 4.Channel name search by URL format: youtube.com/c/channelname or youtube.com/user/username still work for legacy formats

Search youtube channels by name is most effective with specific channel names. For youtube channel name checker purposes (to see if a name you want is already taken), searching the exact name you plan to use before setting up a new channel prevents conflicts.

How do you search for a user on youtube when the name is common? Add their niche context to the search, "John Smith photography YouTube" returns far more useful results than searching a common name alone.

YouTube Channel ID vs Handle vs URL vs Username

People confuse these constantly:

When something asks for your channel ID, it wants the UC... string. When it asks for your @handle, it wants the @ version. Using the wrong one breaks whatever integration you are setting up.

The url youtube channel in modern format is the handle URL (youtube.com/@name). The channel ID URL (youtube.com/channel/UC...) works but is less user-friendly and harder to share.

How to Find YouTube Channel ID on Mobile

YouTube Studio on mobile does not always show channel ID directly in settings. The fastest workaround:

1. 1.Open YouTube app → tap your profile picture → Your channel
2. 2.Tap the three dots menu → Share
3. 3.Copy the share link, if it includes /channel/UC... in the URL, that is your ID
4. 4.If it shows a handle instead, open the share URL in a desktop browser and view page source

Alternatively, log into YouTube Studio from a desktop browser, it is 15 seconds and far less complicated.

Common Channel ID Issues and Fixes

"Invalid channel ID" error:

• Copy the full 24-character string starting with UC, no spaces, no extra characters
• Confirm you are on the correct channel if you manage multiple (check the channel switcher)

Cannot find channelId in page source:

• Try searching for externalId instead, YouTube uses both terms in different page versions
• Make sure you are viewing the channel page, not a video page

Channel ID apparently changed:

• Channel IDs never change. If a previously working ID fails, you likely copied a handle or custom URL instead of the actual UC... string

YouTube account search returning wrong channel:

• Add more specifics to the youtube account search, channel name plus niche plus any known video title
• Use the youtube channel id finder approach via page source for the exact, unambiguous match

How to Share Your YouTube Channel Link

How to get my youtube channel link the right way:

1. 1.Your handle URL (youtube.com/@yourhandle), best format for sharing on social media, email, and business cards
2. 2.Your channel ID URL (youtube.com/channel/UC...), more reliable but longer and less readable
3. 3.A shortened youtu.be link, not natively available for channel pages, only for videos

How to find my youtube channel url if you do not have a handle yet: set one up. Go to YouTube Studio → Customisation → Basic Info → Handle. Choose your handle (it becomes your permanent URL format). Without a handle, the yt url for your channel is the long UC... version, which is hard to share and remember.

Link for youtube channel in your bio or media kit: use the handle URL format. It is cleaner, more memorable, and branded with your identity. See the guide on building a YouTube media kit for how to use your channel link professionally.

What Can You Do With Your YouTube Channel ID?

Once you have your channel ID, here are the most common reasons creators actually need it:

The YouTube channel ID is different from your channel URL, handle, and custom URL, but they all point to the same channel. The ID (UC... string) is the only one that never changes and works in all technical contexts. Your handle can be changed; your custom URL can be changed; your channel ID cannot.

Quick reference, which identifier to use:

• Sharing your channel with viewers → use your handle URL (youtube.com/@handle)
• API calls, analytics tools, technical integrations → use your channel ID (the UC string)
• Embedding a channel page → use your channel ID in the query parameter
• Media kit and press materials → use your handle for readability

Once you know your channel ID and handle, you have everything you need to check your channel's estimated earnings and value using the free CheckTheWorth analyzer, enter either format and get instant results.

*Want to know what your YouTube channel is worth? Enter your handle at CheckTheWorth.com for a free instant estimate, earnings, sponsorship rate, channel value, and more. No channel ID required. For a deeper look at channel stats tools, see the YouTube channel value checker guide.*