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YouTube Channel ID Finder — From @Handle to UC…

Turn an @handle or channel link into the UC… channel ID.

Quick answer: Paste an @handle, a channel URL (youtube.com/@name, /channel/UC…, /c/name, /user/name) or any video link from the channel, and this tool returns the channel's ID — the 24-character string that starts with UC. That ID is what you need for RSS feeds, the YouTube Data API and most third-party integrations, since handles can be changed at any time.

Channel IDs are read from the channel's public page. No API key, no login, and no quota is involved — which is why this works even when your own API quota for the day is exhausted.
Core facts
Channel ID shapeUC followed by 22 characters — 24 in total
Understands@handle · /channel/UC… · /c/name · /user/name · any video link
Also returnsThe channel name and the RSS feed URL you can paste into a reader
Why it mattersHandles and display names change; the UC ID does not

What this tool does

Channels have two identities: a human-facing handle (@name) and a permanent ID (UC…). Tools, feeds and APIs want the permanent one, but the interface mostly shows the handle, so people end up hunting through page source. This page resolves the handle for you and hands back the ID plus a ready RSS URL.

Common uses

  • Build an RSS feed URL for a channel you want to follow without Google
  • Feed a channel into the YouTube Data API or a dashboard
  • Check whether two differently-named channels are in fact the same one
  • Verify a channel ID before using it in a long-lived integration

Why an RSS feed is the practical use

A channel's uploads are available as an Atom feed at /feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=«UC id», which works in any reader and does not require an account or API key. That single URL is the reason most people go looking for a channel ID: the handle route is fragile (handles get changed), and the ID route keeps working. Paste your ID into the feed URL above and you have a subscription no algorithm controls.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I only have a video link?
Paste the video link here, or use the video ID finder first. The channel is read from the video's public data, so any video on that channel works.
Why does a /c/ or /user/ link behave differently?
Those are legacy short forms that redirect to the real channel URL. This tool follows the redirect and reports the UC ID it lands on, which is why the answer may look unrelated to the path you pasted.
Can a channel ID change?
It can technically be reassigned by YouTube in rare cases (merges, migrations), but for practical purposes it is permanent — far more stable than the handle, which the owner can edit at will.
Does this need an API key?
No. The page reads the channel's public data, so no key, no login and no quota are involved.

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