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YouTube Monetization Requirements Explained
The YouTube Partner Program thresholds explained: subscribers, watch hours, Shorts views and the other requirements to earn ad revenue.
Read guideHow to Find a YouTube Channel ID (3 Easy Ways)
Three ways to find a YouTube channel ID: copy it from the About section, read it from the channel URL, or find it in the page source.
Key takeaways
- A channel ID starts with UC and has 24 characters.
- The quickest way is About, Share channel, Copy channel ID.
- If the channel URL contains /channel/UC…, that part is the ID.
- A handle such as @name is not a channel ID.
Method 1: copy it from the About section
- Open the channel in a desktop browser.
- Select the channel description to open About.
- Choose Share channel, then Copy channel ID.
Method 2: read it from the channel URL
Some channel links look like youtube.com/channel/UCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Everything after /channel/ is the channel ID. Links that use a handle, /c/ or /user/ do not show it.
Method 3: look in the page source
Open the channel page, press Ctrl+U to view the source and search for channelId. The value that follows starts with UC. This works when the other methods are not available.
What can you do with a channel ID?
- Follow uploads with an RSS feed: https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=ID
- Build the uploads playlist ID by changing UC at the start of the ID to UU.
- Call the YouTube Data API for channel details.
- Track channels in a spreadsheet without breaking when a name changes.
Channel ID, handle and custom URL
| Name | Looks like | Can change? |
|---|---|---|
| Channel ID | UC + 22 characters | No |
| Handle | @name | Yes |
| Custom or legacy URL | /c/name or /user/name | Depends |
Try it yourself with the free YouTube Channel ID Finder.
Open the Channel ID Finder