How to Get a YouTube Video ID

Find the 11-character YouTube video ID from watch URLs, Shorts links, embed codes, and youtu.be shares.

Updated July 21, 2026

The video ID powers thumbnail URLs, embeds, and API calls. Every public YouTube link format includes the same 11-character key.

Standard watch URL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
                              └───── video ID ─────┘

The value after v= is the ID.

https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
                └───── video ID ─────┘

Shorts URLs

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dQw4w9WgXcQ
                               └───── video ID ─────┘

Embed URLs

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ
                              └───── video ID ─────┘

Use the ID for thumbnails

Once you have the ID, build:

https://img.youtube.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpg

Or paste any full link into the YouTube Thumbnail Downloader and skip manual parsing.

Learn more

Full URL pattern reference: YouTube Thumbnail URL

FAQ

How long is a YouTube video ID?

Standard YouTube video IDs are 11 characters using letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.