YouTube Channel URL: How to Find, Copy and Share Yours

Q: Where do I find my YouTube channel ID?

Sign in, click your profile picture, then Settings, and select Advanced settings in the left menu. Your channel ID and user ID are shown there. You need to be signed in as the channel's primary owner to see them.

Your YouTube channel URL is youtube.com/@ followed by your handle, for example youtube.com/@maya.bakes. To see it, sign in to YouTube Studio, go to Customization, then Profile, and look under Handle. In the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, then View channel, and use Share to copy the link.

Your channel can also have older addresses that still work. Here's which is which, how to copy each one, and what to know before you change your handle.

The four kinds of YouTube channel URL

YouTube's help center lists four URL formats, and your channel may have more than one.

Type	Example	What to know
Handle URL	youtube.com/@youtubecreators	Created automatically when you choose or change your handle. Starts with @.
Channel URL (ID-based)	youtube.com/channel/UCUZHFZ9jIKrLroW8LcyJEQQ	Uses your unique channel ID, the letters and numbers at the end.
Custom URL	youtube.com/c/YouTubeCreators	New custom URLs can no longer be set up or changed. Existing ones still work.
Legacy username URL	youtube.com/user/YouTube	Depends on when your channel was created. Usernames can't be changed.

YouTube says all legacy URLs now redirect to your handle-based channel URL. So if an old /c/ or /user/ link is printed on a business card, it still lands people on your channel.

For anything new, share the handle URL. It's short and easy to read out loud. Handles are unique, each channel has exactly one, and they aren't case-sensitive, so capital letters don't change where the link goes.

Find your handle URL on a computer

YouTube Studio shows your handle URL on your profile settings:

Sign in to YouTube Studio at studio.youtube.com.
From the left menu, select Customization, then Profile.
Look under Handle. Your handle is shown there, and your handle URL is youtube.com/@ followed by it.

You can also go to youtube.com/handle, where YouTube lets you view and edit your handle.

The other quick option is your channel page itself. Open your channel while signed in and copy the address from the browser's address bar, or click Share and copy the link from there. YouTube names both as ways to share your handle URL.

One older YouTube help page still says Customization, then Basic info. YouTube's newer handle and profile pages say Profile, which is the label to look for.

Find and copy your channel link in the app

To copy your channel link in the YouTube app:

Open the YouTube app and tap You.
Swipe the row of chips below your channel name.
Tap Share channel, then Copy link.

Or go through your channel page:

Tap your profile picture, then View channel.
Tap the three-dot icon in the top right.
Tap Share, then Copy link.

The same share menu has a QR code option, added in August 2024. Save it to your camera roll for flyers, packaging or a slide at the end of a talk.

Find your channel ID URL

Your channel ID is the string of letters and numbers at the end of your ID-based channel URL. Here's where YouTube shows it:

Sign in to YouTube.
Click your profile picture, then Settings.
In the left menu, select Advanced settings.
Copy your channel ID.

You must be signed in as the channel's primary owner to see it. Your full ID-based URL is youtube.com/channel/ followed by that ID.

This is also the link to use if your handle uses non-Latin characters. YouTube encodes those handle URLs, and some apps don't display them correctly, so sharing may fall back to the channel ID URL anyway.

Change your handle (and your URL with it)

Changing your handle changes your handle URL. On a computer:

Sign in to YouTube Studio.
Select Customization, then Profile.
Under Handle, type the new handle.
Click PUBLISH.

In the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, View channel, then Edit. Under Handle, tap Edit, enter the new one and tap Save. In the YouTube Studio app, tap your profile picture, Edit, then the same Handle steps.

The rules YouTube sets:

Two changes per 14 days. You can change your handle twice within any 14-day period.
Your old handle is held for 14 days. During that window both the old and new handle URLs work, and you can switch back. After that, other people can select the old handle.
Length and characters. Handles are generally 3 to 30 characters. You can use underscores, hyphens, periods and Latin middle dots, but not at the start or end. A handle can't look like a URL or a phone number.
If your handle is taken, YouTube suggests adding periods, numbers or underscores.

Because the old handle URL only works for those 14 days, update your link everywhere you've posted it within that window.

Changing your channel name is separate. It also allows two changes per 14 days, and YouTube notes that a name change removes your verification badge.

Put the link anywhere people already look for you:

Your other social bios, wherever a profile has room for a link.
Your Instagram stories. Our guide to putting a YouTube link in an Instagram story shows how to send story viewers straight to your channel or a new video.
Your video descriptions, linking back to your channel or playlists. See how to add links in a YouTube description.
Your email signature and website footer.

The reverse matters too: your channel can link out to your site, shop and socials. Our pillar guide on adding links to your YouTube channel covers that side.

If your audience lives on several platforms, a single link page saves you from choosing which one goes in each bio. Olaa gives you one short link, olaa.im/yourname, that opens a page with everything you want people to find.

YouTube fits in naturally. Your channel goes in as a link or a social icon, and YouTube videos play right on the page, so a visitor from Instagram or TikTok can watch your latest upload without leaving. The free plan includes one page, unlimited links, music and video players, a QR code and 7 days of analytics. Setup takes a few minutes and needs no code. See the features page for the full list, or start a page.

FAQ

What is my YouTube channel URL?

For most channels it's youtube.com/@yourhandle. You can confirm it in YouTube Studio under Customization, then Profile, where your handle is shown under Handle. Your channel also has an ID-based URL, youtube.com/channel/ followed by your channel ID.

Do old custom URLs still work?

Yes. YouTube says existing custom URLs still work and all legacy URLs redirect to your handle-based channel URL. You just can't create or change a custom URL anymore.

How many times can I change my YouTube handle?

Twice within a 14-day period. After each change, YouTube holds your previous handle for 14 days, and both URLs work during that time. After 14 days the old handle becomes available to others.

Is the handle URL case-sensitive?

No. Handles aren't case-sensitive, so capital letters in the link make no difference to where it goes. Use whatever capitalization reads best in your bio.

Where do I find my YouTube channel ID?

Sign in, click your profile picture, then Settings, and select Advanced settings in the left menu. Your channel ID and user ID are shown there. You need to be signed in as the channel's primary owner to see them.

Why does my shared link show a long channel ID instead of my handle?

If your handle uses non-Latin characters, YouTube encodes the handle URL, and some apps can't display it correctly. In that case sharing may use the channel ID URL instead. Both open the same channel.