YouTube Video ID Extractor

Paste any YouTube video link and get the real video ID, embed code, and direct thumbnail URLs instantly.

Works entirely in your browser — accepts youtu.be, watch, shorts, live, and embed URLs, or a bare 11-character video ID.

More free tools: URL Validator Thumbnail Downloader See all tools →

Creator guide

A stable ID beats a messy URL

The 11-character video ID is what every API, embed, and integration actually keys off — URLs change format, the ID doesn't.

What this tool does

Parses any pasted YouTube URL format (or a bare ID) entirely in your browser and derives the real ID, embed code, and thumbnail links.

How to use the result

Use the embed code to add the video to your own site, or grab a specific thumbnail size directly.

Data to note

Runs entirely in your browser — no data is sent anywhere, and thumbnail URLs follow YouTube's real, predictable CDN pattern.

A simple way to use this tool

Use the embed code directly when adding a video to your own site.
maxresdefault won't exist for every video — fall back to hqdefault if it 404s.
The same ID works across watch, shorts, and embed URL formats.

FAQ

Common questions

Not always — maxresdefault (1280x720) only exists if the uploader provided a high-res thumbnail. If it 404s, use hqdefault instead, which YouTube always generates.

Yes — paste a youtube.com/shorts/ link and it extracts the same real 11-character video ID.

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