YouTube has also evolved into one of the top creative spaces where people create YouTube channels dedicated to a specific craft or topic and eventually monetize them to start earning income from ads and collaborations.
The video-sharing service remains on top because of its extensive global reach and ability to quickly update and accommodate user preferences.
If you’re new to YouTube or wish to become a creator, you may have encountered the term YouTube URL.
A YouTube URL is a clickable link that directs viewers to your channel. As a creator, you can have more than one YouTube URL performing the same function. Additionally, you can customize your YouTube URL so it’s simpler and easy to type and remember. Examples of custom YouTube URLs include Channel, Handle, and Legacy username URLs.
Read to the end to understand what a YouTube URL is, how to find and the various custom URL options available.
Overview of YouTube URL
As noted earlier, a YouTube URL is a clickable link that directs viewers to your channel. Supposing you have a blog and a YouTube channel, you will add your YouTube URL at a strategic place on the blog.
Then interested viewers can go to your channel to view more of your content. Different YouTube URLs exist, but all perform the same function of directing users to your channel.
Next, we’ll discuss types of YouTube URLs and the steps to finding your channel URL.
Types of YouTube URLs
There are various types of YouTube URLs, as discussed below.
Channel/ID-Based URLs
Channel or ID-based URLs are the normal URLs YouTube uses. These URLs uniquely combine letters and numbers to identify your specific channel. Here’s how to find your ID-based URL using your PC.
- Open your web browser and log into your YouTube account.
- Click on your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
- Select “YouTube Studio.”
- Navigate to the “Customization” window from the left-side panel.
- Open the “Basic info” tab.
- Find the “Channel URL” section.
- Underneath it will be the channel URL.
You can highlight and copy it or click the “Copy” button.
Follow the steps below to find your channel URL using the YouTube mobile app.
- Open the YouTube app.
- Tap on your profile picture at the top-right corner.
- Select the “Your Channel” option on the menu.
- Click on three vertical dots at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Tap “Share” and then “Copy link.”
- You will receive a “Copied” notification.
- Paste on a different page to see your Channel URL.
Alternatively, you can click the pencil icon on the “Your Channel” page and see the channel URL from there.
Handle URL
YouTube creates a handle URL a channel owner can change. Handle URLs have a “@” symbol prefix. The steps to find your handle URL using a PC are as follows.
- Open your web browser and log into your YouTube account.
- Click on your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
- Select “YouTube Studio.”
- Navigate to “Customization” on the left-side panel.
- Open the” Basic Info” tab.
- Locate the “Handle” section.
- Underneath it will be your handle URL.
You can change your YouTube handle URL twice within two weeks. After changing the handle, the current and former handle URLs will work, but the latter will expire after a few weeks, becoming available to other users.
Legacy Username URL
This is YouTube’s initial URL channel format. You might still have a default username URL if you created your channel before YouTube changed its URL format. Currently, you don’t need a username on your channel or URL.
Here’s an example of a legacy username YouTube URL “www.youtube.com/username/YouTube.” If you have a legacy username URL, you can still use it to direct users to your channel.
Summary
A YouTube URL is the clickable link creators share to direct viewers to their channel. There are different types of YouTube URLs. These include channel/ID-based URLs, handle, and Legacy username URLs.
Channel URLs are the custom URLs YouTube uses, while the handle URL is the one with the “@” prefix.
Legacy username URLs are no longer available, but users who created their YouTube channels a long time ago may still have them.
