A YouTube QR code holds the web link to a channel, so a person who scans it lands on the channel page with the Subscribe button in front of them, without searching for the name and picking through videos, shorts and lookalike channels to find it.
This tool builds the code in your browser. Type the channel's @handle or its channel ID, or paste the channel link, and download a PNG or SVG. Nothing is sent to a server, and the page keeps no record of what you typed.
What the code contains
The code holds a plain web link in one of two forms. For a handle it is https://www.youtube.com/@handle. For a channel ID, the 24-character string beginning UC that every channel has, it is https://www.youtube.com/channel/ followed by the ID. The panel under the preview shows the exact string, so you can confirm nothing has been added to it.
It is a web link on purpose, not a youtube:// app scheme. A phone with the YouTube app installed opens youtube.com channel links in the app. A phone without it opens the channel in the browser, so the code resolves either way instead of failing with an unknown-scheme error.
What you can type
The field accepts a handle with or without the leading @, a channel ID, or a pasted channel link. From a link the tool reads the segment after youtube.com/, youtube.com/@, youtube.com/channel/, youtube.com/c/ or youtube.com/user/, and drops anything after a question mark, so a link copied with a subscribe-confirmation parameter still works.
The tool decides between the two link forms by shape: a value that starts with UC and is exactly 24 characters long becomes a /channel/ link, and anything else becomes an @handle link. Handles are checked against YouTube's rules of 3 to 30 characters of letters, digits, periods, underscores and hyphens. Anything else shows the message that it does not look like a valid YouTube handle, and the download button stays disabled until it does.
Older /c/Name and /user/Name links are kept in that form, not rewritten into an @handle, because a legacy custom name is not always the channel's current handle and YouTube still redirects the old addresses. A video or playlist link, of the youtube.com/watch or /shorts or /playlist form, is not a channel and is rejected with a message saying so; paste the channel link instead, or use the plain URL type in the QR generator for a single video.
Handle or channel ID
Both open the same channel page. The handle makes a shorter, friendlier link and a less dense code, and it is what appears on the channel page itself. The channel ID never changes, so a code built from it keeps working even if the handle is renamed later, at the cost of a longer string and a busier code.
For anything printed in quantity, or anything that will stay up for years, the channel ID is the safer choice. For a slide or a one-off flyer, the handle is fine.
Printing and placing it
A channel code belongs where the channel is not already a tap away: the end slide of a talk, a card in a product box, a poster at a screening, a music release insert or a sticker on equipment that has a how-to series behind it. Print the word YouTube or the @handle beside it so a person knows what will open before they scan.
Download the SVG for anything that will be printed. It scales to any size without going blurry, where a PNG has a fixed pixel size. For screens the PNG is fine, and the resolution slider sets how large it is.
Keep the quiet zone, the blank border around the code, at two modules or more, and keep the contrast high. Test the printed piece with a phone from a metre away before making fifty of them.
Frequently asked questions
Is my handle sent to YouTube or to a server?
No. The code is generated inside your browser and the handle or ID is only placed into the image file you download. There is no upload, no account and no history kept on this page.
What happens when someone scans it without the YouTube app?
The code holds a normal youtube.com link, so the phone opens the channel in the browser. With the app installed, the same code opens straight in it.
Where do I find my channel ID?
It is the 24-character string beginning UC in the channel's /channel/ address, and YouTube also lists it in the channel's advanced settings. Paste either the ID on its own or the whole /channel/ link into the field; the tool reads it out and builds a /channel/ link.
Should I use the handle or the channel ID?
The handle gives a shorter link and a simpler code. The channel ID never changes, so it survives a handle rename. Use the ID for anything printed in quantity or left up for a long time.
Why does it say my handle is not valid?
The tool checks YouTube's rules: 3 to 30 characters, using only letters, digits, periods, underscores and hyphens. A name with a space or any other symbol, or one under three characters, is rejected before a code is made.
Can I make a code for a single video or playlist?
Not with this tool. It builds channel links only, and a pasted video link would be read as a handle, which is not what you want. For a video or playlist, copy its link and use the plain URL type in the QR generator.
Can I add my channel logo to the code?
Yes. Under Branding, add a PNG, JPEG, SVG or WebP and it is centred over the code. Error correction rises to H automatically so the covered modules can be recovered. The code gets denser, but it scans as well or better.
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