How to Find a YouTube Channel: 7 Ways, Even Without the Name

A friend told you about a great channel, or you watched one video last month and now cannot remember who made it. Here is how to find a YouTube channel in under a minute, whether you know its name, its @handle or almost nothing.

In this guide:

• 7 ways to find a YouTube channel
• Which way to use, based on what you know
• How to find someone's YouTube channel
• How to search inside a YouTube channel
• Why a YouTube channel won't show up in search
• How to keep track of a channel once you find it

How to find a YouTube channel: 7 ways

There are seven reliable ways to find a YouTube channel. Know the name? Start with way 1. Forgot it? Jump to ways 5 and 6.

1. Search the name, then filter to channels

The fastest way to search for a channel on YouTube is the search bar plus the Channel filter. YouTube Help says you can search "a category, handle, keyword, or creator's name," then filter the results to show channels.

1. Type the channel's name into the YouTube search bar and run the search.
2. On a computer, click Filters and choose Channel as the type. YouTube's search filter page lists channel as one of the result types.
3. In the YouTube app, tap the filter option at the top right of the results and pick channels.
4. Open the result whose profile picture and subscriber count match.

The filter matters because a plain search mixes in videos and Shorts, which can bury the channel.

2. Type the @handle

A handle is the most exact way to find a channel. Every channel has one, it starts with @, and YouTube Help notes that handles "are distinct from channel names." Handles are not case-sensitive.

Search @ plus the handle, or type youtube.com/@handle into your browser. The handle often differs from the name: Marques Brownlee's is @mkbhd, while MrBeast's is simply @MrBeast.

3. Tap the channel name on a video, Short or comment

If a video is already in front of you, the channel is one tap away. YouTube Help says to click the channel name below the video. On a Short, tap the handle near the bottom of the screen.

Comments work the same way: tap a commenter's picture or handle to open their channel.

4. Check your Subscriptions list

If you subscribed at some point, the channel is already saved. On a phone, tap Subscriptions, then All at the top right. On a computer, go to youtube.com/feed/channels. Our guide to managing YouTube subscriptions shows how to sort a long list.

5. Search your watch history

Watch history is the best tool when you forgot the channel's name but watched one of its videos. YouTube Help says history "makes it easy to find videos you recently watched," and you can search it.

1. Go to Google My Activity and sign in.
2. Click YouTube History, then Manage history.
3. Click Search and type any word you remember from the video's title or topic.
4. Open the video, then tap the channel name.

This works only if watch history was on at the time. Your Liked videos playlist is the next place to look.

6. Search by topic, then filter to channels

If you never knew the name, search the topic instead. YouTube Help's own tip is to search a category or keyword, such as "woodworking" or "space documentary," and filter to channels. On Google, the topic plus "YouTube channel" turns up lists and forum threads that name favorites.

7. Paste any YouTube link into Sublark

Sublark finds the channel behind almost any YouTube link. Paste a video link, a Shorts link, a channel link or an @handle into the search box, and Sublark shows the channel that posted it.

That helps when a friend sends one video and you want the whole channel. Searching @mkbhd, for example, brings up Marques Brownlee's channel, and one email address sets up a free alert for every upload.

Which way to find a YouTube channel should you use?

The right way to find a YouTube channel depends on what you already know.

How to find someone's YouTube channel

To find someone's YouTube channel, such as a friend's or a coworker's, ask for their @handle. Each channel can have only one handle, so youtube.com/@ plus that handle goes straight to the right page.

Without the handle, try these:

• Search their name and filter to channels. Check the profile picture to pick the right person.
• Check their other profiles. Many people put a YouTube link in an Instagram, TikTok or X bio.
• Find a comment they left. Tap their picture on any comment to open their channel.

You cannot find a YouTube channel by email address or phone number. YouTube Help tells you to search by name, handle, keyword or category, and there is no option to look up an email address.

How to search inside a YouTube channel

Once you find a channel, you can search its own videos. On a computer, open the channel page, click the magnifying glass at the end of the tab row, and type a keyword. Only that channel's videos come back.

On a phone, the in-channel search is not always shown, so search the channel name plus your keyword, such as "Veritasium magnets." The Videos tab lists the newest uploads first, and our guide to when a YouTube channel uploads shows how to spot its schedule.

Why a YouTube channel won't show up in search

When a YouTube channel won't show up in search, one of five things is usually going on:

1. Videos are crowding it out. Filter the results to channels, as in way 1.
2. The handle changed. After a handle change, YouTube Help says the old handle URL keeps working for 14 days. After that, the old handle "will become available for other users."
3. The channel is hidden. Hiding a channel makes its "channel name, videos, likes, subscriptions, and subscribers private," per YouTube Help.
4. The channel was deleted or terminated. Deleted channels disappear, and YouTube terminates channels for repeated or severe guideline violations.
5. A lookalike ranks first. Fan pages and reupload channels can share a name. Compare the handle, picture and subscriber count before you subscribe.

If none fit, search the exact @handle from the creator's website or social bio.

How to keep track of a YouTube channel once you find it

To keep track of a YouTube channel once you find it, subscribe and add an email alert. Subscribing alone is not enough, because the bell does not always deliver:

• YouTube sends at most 3 notifications per channel in 24 hours.
• YouTube Help says, "If you have selected All and haven't watched or engaged with the channel in a while, you'll only receive notifications for that channel inside the app."

That is how a channel you found once slips out of sight. See how to turn on YouTube notifications for the bell settings and why "All" no longer means all for the inactivity rule.

For channels you never want to lose, add an email alert. Sublark emails you within the hour of every upload from the channels you pick, like MrBeast, Veritasium, Mark Rober, Kurzgesagt or Marques Brownlee. It is free for viewers, needs only your email address, and every alert has an unsubscribe link.

How to find a YouTube channel: the bottom line

How to find a YouTube channel comes down to what you already know. A name or @handle takes seconds with the Channel filter, a video or comment takes one tap, and watch history rescues the channels you forgot.

Then make the find stick. Search the channel on Sublark, enter your email, and its next upload comes to you. Following several? See how to track multiple YouTube channels in one inbox.

Frequently Asked Questions