YouTube Video Category ID List: Complete Reference

YouTube's Data API identifies content categories by numeric ID rather than by name. When you query a video's snippet data, the API returns a categoryId field — a number like 17 or 26 — rather than the human-readable label "Sports" or "Howto & Style." Knowing which ID maps to which category name is essential for any developer working with the YouTube data source, and useful for creators who want to verify their category lookup results.

This is the complete category ID reference as of 2026, plus the fastest way to check any video's category ID without writing a single line of code.

Complete YouTube Category ID Table

The following table covers all numeric IDs assigned to YouTube's video categories. IDs are consistent across the API in most regions, though some may have restricted availability in specific countries.

ID 1 — Film & Animation: Feature films, short films, animation, and cinema-focused content.

ID 2 — Autos & Vehicles: Car reviews, vehicle restoration, automotive news, and driving content.

ID 10 — Music: Music videos, lyric videos, covers, performances, and audio content. Note that monetization on music videos is often handled through content ID claims by rights holders.

ID 15 — Pets & Animals: Animal care, pet training, wildlife, and animal behavior content.

ID 17 — Sports: Sports highlights, athletic training, commentary, and sport-specific technique instruction.

ID 18 — Short Movies: Narrative short-form films, distinct from the Film & Animation category. Rarely selected for new uploads.

ID 19 — Travel & Events: Travel vlogs, destination guides, and event coverage.

ID 20 — Gaming: Game walkthroughs, reviews, livestream highlights, esports, and gaming news.

ID 21 — Videoblogging: A legacy category largely replaced in practice by People & Blogs. Still active in the API.

ID 22 — People & Blogs: Vlogs, lifestyle content, day-in-the-life videos, and personality-driven content.

ID 23 — Comedy: Stand-up, sketch comedy, parody, and humorous content distinct from general Entertainment.

ID 24 — Entertainment: Broad catch-all for variety, reaction, and general interest content.

ID 25 — News & Politics: News coverage, political commentary, and current events analysis.

ID 26 — Howto & Style: Tutorials, DIY projects, cooking demonstrations, beauty, fitness instruction, and practical how-to content.

ID 27 — Education: Academic content, educational explainers, lectures, and structured skill-building.

ID 28 — Science & Technology: Tech reviews, science explainers, software tutorials, engineering, and STEM content.

ID 29 — Nonprofits & Activism: Content from nonprofit organizations and social cause advocacy.

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Why YouTube Category IDs Matter for Developers

The YouTube data source uses categoryId when returning video snippet data and when filtering video list requests. If you are building a tool that categorizes YouTube videos, analyzes a channel's content distribution by category, or filters search results by topic, you need the numeric IDs — not the category names — to construct your API queries.

The videoCategoryId parameter in the API videos.list endpoint accepts these numeric values. The videoCategories.list endpoint returns the full mapping of IDs to names for a given region code, which is the canonical source for any production application that needs to handle regional category availability.

For most creators and non-developers, the category name is sufficient. The ID only becomes essential when writing scripts, building integrations, or querying the API directly.

How to Check Any Video's Category ID Without Writing Code

The YouTube Category Checker above returns both the category name and the numeric ID for any video URL. Paste the URL, click check, and both values appear immediately — no API key, no code, no authentication required.

This is useful for developers who want to verify a video's category ID before building it into an API query, for creators who want to confirm the numeric ID returned by a script, and for researchers who need category IDs without setting up API access.

The tool queries YouTube's public API and returns the official categoryId value stored in the platform's database — the same value you would get from a direct API call to the videos.list endpoint with part=snippet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is YouTube category ID 22?

Category ID 22 is People & Blogs — YouTube's general-purpose category for vlogs, lifestyle content, and personality-driven videos. It is the most commonly assigned default category on the platform.

How do I get a video's category ID from the YouTube data source?

Call the YouTube data source videos.list endpoint with the video's ID and part=snippet. The response will include a snippet.categoryId field containing the numeric category ID. Alternatively, paste the video URL into the YouTube Category Checker above to get the ID without any API setup.

Are YouTube category IDs the same in all countries?

The core category IDs (1 through 29) are consistent globally. However, some categories may not be available for selection in all regions, and the videoCategories.list endpoint allows you to query available categories by regionCode parameter to confirm availability for a specific country.

What is the category ID for YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts do not have a separate category ID. Shorts use the same category IDs as regular videos (1 through 29), assigned during upload through YouTube Studio. There is no Shorts-specific category in the Data API.