YouTube Channel RSS Feed: URL and Shorts Trick (2026)

Disclosure: Hushread is our app. We’ve tried to be fair, and we say where the others are the better choice.

Every YouTube channel has an RSS feed at https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id= followed by the channel ID, which starts with UC. The feed lists the 15 most recent uploads, Shorts included, and there is an unofficial way to get long videos only. Below are the exact URL formats we tested on September 29, 2026, how to find a channel ID from an @handle, and how to use the feed in a reader.

YouTube RSS feed URL formats

A channel (the 15 most recent uploads):

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?playlist_id=PLxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A channel by its old username (only channels that had a legacy username before handles):

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?user=OLDUSERNAME

Replace the x placeholders with the real ID. Here is what each option gives you:

Feed	Parameter	What you get
Channel	channel_id=UC...	15 newest uploads, Shorts included
Long videos only (unofficial)	playlist_id=UULF...	Uploads without Shorts
Shorts only (unofficial)	playlist_id=UUSH...	Shorts only
Playlist	playlist_id=PL...	Videos in that playlist
Handle	handle=	Doesn’t exist (error 400)

What changed in 2026: YouTube channel pages use @handles, but feed URLs still need the channel ID. There is no ?handle= feed parameter; in our test it returned error 400, so ignore any guide that suggests one. Separately, some Inoreader users reported errors when adding YouTube channels in late September 2026 (Reddit thread).

How to find a YouTube channel ID from an @handle

You often don’t need the ID at all. A channel’s page includes a hidden link to its RSS feed, so pasting the @handle URL (like https://www.youtube.com/@channelname) into most RSS readers is enough: the reader finds the feed on its own. If yours doesn’t, use one of these.

Method 1: from the channel’s About panel

1. Open the channel on YouTube.
2. Tap …more on the channel description to open the About panel.
3. Tap Share channel, then Copy channel ID (IFTTT’s guide shows the same steps).
4. Paste the ID after channel_id= in the channel URL format above.

Method 2: from the page source

1. Open the channel page in a desktop browser.
2. Right-click the page and choose the option to view the page source.
3. Search for rss+xml. The line you find contains the full feed URL with channel_id=UC.... Copy it.

Method 3: your own channel

In YouTube, open Settings, then Advanced settings, where your channel ID is listed (YouTube Help).

YouTube RSS without Shorts (unofficial)

The channel feed mixes Shorts in with regular videos. In our test, 3 of the 15 items in one channel’s feed were Shorts. YouTube doesn’t document a way to filter them, but a playlist trick works at the time of writing:

1. Take the channel ID, for example UCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
2. Remove the leading UC.
3. Put UULF in front for long videos only, or UUSH for Shorts only.
4. Use it as a playlist_id:

Long videos only:
https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?playlist_id=UULFxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shorts only:
https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?playlist_id=UUSHxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Because this is undocumented, YouTube could change it without notice. If a feed built this way suddenly goes empty, fall back to the normal channel_id feed. Inoreader Pro offers a built-in YouTube Shorts filter if you’d rather not build URLs by hand.

The 15-video limit

A channel feed only ever shows the 15 most recent uploads. For most channels that is plenty, because your reader keeps every video it has already fetched. It matters for channels that post a lot: if a busy channel uploads more than 15 videos between two refreshes, the older ones never appear in your reader. The long-videos-only feed helps here too, because Shorts no longer take up some of the 15 slots.

How to follow YouTube channels without the algorithm

An RSS feed shows every upload from the channels you chose, in the order they were published. No recommendations, no autoplay, no Shorts shelf unless you want it. That is the whole appeal.

1. Get the feed URL for each channel using the steps above, or just copy the @handle link.
2. Add each one to your RSS reader.
3. Put them in a folder so videos don’t get lost among your other feeds.

Most readers handle YouTube feeds well. Feedly can follow YouTube channels directly. Inoreader can sync your YouTube subscriptions, but only on Pro. NewsBlur added YouTube as a source in version 15, Feedbin supports YouTube, and the new Reeder mixes YouTube into one timeline with your other feeds. Our best RSS reader guide compares them in more detail, and Inoreader alternatives covers the options if you don’t want to pay for Pro.

The Hushread way: paste the channel link

Hushread follows YouTube channels on every plan, including Free. You don’t need the channel ID.

1. Open Hushread on iOS, Android or the web and add a source.
2. Paste the channel link, for example https://www.youtube.com/@channelname.
3. Hushread finds the feed and checks it from its servers around the clock.

New uploads arrive in order with your other sources. Nothing is recommended, ranked or injected. You can add a keyword rule to get a push notification when a channel posts about something specific, or to mute videos on topics you’re tired of.

One practical detail: YouTube’s feed endpoint has gone through multi-hour outages where it returns errors, so Hushread reads the channel’s videos page directly instead, and new uploads keep arriving. Because YouTube lists Shorts on a separate tab, they generally don’t show up. A few honest limits: Hushread starts from the recent uploads YouTube shows, like every reader, and you can’t switch Shorts on for a channel. And the Free plan holds 5 sources in total, so five channels fill it; Pro is unlimited for $14.99 a year. For the bigger picture on reading without a feed algorithm, see news app without an algorithm.

FAQ

Does YouTube still have RSS feeds?

Yes. Every channel has one at https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id= plus its channel ID. Playlists have one too, using playlist_id=.

How do I get an RSS feed from a YouTube @handle?

Paste the @handle URL into your reader; most will find the feed automatically. Otherwise copy the channel ID from the channel’s About panel (Share channel, then Copy channel ID) and use the channel_id= format. There is no ?handle= feed URL.

Can I get a YouTube RSS feed without Shorts?

Unofficially, yes. Replace the UC at the start of the channel ID with UULF and use it as a playlist_id. That feed shows long videos only. UUSH gives Shorts only. YouTube doesn’t document this, so it could stop working.

Why does a YouTube RSS feed only show 15 videos?

That is the size of YouTube’s channel feed: the 15 most recent uploads. Your reader keeps older videos it has already fetched, so you only miss videos if a channel posts more than 15 between refreshes.

How do I follow YouTube channels without the algorithm?

Add each channel’s RSS feed to a reader. You’ll see every upload from the channels you picked, in order, with no recommendations mixed in.

The short version

Use videos.xml?channel_id=UC... for a channel, swap UC for UULF if you don’t want Shorts, and remember the 15-video window. If you’d rather paste a channel link and skip the URL building, Hushread handles the feed for you. Hushread is free with up to 5 sources on iOS, Android and the web. Try Hushread.