Have you ever wondered how to tell what time a YouTube video was uploaded without having to check the video’s description? It’s actually quite easy to do, and there are a few different ways to go about it. One way is to use the YouTube Data API. This API provides a wealth of information about YouTube videos, including the upload time. However, using the API requires some programming knowledge, so it’s not the best option for everyone. Another way to tell what time a YouTube video was uploaded is to use a third-party website or tool. There are a number of these websites and tools available, and they all work in a similar way. Simply enter the URL of the YouTube video that you’re interested in, and the website or tool will tell you when the video was uploaded.
Finally, you can also tell what time a YouTube video was uploaded by looking at the video’s source code. To do this, open the video in your browser and then right-click on the video and select “View Page Source”. Once the source code for the video has loaded, press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on a Mac) to open the Find bar. Then, type in “uploadDate” and press Enter. The upload date of the video will be displayed in the search results.
Accessing the YouTube Video Page
To determine the upload time of a YouTube video, you need to access its video page. There are several methods to do this:
1. Direct URL Access
The most direct method is to use the video’s unique URL. YouTube video URLs typically follow the format https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[video_id], where [video_id] is a unique identifier for the video.
To access the video page using this method, simply copy the URL from your web browser’s address bar and paste it into a new browser tab or window.
2. YouTube Search
Another way to access the video page is through YouTube’s search bar. Enter the video’s title or a relevant keyword into the search bar and press Enter.
From the search results, click on the video’s thumbnail or title to open its video page.
3. YouTube Channel Page
If you know the channel that uploaded the video, you can access its video page from the channel’s page.
Visit the channel’s page and navigate to the “Videos” tab. Scroll down the list of videos until you find the target video.
| Access Method | Description |
|—|—|
| Direct URL Access | Enter the video’s URL into a browser. |
| YouTube Search | Search for the video’s title or keywords. |
| YouTube Channel Page | Navigate to the video from the channel’s page. |
Checking the Video’s Upload Date and Time
There are a few different ways to check the upload date and time of a YouTube video:
- Check the video’s page on YouTube. The upload date and time is displayed below the video’s title.
- Use the YouTube API. The YouTube API provides a way to access information about YouTube videos, including the upload date and time. You can use the API to check the upload date and time of a video programmatically.
- Use a third-party tool. There are a number of third-party tools that can help you check the upload date and time of a YouTube video. These tools typically provide a simple way to enter the URL of a video and get back the upload date and time.
Here is a table summarizing the different methods of checking the upload date and time of a YouTube video:
| Method | How to do it |
|---|---|
| Check the video’s page on YouTube | Go to the video’s page on YouTube and look below the video’s title. |
| Use the YouTube API | Use the YouTube API to access information about the video. |
| Use a third-party tool | Enter the URL of the video into a third-party tool that can check the upload date and time. |
Using the “Uploaded on” Label
This method is the most straightforward way to determine the upload time of a YouTube video. Look for the “Uploaded on” label under the video title. It will display the date and time the video was uploaded in the following format:
Uploaded on [Date] at [Time]
For example, if the “Uploaded on” label reads “Uploaded on August 15, 2023 at 10:35 AM,” the video was uploaded on August 15, 2023, at 10:35 AM.
This method is reliable and easy to use, but it may not be available for all videos. Some users may choose to hide the upload date for privacy or other reasons.
Additional Information from the “Uploaded on” Label
In addition to the date and time of upload, the “Uploaded on” label may also provide the following:
| Information | Example |
|---|---|
| Channel Name: | Uploaded by YouTube |
| Genre or Category: | Music |
| License Type: | Standard YouTube License |
| Restrictions: | Age-restricted |
This information can provide additional context about the video and its creator. It’s worth noting that some of these details may not be available for all videos.
Viewing the Video’s URL
You can retrieve the upload date of a YouTube video by inspecting its URL. Follow these steps:
1. Open the video you want to analyze in a web browser.
2. Right-click on the video and select “Copy video URL” (or equivalent option for your browser).
3. Paste the copied URL into a text editor (e.g., Notepad, TextEdit).
4. Analyze the URL structure:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| “v” or “vi” | Contains the video ID |
| “t” or “start” | Provides the start time (in seconds). Ignore this parameter. |
| “list” | Associated with playlists (not relevant for upload date). |
| “feature” | Indicates special features (not related to upload date). |
| Anything following “&” at the end of the URL | Not part of the video ID. |
5. To determine the upload date, search for the video ID within the URL. It will typically be a string of 11 characters. For example, in the URL “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ”, the video ID is “dQw4w9WgXcQ”.
6. Use the video ID to retrieve the upload date. You can use a third-party tool (e.g., https://github.com/rg3/youtube-dl/blob/master/README.md#readme) or the YouTube API to obtain the upload timestamp.
Utilizing the YouTube Data API
For a more advanced approach, you can utilize the YouTube Data API. Follow these steps:
- Enable the YouTube Data API on Google Cloud Platform.
- Create a project and get your API key.
- Send an HTTP request to the YouTube Data API, providing the video’s ID.
- Parse the JSON response to retrieve the `publishedAt` field, which contains the upload timestamp.
- Convert the timestamp to your desired format (e.g., human-readable string, UNIX timestamp).
When sending the HTTP request to the YouTube Data API, you will need to provide the following parameters:
|| Parameter || Description ||
|-|-|-|
| key || Your API key ||
| part || Specifies the parts of the video metadata to retrieve, including "snippet" ||
| id || The ID of the YouTube video ||
The response from the YouTube Data API will be in JSON format. You can use a JSON parser to extract the `publishedAt` field. The timestamp will be in the format “YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ”.
Employing Browser Extensions
Several browser extensions can facilitate the determination of a YouTube video’s upload time. Here are some popular options:
| Extension | Functionality |
|---|---|
| YouTube Data Viewer | Provides detailed video metadata, including upload date and time |
| Video Insight for YouTube | Displays video analytics, including date and time of upload |
| TubeBuddy | Offers a range of video management tools, including the ability to view upload dates and times |
| Social Blade | Presents comprehensive social media statistics, including YouTube video upload dates |
| VidIQ | Provides video analytics and optimization tools, including the ability to view upload dates |
Using YouTube Data Viewer
YouTube Data Viewer is a versatile browser extension that provides comprehensive video metadata. To ascertain a video’s upload time using this extension:
- Install the extension from the appropriate app store.
- Open the YouTube video in your browser.
- Click the YouTube Data Viewer icon in your browser toolbar.
- Locate the “Date Published” field within the displayed metadata.
Examining the Video’s File Metadata
Method 7: Using FFmpeg
FFmpeg is a versatile multimedia tool that provides extensive information about video files, including their upload time. Here’s how to use FFmpeg to determine the upload time of a YouTube video:
Requirements:
- FFmpeg installed on your computer
Steps:
1. Open a command prompt or terminal window.
2. Navigate to the directory where the YouTube video file is saved.
3. Run the following command:
ffmpeg -i 2>&1 | grep "creation_time"
4. The output will display a line containing the creation time of the video file, which is equivalent to its upload time on YouTube. The timestamp will be in the following format:
| creation_time |
|---|
| [YY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS] |
Example:
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 2>&1 | grep "creation_time"
Response:
creation_time: 2023:03:08 14:36:12
In this example, the video was uploaded on March 8, 2023, at 2:36:12 PM.
Analyzing the Video’s Comments and Description
Reviewing the Video’s Comments
Scroll through the comments section beneath the video. Date and time stamps will often accompany each comment. The comment with the earliest time stamp will indicate when the video was uploaded. Keep in mind that comments may be deleted or hidden, so this method is not always reliable.
Checking the Video’s Description
Click on the “Show More” button beneath the video’s description to view the full text. Look for a line that reads “Published on [date] at [time].” This line will provide the exact time and date when the video was uploaded. If this line is not present, check the video’s metadata using a third-party tool.
Scrutinizing the Channel’s Upload History
Navigating to the channel’s “Videos” tab will unveil all of their uploaded content. Sorting this history by “Oldest” or “Newest” offers a chronological arrangement of their videos. Locate the specific video in question and hover your cursor over its thumbnail. A tooltip will emerge, displaying the date and time of its upload.
Alternatively, clicking on the video itself will direct you to its dedicated page, where you can locate the upload date and time prominently displayed underneath its title. This method provides a straightforward and accurate way to ascertain the upload timestamp of any YouTube video.
For additional convenience, the following table summarizes the steps involved in using this approach:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Visit the channel’s YouTube page. |
| 2 | Click on the “Videos” tab. |
| 3 | Sort the videos by “Oldest” or “Newest”. |
| 4 | Locate the desired video and hover over its thumbnail. |
| 5 | Read the tooltip that appears, which will indicate the upload date and time. |
Consulting with the Video Creator or Uploader
1. Direct Contact: Reach out to the video creator or uploader via social media, email, or the comment section on YouTube. Explain your need and request the specific upload time and date.
2. Check the Video Description: Some video creators include the upload time in the video description. Scroll down and look for any relevant information.
3. Use Third-Party Tools: Utilize third-party tools like QuickMD or YouTube Data Viewer to retrieve detailed information about the video, including the upload time.
4. YouTube API: If you have programming experience, you can use the YouTube API to access metadata about videos, including the upload time.
5. Check the Video Stats: If you are the video creator or uploader, navigate to YouTube Studio and click on Analytics. In the Overview tab, you will find the upload time under the “Published on” section.
6. Consult YouTube Help Center: Visit the YouTube Help Center for additional guidance on finding the upload time of a video.
7. Search Engine Results: Type the video title or URL into a search engine. Sometimes, websites like Wayback Machine or Archive.org archive older versions of videos, which may include the upload time.
8. Check the Time Zone: Be aware of the time zone difference between your location and the video creator’s location if necessary.
9. Check theEmbed Code: Open the video page and right-click on the video player. Select “View Page Source” to display the embed code. The upload time may be included there.
10. Additional Information
– YouTube Shorts videos do not have a public upload time.
– YouTube Premium videos may not have a visible upload time.
– Videos uploaded before November 2014 may not have a publicly displayed upload time.
How To Tell What Time A Youtube Video Was Uploaded
To find out the exact time a YouTube video was uploaded, follow these steps:
- Go to the YouTube video you want to check.
- Click on the “Share” button below the video.
- Select the “Copy link” option.
- Paste the link into a text editor or spreadsheet program.
- Look for the “v=” parameter in the link. This parameter will be followed by a string of characters that represents the video ID.
- Go to the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/get_video_info?video_id=[VIDEO_ID]
- Replace [VIDEO_ID] with the video ID you found in step 5.
- Press Enter.
- The resulting page will contain a lot of information about the video, including the upload time.
People Also Ask About How To Tell What Time A Youtube Video Was Uploaded
How do I find the upload date of a YouTube video?
To find the upload date of a YouTube video, follow the steps outlined in the main section above.
Can I see the exact time a YouTube video was uploaded?
Yes, you can see the exact time a YouTube video was uploaded by following the steps outlined in the main section above.
