YouTube Service

  • Apps Script allows access to the YouTube Data API and YouTube Live Streaming API for managing videos, playlists, channels, and live events.

  • The YouTube service in Apps Script is an advanced service that must be enabled before use and utilizes the same objects, methods, and parameters as the public API.

  • Reference documentation and support pages are available for both the YouTube Data API and YouTube Live Streaming API.

  • Sample code demonstrates how to search for videos by keyword, retrieve a user's uploaded videos, and subscribe to a YouTube channel.

The YouTube service allows you to use theYouTube Data APIandYouTube Live Streaming API in Apps Script. This APIgives users the ability to manage their videos, playlists, channels, and liveevents.

Note: This is an advanced service that must beenabled before use.

Reference

For detailed information on this service, see the following referencedocumentation:

Like all advanced services in Apps Script, the YouTube service uses the sameobjects, methods, and parameters as the public API. For more information, seeHow method signatures are determined.

To report issues and find other support, see the corresponding support pages:

Sample code

The sample code below usesversion 3 of the YouTube DataAPI.

Search by keyword

This function searches for videos about dogs, then logs the video IDs and title.Note that this sample limits the results to 25. To return more results, passadditional parameters as shown in theYouTube Data API reference documentation.

advanced/youtube.gs
/** * Searches for videos about dogs, then logs the video IDs and title. * Note that this sample limits the results to 25. To return more * results, pass additional parameters as shown in the YouTube Data API docs. * @see https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/search/list */functionsearchByKeyword(){try{constresults=YouTube.Search.list("id,snippet",{q:"dogs",maxResults:25,});if(results===null){console.log("Unable to search videos");return;}for(constitemofresults.items){console.log("[%s] Title: %s",item.id.videoId,item.snippet.title);}}catch(err){// TODO (developer) - Handle exceptions from Youtube APIconsole.log("Failed with an error %s",err.message);}}

Retrieve uploads

This function retrieves the user's uploaded videos. It does this using thefollowing steps:

  1. Fetches the user's channel
  2. Fetches the user'suploads playlist
  3. Iterates through this playlist and logs the video IDs and titles
  4. If there is a next page of results, fetches it, then returns to step 3
advanced/youtube.gs
/** * This function retrieves the user's uploaded videos by: * 1. Fetching the user's channel's. * 2. Fetching the user's "uploads" playlist. * 3. Iterating through this playlist and logs the video IDs and titles. * 4. If there is a next page of resuts, fetching it and returns to step 3. */functionretrieveMyUploads(){try{// @see https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/channels/listconstresults=YouTube.Channels.list("contentDetails",{mine:true,});if(!results||results.items.length===0){console.log("No Channels found.");return;}for(leti=0;i <results.items.length;i++){constitem=results.items[i];/** Get the channel ID - it's nested in contentDetails, as described in the       * Channel resource: https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/channels.       */constplaylistId=item.contentDetails.relatedPlaylists.uploads;letnextPageToken=null;do{// @see: https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/playlistItems/listconstplaylistResponse=YouTube.PlaylistItems.list("snippet",{playlistId:playlistId,maxResults:25,pageToken:nextPageToken,});if(!playlistResponse||playlistResponse.items.length===0){console.log("No Playlist found.");break;}for(letj=0;j <playlistResponse.items.length;j++){constplaylistItem=playlistResponse.items[j];console.log("[%s] Title: %s",playlistItem.snippet.resourceId.videoId,playlistItem.snippet.title,);}nextPageToken=playlistResponse.nextPageToken;}while(nextPageToken);}}catch(err){// TODO (developer) - Handle exceptionconsole.log("Failed with err %s",err.message);}}

Subscribe to channel

This sample subscribes the user to the Google Developers channel on YouTube.

advanced/youtube.gs
/** * This sample subscribes the user to the Google Developers channel on YouTube. * @see https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/subscriptions/insert */functionaddSubscription(){// Replace this channel ID with the channel ID you want to subscribe toconstchannelId="UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw";constresource={snippet:{resourceId:{kind:"youtube#channel",channelId:channelId,},},};try{constresponse=YouTube.Subscriptions.insert(resource,"snippet");console.log("Added subscription for channel title : %s",response.snippet.title,);}catch(e){if(e.message.match("subscriptionDuplicate")){console.log(`Cannot subscribe; already subscribed to channel:${channelId}`,);}else{// TODO (developer) - Handle exceptionconsole.log(`Error adding subscription:${e.message}`);}}}

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Last updated 2025-12-11 UTC.