YouTube Video Categories List and Category Finder
Describe your video or channel and get the best YouTube category, with the full list of category IDs below.
Try:
Full list of YouTube video categories and category IDs, plus a free finder that suggests the best category for your video or channel from a short description.
How to use YouTube Video Categories
- Describe your video or channel in the box above, in a few words or a sentence. Mention the main topic, such as gameplay, a recipe, a news story or a tech review.
- Tap Suggest category. The tool shows up to three category names, with the best match first and the words it matched.
- Read the short note under each match. It tells you when a neighbouring category may fit better, for example Education or Howto & Style.
- Open YouTube Studio on a desktop web browser. The category setting is not available in the standard mobile app.
- Click Content in the left menu and select the video you want to edit.
- Scroll down and click Show more to reveal the Category dropdown. Choose the category the tool suggested and click Save.
- To set a default for all future uploads, go to Settings, then Channel defaults, then Advanced settings.
YouTube video categories list with IDs
YouTube lets you choose one category for each video. These 15 are the ones you can pick in YouTube Studio. The ID is the number the YouTube Data API uses.
| ID | Category | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Film & Animation | Short films, animation, VFX, motion graphics, movie-making and behind-the-scenes. | An animated short made in Blender |
| 2 | Autos & Vehicles | Cars, motorbikes, trucks, car reviews, repairs, detailing and driving. | A used car buying guide |
| 10 | Music | Songs, covers, instrumentals, lyric videos, music lessons and live performances. | A guitar cover of a popular song |
| 15 | Pets & Animals | Pets, wildlife, zoos, aquariums, animal rescue and pet care. | Training a puppy to sit |
| 17 | Sports | Match highlights, training, fitness, workouts, athlete channels and sports commentary. | Football match highlights |
| 19 | Travel & Events | Travel vlogs, destination guides, trips, festivals, weddings and live events. | Three days in Tokyo travel guide |
| 20 | Gaming | Gameplay, walkthroughs, esports, game reviews, streams and speedruns. | Minecraft survival gameplay |
| 22 | People & Blogs | Vlogs, daily life, personal stories, Q&As, family channels and anything that does not fit elsewhere. | A day in my life vlog |
| 23 | Comedy | Sketches, pranks, parodies, stand-up, memes and anything made to be funny. | A short comedy sketch |
| 24 | Entertainment | Reactions, celebrity content, TV and show clips, podcasts, interviews, variety and shows. | A reaction video to a TV finale |
| 25 | News & Politics | News reports, current events, politics, elections, commentary and journalism. | Daily news summary |
| 26 | Howto & Style | Tutorials, DIY, cooking and recipes, beauty, fashion, home projects, crafts and life hacks. | Easy chicken curry recipe |
| 27 | Education | Lessons, lectures, courses, school subjects, language learning, exam prep and explainers. | A beginner algebra lesson |
| 28 | Science & Technology | Tech reviews, gadgets, phones, software, coding, AI, science and space. | iPhone vs Pixel camera comparison |
| 29 | Nonprofits & Activism | Charity, fundraising, volunteering, awareness campaigns and social causes. | A fundraiser for a local shelter |
Other YouTube category IDs (API list)
The YouTube Data API also returns these IDs. They are generally not available for normal uploads, and some are only returned for certain regions. For regular videos, use the 15 categories above.
| ID | Category |
|---|---|
| 18 | Short Movies |
| 21 | Videoblogging |
| 30 | Movies |
| 31 | Anime/Animation |
| 32 | Action/Adventure |
| 33 | Classics |
| 34 | Comedy |
| 35 | Documentary |
| 36 | Drama |
| 37 | Family |
| 38 | Foreign |
| 39 | Horror |
| 40 | Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
| 41 | Thriller |
| 42 | Shorts |
| 43 | Shows |
| 44 | Trailers |
How to choose the right YouTube category
- Choose by what viewers come to watch. A gaming video with funny commentary is still Gaming. A comedy sketch about a game is Comedy.
- Education or Howto & Style? Use Education for lessons that explain a subject. Use Howto & Style for practical step-by-step videos, cooking, beauty and DIY.
- People & Blogs or Entertainment? People & Blogs suits personal vlogs and mixed channels. Entertainment suits shows, reactions, celebrity and general viewing.
- Not sure? Pick the closest fit and move on. A good title, thumbnail and content matter much more than the category.
- Channel with many topics: set the default category to the one most videos fit, then change single videos when they differ.
Use the category ID in the YouTube API
When you upload with the YouTube Data API, send the ID as a string in snippet.categoryId:
{
"snippet": {
"title": "My video",
"categoryId": "20"
}
}To get the list for a country, call videoCategories.list with a regionCode such as US. The IDs are the same everywhere, but which categories are returned can differ by region.
FAQ
What are the YouTube video categories?
YouTube lets you pick one category for each video. The 15 you can choose in YouTube Studio are Film & Animation, Autos & Vehicles, Music, Pets & Animals, Sports, Travel & Events, Gaming, People & Blogs, Comedy, Entertainment, News & Politics, Howto & Style, Education, Science & Technology and Nonprofits & Activism.
What is the list of YouTube video category IDs?
Each category has a number. The ones you can choose for normal uploads are 1 (Film & Animation), 2 (Autos & Vehicles), 10 (Music), 15 (Pets & Animals), 17 (Sports), 19 (Travel & Events), 20 (Gaming), 22 (People & Blogs), 23 (Comedy), 24 (Entertainment), 25 (News & Politics), 26 (Howto & Style), 27 (Education), 28 (Science & Technology) and 29 (Nonprofits & Activism). The full list, including IDs that are usually not selectable, is in the table on this page.
How do I choose the best category for my video or channel?
Pick the category that describes what viewers come to watch, not every topic you mention. Describe your video in the finder above, compare the top matches, and choose the closest one. If your channel mixes topics, set the default to the category most of your videos fit and change individual videos when needed.
How do I change the category of a YouTube video?
Open YouTube Studio on a desktop web browser, because the standard mobile app does not manage categories. Click Content in the left menu, select the video, scroll down and click Show more, choose a Category from the dropdown and click Save.
How do I set a default category for all my uploads?
In YouTube Studio go to Settings, then Channel defaults, then Advanced settings, and choose a Category. New uploads start with that category, and you can still change it for each video. Menu names can change over time.
Does the video category affect views or ranking?
YouTube has not said that category is a major ranking factor. Your title, thumbnail, content and how viewers respond matter much more. An accurate category still helps YouTube understand your video, so choose the closest fit and do not worry about it too much.
Is there a category for cooking, fitness, Shorts or kids content?
There is no separate Food category, so cooking and recipes usually go in Howto & Style. Fitness is often filed under Sports or Howto & Style. Shorts is not a category you choose; YouTube treats a video as a Short based on its length and shape. Made for kids is a separate audience setting, not a category.
Why do I see IDs like 30 to 44 that I cannot choose?
They appear in the YouTube Data API list (Movies, Shows, Trailers and others) but are generally not available for normal uploads, and some are only returned for certain regions. For regular videos use the 15 categories above.
Where do I use a category ID?
In the YouTube Data API, set snippet.categoryId to the ID as a string, for example "20" for Gaming, when you upload a video with videos.insert. You can also request the list for a country with videoCategories.list and its regionCode parameter.
Does this tool store what I type?
No. The suggestion runs in your browser, and the text you type is not sent or saved anywhere.