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How to Get YouTube Embed Code on Mobile

If you are trying to add a YouTube video to a website, blog, forum, or HTML page, you may need the video's YouTube embed code. On a computer, getting this code is straightforward because YouTube provides an Embed option in the sharing menu.

On a phone, however, the process can be less obvious. The YouTube mobile app does not normally give you the complete HTML <iframe> code that you can copy and paste into a website.

Fortunately, there are several ways to get a YouTube embed code using a mobile phone. You can use YouTube through a mobile browser in desktop mode, or create the basic embed yourself using the video's ID.

What Is a YouTube Embed Code?

A YouTube embed code is a small piece of HTML that allows a YouTube video to appear directly inside another webpage.

A typical embed uses an iframe:

<iframe
  width="560"
  height="315"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID"
  title="YouTube video player"
  frameborder="0"
  allowfullscreen>
</iframe>

The important part is the /embed/ URL. Instead of opening the normal YouTube watch page, the iframe loads the video through YouTube's embedded player.

For example, a regular YouTube URL might look like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

The corresponding embed URL is:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID

How to Get YouTube Embed Code on a Phone

The easiest method is to open YouTube through a mobile browser and request the desktop version of the website.

1. Open YouTube in Your Browser

Open Chrome, Safari, Edge, or another mobile browser and visit YouTube. Find the video that you want to embed.

You can also open a video directly from a link someone has sent you.

2. Turn On Desktop Site

The exact menu is different depending on your browser.

In Chrome, open the browser menu and select Desktop site. In Safari, use the page settings menu and select Request Desktop Website.

The YouTube page should then reload in a desktop-style layout.

3. Open the Share Menu

Find the Share button underneath the video. Select it to open YouTube's sharing options.

If the desktop version of the page provides the Embed option, you should see Embed among the available choices.

4. Select Embed

Tap Embed. YouTube should display an HTML iframe containing the video.

You may also see options such as whether to show player controls or whether to enable certain privacy-related settings.

5. Copy the HTML Code

Copy the iframe code and paste it into the HTML editor of your website.

<iframe
  width="560"
  height="315"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID"
  title="YouTube video"
  frameborder="0"
  allowfullscreen>
</iframe>

The video should then appear on the webpage.

Why You Cannot Find the Embed Option in the YouTube App

One of the confusing parts of doing this on a phone is that the YouTube app and the desktop YouTube website do not provide exactly the same interface.

The mobile app is primarily designed for watching and sharing videos. If you tap Share, you will generally see options for sending the video link through other apps or copying its URL.

That is different from an HTML embed code. If you need the actual iframe code, using YouTube through a browser in desktop mode is usually easier.

You Can Also Create the Embed Code Yourself

You do not necessarily need YouTube to generate the complete iframe for you. If you know the video's ID, you can construct the basic embed URL yourself.

Suppose your video URL is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123XYZ

The video ID is:

abc123XYZ

The embed URL becomes:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/abc123XYZ

You can then place that URL inside an iframe:

<iframe
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/abc123XYZ"
  width="560"
  height="315"
  title="YouTube video"
  frameborder="0"
  allowfullscreen>
</iframe>

If you want to generate a YouTube iframe without manually constructing the code, you can also use our YouTube Embed Generator. It can create a customized embed code from a YouTube video link.

This approach can be especially useful when working from a phone because you only need to copy the YouTube video URL.

What If the YouTube URL Looks Different?

Not every YouTube link looks like the traditional watch?v= format. You may encounter links such as:

https://youtu.be/abc123XYZ

The video ID is the portion after youtu.be/.

You may also encounter YouTube Shorts URLs:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/abc123XYZ

The ID is the portion after /shorts/.

Once you have the video ID, the standard embedded-player URL follows the same basic structure:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/abc123XYZ

YouTube Embed Code on iPhone

On an iPhone or iPad, Safari can request the desktop version of a webpage. Open the YouTube video in Safari, open the page settings menu, and choose Request Desktop Website.

Then look for YouTube's sharing and embedding options. If the Embed option is still unavailable, you can use the video's URL and construct the embed URL manually.

The same general approach works on other mobile browsers that support desktop-site mode.

YouTube Embed Code on Android

Android phones can use Chrome or another browser to access YouTube. Open the video, enable Desktop site from the browser menu, and reload the page.

You can then look for the desktop sharing interface and the Embed option. Alternatively, copy the video URL and extract its video ID to create the iframe manually.

Do You Need the Full Embed Code?

Not always. If you are building a website or application, you may only need the embed URL.

For example:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/abc123XYZ

Your website's code can then use that URL inside an iframe. This is also useful for tools that display multiple YouTube videos simultaneously.

Instead of storing a complete iframe for every video, an application can extract the video ID and generate the appropriate embed URL when needed. For example, our YouTube Multi-View tool can use YouTube video URLs to create a grid of embedded players rather than requiring users to manually create iframe code for every video.

Can You Embed Multiple YouTube Videos?

Yes. A webpage can contain multiple YouTube embedded players.

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID_1"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID_2"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID_3"></iframe>

The practical limitation is usually not the HTML itself. Loading many video players can consume considerable browser resources, particularly on phones.

If you only need to compare a few videos, multiple embedded players can work well. For larger numbers of videos, the device's CPU, memory, network connection, and browser performance become increasingly important.

Can You Get Embed Code Without a Computer?

Yes. You do not need a desktop computer to obtain or create a YouTube embed.

  1. Open YouTube in a mobile browser.
  2. Enable desktop-site mode.
  3. Open the video's Share menu.
  4. Choose Embed if it is available.
  5. Copy the iframe code.

Or, if you already have the video URL:

  1. Copy the YouTube URL.
  2. Identify the video ID.
  3. Place the ID into the /embed/ URL.
  4. Put the URL inside an iframe.

The second method can be faster when you are working with many videos.

Why Would You Embed a YouTube Video?

Embedding is useful when you want visitors to watch a video without leaving your webpage.

  • Blog articles
  • Tutorials
  • Documentation
  • Educational pages
  • Video comparison pages
  • News or media pages
  • Personal websites
  • Video collections
  • Web applications

An embedded player also lets the webpage control how the video is positioned and sized within the surrounding content.

What Happens If the Embed Does Not Work?

If an embedded YouTube video does not play, check the iframe URL first. It should use the embedded-player format:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID

rather than simply placing a normal watch URL inside the iframe.

Also check that the video is still available and that embedding has not been restricted by the video owner. Some videos may have restrictions that prevent them from being played on external websites.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a YouTube embed code on my phone?

Open YouTube in a mobile browser, switch the browser to desktop-site mode, open the video's Share menu, and select Embed if the option is available. You can then copy the iframe code.

Can I get YouTube embed code from the mobile app?

The mobile app generally focuses on sharing the video URL rather than providing the complete HTML iframe code. Using YouTube in a browser with desktop-site mode is usually the easier option.

Can I make a YouTube embed code myself?

Yes. Extract the video's ID and place it after https://www.youtube.com/embed/, then use that URL as the source of an HTML iframe. You can also use our YouTube Embed Generator to build the embed code.

What is the difference between a YouTube link and an embed link?

A normal YouTube link opens the video on YouTube. An embed link is designed to load the video player inside another webpage.

Can I embed YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts can be embedded when the video is available for embedding. You can use the video's ID with the standard /embed/VIDEO_ID format.

Can I embed more than one YouTube video?

Yes. You can place multiple YouTube iframes on the same webpage. However, loading many players simultaneously can use more memory, processing power, and network bandwidth.

Final Thoughts

Getting a YouTube embed code from a phone is slightly less straightforward than doing it from a computer, mainly because the mobile YouTube experience does not expose the HTML iframe code as prominently.

The easiest approach is to open YouTube in a mobile browser and request the desktop version of the site. If that does not work, you can create a basic embed yourself by extracting the video's ID and placing it into YouTube's embed URL format.

If you want to quickly turn a YouTube URL into an iframe, you can use our YouTube Embed Generator to build the embed code without manually editing the HTML.

Once you understand the difference between a normal YouTube URL and an embed URL, you can create embeds without needing to access YouTube's desktop interface every time.