How to Find a Song from a YouTube Video: 7 Ways for Videos and Shorts

YouTube is full of great music that nobody names: the background track in a travel vlog, the beat under a gaming montage, the song in a Short that's stuck in your head. Sometimes the answer is one tap away. Other times the creator didn't credit anything and the comments are no help.

Here are seven ways to find a song from a YouTube video, starting with the quickest.

Quick answer

1. Open the video description and look for the Music section.
2. On a Short, tap the audio name at the bottom to open its audio page.
3. Search the comments for "song" or "music."
4. Check chapters, timestamps and the pinned comment.
5. Paste the video link into a YouTube song finder.
6. Use Shazam or Circle to Search while the video plays.
7. Ask a song identification community.

1. Check the Music section in the description

When YouTube recognizes licensed music in a video, it often lists it in the description. On the watch page:

1. Tap the description below the video title (on desktop, click ...more).
2. Scroll down to the Music section.
3. You'll see the song title, artist and sometimes the album, with a link to listen.

Videos with several songs can list more than one. If the section isn't there, YouTube either didn't match the music or the creator used production music that isn't credited this way.

2. Tap the audio name on a YouTube Short

Shorts work more like TikTok. At the bottom of a Short, you'll see the name of the sound it uses.

• Tap the audio name to open its page. It shows the original song or the original Short that created the sound, plus other Shorts using it.
• If it says the sound is from the creator ("original sound"), the music may still be a released song mixed into their audio. In that case, try the methods below.

3. Search the comments

Someone has often asked already. On desktop, press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) and search the comments for "song," "music," "track" or "name." On the app, sort comments by Top and scroll for replies with timestamps like "2:14 song?"

Creators also pin comments with their music list, especially on vlogs and compilations.

4. Look at chapters, timestamps and the creator's links

• Chapters: some music mixes and compilations name each track in the chapter titles on the progress bar.
• Description timestamps: mix videos usually include a tracklist with timestamps.
• Creator links: many YouTubers credit a music library or link a playlist of the songs they use.

5. Paste the link into a YouTube song finder

If nothing is credited, identify the song from the link. Copy the video's share link and paste it into the YouTube song finder. It accepts regular youtube.com links, youtu.be short links, Shorts links and YouTube Music links, and returns the song title and artist with listening links.

To copy the link:

• App: tap Share under the video (or the share arrow on a Short), then Copy link.
• Desktop: copy the URL from the address bar, or click Share → Copy.

This is the easiest way when the music is under someone talking or you can't play sound out loud. For long videos, the YouTube song finder page explains how to point to the moment where the song plays.

6. Use Shazam or Circle to Search while it plays

If you'd rather listen live:

• iPhone: start the video, open Control Center and tap Music Recognition.
• Android: turn on Pop-up Shazam, or use Circle to Search's music button on supported phones.
• Desktop: use the Shazam extension for Chrome.

Pick a part where the music is loud and clear. Our guide on how to Shazam a video covers each device step by step.

7. Ask a community

If the song still has no name, post the link and timestamp on r/whatsongisthis or r/NameThatSong. Mention the time where the music plays, the genre and anything you can hear clearly. Communities are especially good at finding older tracks, remixes and music from small artists.

Why some YouTube songs are hard to find

• Production music: many creators use music libraries made for videos. These tracks often aren't on Spotify or Apple Music.
• Background music under voiceover: recognition needs a few seconds where the music is audible.
• Edits: sped-up, slowed, remixed or pitch-shifted versions may not match the original recording.
• Live performances and covers: they won't match the studio version.

If the track has no vocals, our guide on how to find a song without lyrics has more ideas.

Other platforms

The same approach works on other apps, but each one hides its credits in a different place. See the TikTok song finder, Instagram song finder, Facebook song finder and Twitter song finder for platform-specific tips, or start with the general song finder by video.

FAQ

How do I find the song used in a YouTube Short?

Tap the audio name at the bottom of the Short to open its audio page. If it only says "original sound," copy the Short's link and paste it into a YouTube song finder.

Where is the music list on a YouTube video?

Open the description and scroll to the Music section. It appears when YouTube recognized licensed music in the video.

Can I find a song from a YouTube link without playing it?

Yes. Paste the link into the YouTube song finder to get the song title and artist without playing the video out loud.

Why isn't the song in the YouTube description?

The creator may have used production music, original audio or an edit YouTube didn't match. Try the comments, the creator's links or a song finder.