It's a familiar scenario: You're watching a YouTube video—perhaps a commercial or movie trailer—and a catchy song grabs your attention in the background. But how do you find out what it is?
Identifying music in videos is straightforward in many cases, though some tracks require more effort. As tech experts who've tested these methods extensively, this step-by-step guide guarantees you'll identify nearly any song from YouTube with a bit of patience.
The simplest step, often overlooked: Creators and businesses usually credit songs in the description to avoid takedowns. Why Your Favorite Video Disappeared From YouTube explains the risks.
Click Show more in the description, then look for the Music in this video section. It lists song titles and artists—click to visit YouTube or the Play Store. Multiple songs? They may not match timestamps perfectly, so listen to confirm.
If lyrics are audible, jot down a line or two and search on Google. For better results, use Google's Search a song feature (hum or type lyrics).
Caveat: Covers can mislead. Thor: Ragnarok used Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song,' but The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo featured Trent Reznor's version—lyrics alone might point to the original.
YouTube excels at music discovery. 7+ Easy Ways to Discover New Music You'll Love has more tips. You're likely not the first seeking a song name—search comments.
Try Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) for 'song.' In my experience, it misses unloaded comments.
Better: Install the free YouTube Comment Search Chrome extension. It adds a search bar above comments—query 'song' or 'music' to see threads with answers.
Download: YouTube Comment Search for Chrome (free)
No luck? Post your own question. Use How to Watch YouTube and Read Comments at the Same Time extension to multitask.
Apps like Shazam and SoundHound revolutionized song ID, with YouTube-specific extensions too.
Play the video, click the extension icon. It IDs songs starting within the first minute, logs history, and links to Spotify. Note: Later songs may not work.
Download: AHA Music for Chrome (free)
Top app per our tests: What Music ID App Is King? Use on desktop/phone.
On PC: Activate Shazam on phone near speakers. On mobile: Enable Pop-up Shazam (Shazam > My Shazam > Settings), hold floating button during song.
Download: Shazam for Android | iOS (free)
Apps fail? Crowdsource from specialists. 5 Apps to ID Songs by Hum, Tap, or Crowdsource covers more.
Top spots:
Need accounts. Prove you've tried other methods. For late songs, use 10 YouTube URL Tricks to timestamp links. Clear posts get fast replies.
YouTube's music features improved, but enhance with tools: 5 Sites and Extensions to Improve YouTube Music Listening.
