The YouTube Meta Data Collector is a built-in tool on the SkipAd website that lets you look up detailed information about any YouTube video. Just paste a video link or ID, click a button, and the tool shows you everything from the video title and thumbnail to view counts, tags, and the full raw data in JSON format.
The collected metadata is the foundation for building the Media Settings that SkipAd uses for every video in a playlist. If you manage or curate playlists, this tool helps you gather the information you need quickly and without leaving the website.
What the Meta Data Collector Can Do
The Meta Data Collector retrieves a wide range of information about a single YouTube video. After you submit a link, the tool displays the following details:
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The video thumbnail in the highest available resolution.
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The video title and channel name.
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Key statistics such as view count, likes, comments, and duration.
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The full description text as published by the video creator.
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All tags that the creator assigned to the video.
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Additional technical data including the video ID, channel ID, publish date, resolution, subtitle availability, licence type, embeddability, projection format, and language.
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The complete metadata as raw JSON, which you can expand, inspect, and copy to your clipboard.
Everything runs directly in your browser. No data is stored on any server, and no account or login is required.
How to Use the Meta Data Collector
Using the tool takes only a few simple steps:
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Navigate to the Meta Data Collector page. You can find it in the main menu under Toolbox > Collect Meta Data.
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You will see a dashed input area with a text field inside it.
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Get the YouTube video link you want to look up. Open YouTube in a separate tab, find the video, and copy its URL from the browser address bar.
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Go back to the SkipAd tab. Click the Paste button on the left side of the input field to insert the link from your clipboard automatically. Alternatively, click inside the input field and press Ctrl+V (Windows / Linux) or Cmd+V (Mac) to paste manually.
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Click the green Fetch Metadata button below the input field.
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Wait a moment while the tool retrieves the data. A brief status message will appear to let you know the request is in progress.
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Once the data has been fetched, the results appear below the input area, organised into several sections (described in the next chapter).
When you want to look up a different video, click the small ✕ icon on the right side of the input field to clear it. Then paste a new link and click Fetch Metadata again.
| The input field accepts several YouTube link formats. You can paste a full URL like https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ, a short link like https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ, or simply the 11-character video ID on its own (for example: dQw4w9WgXcQ). |
Understanding the Results
After the metadata has been fetched, the results page is divided into several sections. Each section shows a different aspect of the video’s information.
- Video card
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The first thing you see is a visual card that displays the video’s thumbnail image at the highest resolution available, a duration badge overlaid on the thumbnail, the video title, and the channel name. This gives you a quick visual overview of the video.
- Stats grid
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Below the video card you will find four stat cards arranged in a grid. They show the view count, the number of likes, the number of comments, and the total duration of the video.
- Description panel
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This section displays the full description text of the video, exactly as the creator wrote it on YouTube. It may include links, timestamps, or credits.
- Tags panel
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If the video creator added tags to the video, they appear here as small inline badges. Tags are keywords that describe the content of the video. If no tags are available, this section is hidden automatically.
- Additional Meta Data
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A two-column table lists further technical details about the video. These include the video ID, channel ID, publish date, video resolution, whether subtitles are available, the licence type, whether the video can be embedded, the projection format (for example, standard or 360°), and the language of the video.
- Raw JSON toggle
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At the very bottom of the results you will find a collapsible section labelled Show Raw JSON data. Click it to expand and see the complete metadata object formatted as JSON. This is useful for advanced users or developers who want to inspect or copy the full data set.
Copying the JSON Data
The Meta Data Collector allows you to copy the raw JSON output to your clipboard. This is especially handy when you want to use the metadata elsewhere, for example in a playlist configuration file or a custom application.
To copy the JSON data:
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Fetch the metadata for a video as described above.
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Open the Show Raw JSON data section at the bottom of the results.
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Click the Copy button (or use the provided copy function). The full JSON object will be placed on your clipboard.
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Paste it into any text editor, code editor, or configuration file where you need it.
What the Metadata Is Used For
Within the SkipAd ecosystem, the metadata collected by this tool serves a specific purpose. Every video that appears in a SkipAd playlist needs a set of Media Settings — structured data fields such as the title, author, duration, video ID, and thumbnail URL.
The Meta Data Collector gives you an easy way to gather exactly these fields. Instead of manually searching YouTube and copying details one by one, you can fetch all the information in a single step and then transfer it into your playlist configuration.
Tips for Getting Good Results
The tool works best when you follow a few simple guidelines:
- Use a valid YouTube link
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Make sure the link you paste actually points to a YouTube video. Links to channels, playlists, or non-YouTube websites will not work.
- Check the video availability
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If a video has been removed, made private, or is restricted in your region, the tool may not be able to retrieve its metadata. In that case, the status message will let you know that something went wrong.
- One video at a time
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The Meta Data Collector handles one video per request. If you need data for multiple videos, simply clear the input field and paste the next link after each fetch.
Limitations
While the Meta Data Collector is very useful, there are a few things to keep in mind:
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The tool can only fetch metadata for public YouTube videos. Private or unlisted videos that require special access are not supported.
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Some metadata fields depend on what the video creator has provided. For example, if a video has no tags or no description, those sections will appear empty or be hidden.
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The tool retrieves a snapshot of the metadata at the time you click the button. If the video’s title, description, or statistics change later on YouTube, you would need to fetch the data again to see the updated values.
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Very occasionally, YouTube’s data service may be temporarily unavailable. If a request fails, simply wait a moment and try again.
FAQ
Find below answers to common questions about the Meta Data Collector.
Do I need an account to use the Meta Data Collector?
No. The tool is available to everyone without any login or registration.
Is the Meta Data Collector free?
Yes. Just like the rest of SkipAd, the Meta Data Collector is 100 % free to use.
Where does the metadata come from?
The tool sends a request to the public YouTube Data API to retrieve information about the video you specified. It does not scrape web pages or access any private data.
Is my data stored anywhere?
No. The Meta Data Collector runs entirely in your browser. The fetched metadata is displayed on the page but is not saved to any server. Once you close or reload the page, the results are gone.
Can I use the collected data outside of SkipAd?
Absolutely. The raw JSON output can be copied and used in any context you like — your own applications, spreadsheets, documentation, or anywhere else you need structured video information.
Why are some fields empty or missing?
Not every YouTube video has the same set of metadata. If the creator did not add tags, a description, or subtitle tracks, those fields will simply be empty. This is normal and depends entirely on what the creator provided when uploading the video.
Can I use the Meta Data Collector on my phone?
Yes. The interface adapts to smaller screens automatically. On a mobile device, the layout adjusts so you can paste a link and view the results comfortably.
What YouTube link formats are supported?
The input field accepts all common YouTube URL formats, including:
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Standard watch links: https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxxx
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Short links: https://youtu.be/xxxx
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Embed links: https://youtube.com/embed/xxxx
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Plain 11-character video IDs: xxxx
You do not need to worry about which format you use — the tool recognises them all.