To embed a YouTube playlist, use an iframe URL with listType=playlist and your playlist ID in list. To start at a particular playlist item, use YouTube’s IFrame Player API: its playlist index is zero-based, so the third item is index 2. The iframe’s start parameter is different—it seeks to a time within the selected video.
Choose the right method
A plain iframe is the simplest choice when you want to show a playlist and let visitors choose what to watch. Use the IFrame Player API when the page must load or cue a specific item by its position in that playlist, or when you need JavaScript controls.
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| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Embed a playlist without selecting a particular item by position | Iframe URL parameters: listType=playlist and list=PLAYLIST_ID |
| Start at a particular playlist position or control playback with JavaScript | IFrame Player API, using index or playVideoAt(index) |
| Seek into a video that is already selected | The iframe’s start parameter or the API’s startSeconds option |
Embed a YouTube playlist with an iframe
1. Get the playlist ID
Replace PLAYLIST_ID in the example below with the ID of the playlist you want to embed. YouTube’s documented playlist format uses listType=playlist together with list; it does not require a video ID in the URL path.
2. Add the iframe to your page
<iframe
width="640"
height="360"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed?listType=playlist&list=PLAYLIST_ID"
title="YouTube playlist player"
allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"
referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
allowfullscreen>
</iframe>The & shown in the HTML source represents an ampersand in an HTML attribute. If you construct the URL in JavaScript, use a normal & between URL parameters or build the query with URLSearchParams.
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3. Size the player for the page
YouTube requires an embedded player viewport of at least 200 × 200 pixels. For a 16:9 player with controls, YouTube recommends at least 480 × 270 pixels. The example’s 640 × 360 dimensions meet that recommendation; adjust them to fit the layout without dropping below the minimum.
Start with a particular playlist item
The documented iframe parameters load a playlist but do not provide an arbitrary playlist-position parameter. To begin at a selected item, use the IFrame Player API and pass the item’s zero-based position to loadPlaylist or cuePlaylist.
Load and play the selected item
After creating a YT.Player instance named player, call:
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player.loadPlaylist({
listType: 'playlist',
list: 'PLAYLIST_ID',
index: 2
});Here, index: 2 selects the third item. Indexing starts at zero: 0 is the first item, 1 the second, and 2 the third. If your page has a visitor-facing selector numbered from one, convert that number to a zero-based index before passing it to the API.
Queue the selected item without immediately playing
Use cuePlaylist with the same playlist and index when you want to prepare the playlist without immediately requesting playback:
player.cuePlaylist({
listType: 'playlist',
list: 'PLAYLIST_ID',
index: 2
});Then call player.playVideo() when playback should begin. Once a playlist is loaded or cued, player.playVideoAt(index) can load and play a different item at that zero-based position.
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Connect API control to your site
The IFrame Player API lets a page control the embedded player with JavaScript. If you enable JavaScript API control on the iframe with enablejsapi=1, YouTube recommends setting the origin parameter to your website’s domain as an additional security measure. Use your actual site origin, such as its scheme and hostname, rather than a placeholder.
Start at a time within the selected video
Use start when the player should seek to a number of seconds from the beginning of the currently loaded video. With API playlist loading, startSeconds sets the time offset for the first video selected in the list. Neither parameter chooses a playlist item; select that item separately with the API’s index or playVideoAt(index).
A requested seek time is not guaranteed to land on that exact instant: YouTube says the player seeks to a nearby keyframe, so playback may begin slightly before the requested second.
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Playback and visitor experience
- Autoplay: YouTube documents
autoplay=1as starting the initial video automatically. Enable it only if that behavior is intended; YouTube says playback data collection and sharing occur upon page load when autoplay is enabled. - Playlist position: Make the zero-based index clear wherever a visitor or site editor chooses an item. A human-friendly choice labeled “third video” must be sent as index
2. - Player space: Check the rendered viewport on the page, not just the dimensions in the iframe markup, especially in responsive layouts.
Troubleshooting
The playlist does not appear
Check that the playlist ID is correct and that the iframe URL includes both listType=playlist and list. The documented URL format does not need a video ID in the path.
The wrong item plays
Check whether the code is using a one-based number where the API expects a zero-based index. For example, the third item uses index: 2, not index: 3. Also confirm that the chosen position exists in the playlist being loaded.
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Check whether you meant to choose a playlist item or a timestamp within a video. Use the API’s playlist index to select the item; use start or startSeconds for its time offset. A keyframe-aligned seek may start slightly before the requested time.
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API control does not work as expected
When using JavaScript API control, check that the iframe enables it with enablejsapi=1 and that origin matches your website’s domain. Also verify that the player instance has been created before calling its playlist methods.
The embed is too small or autoplay surprises visitors
Ensure the displayed viewport is at least 200 × 200 pixels; for a 16:9 player with controls, use YouTube’s recommended minimum of 480 × 270 pixels. Remove autoplay=1 if visitors should start playback themselves.
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