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About This Tool
Wondering exactly how long a YouTube playlist is? Paste any public playlist URL and you'll get the total watch time in hours, minutes, and seconds, plus per-video stats and adjusted durations if you watch at faster speeds.
Useful when you're committing to an educational series, planning a workout playlist, picking a podcast queue for a long drive, or just deciding whether you can finish that documentary collection before bed.
How to Use This Tool
- Find a YouTube Playlist: Navigate to YouTube and find the public playlist for which you want to calculate the total length.
- Copy the Playlist URL: Copy the full URL from your browser's address bar. Any valid YouTube URL containing a playlist ID will work.
- Standard Playlist URL:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL... - Video URL within a playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...&list=PL... - Shared shortened URL:
https://youtu.be/...(if it redirects to a playlist)
- Standard Playlist URL:
- Paste the URL: Paste the copied URL into the input field on our homepage.
- Calculate:Click the "Calculate" button. The tool will then fetch the data and display the total duration of the playlist, along with a detailed list of all the videos.
- (Optional) Use Your API Key: For faster results and to avoid rate limits, you can enter your own YouTube Data API key in the designated field.
How It Works
The tool reads the playlist's contents through the official YouTube Data API and sums each video's exact runtime. The shared backend key is rate-limited, so for very large playlists or many lookups in a row, supplying your own API key is faster and avoids waits.
A few things worth knowing:
- Playlists with more than 50 videos are fetched in pages, so they take a few extra seconds.
- YouTube Shorts and live replays count toward the total just like regular videos.
- Active live streams have no fixed duration, so they're excluded from the total.
- Private and unlisted videos in a public playlist are skipped, since the API doesn't return their durations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are private or unlisted playlists supported?
No, the tool only supports public playlists. The YouTube API does not expose private or unlisted playlists to third-party apps without the owner's authorization.
Why am I getting a 'Playlist not found' error?
This usually means the playlist is set to private, or the link is a 'YouTube Mix' (which is generated on the fly and has no fixed contents). Make sure you're using a standard public playlist URL.
Can I calculate the duration at 1.5x or 2x speed?
Yes. After a playlist loads, toggle 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x, or 2x to see the adjusted duration and how much time you'd save.
Is there a limit to the number of videos in a playlist?
No hard limit. The tool handles playlists with hundreds of videos. Very large playlists (500+) take a few extra seconds because YouTube returns results in pages of 50.
Can I calculate the duration for only part of the playlist?
Yes. Once a playlist is loaded, use the 'From Video' and 'To Video' dropdowns to select a range. The totals update to match your selection.
What is a YouTube API key and why would I provide one?
A YouTube API key is an identifier that lets you access YouTube's data. You don't have to provide one. The tool works without it, using a shared backend key. Bringing your own key avoids the daily quota of that shared key, so you won't hit rate limits when running many lookups in a row.
Is it safe to enter my API key here?
Your key never touches our server. It's sent directly from your browser to Google. For best safety, restrict your key in the Google Cloud console: under 'Application restrictions' choose 'HTTP referrers' and allow only this site's domain (e.g. https://playlistlength.app/*), and under 'API restrictions' allow only the YouTube Data API v3. That way, even if someone copies your key from your browser, they can't use it elsewhere.
How do I restrict my API key?
In the Google Cloud console, open 'APIs & Services' > 'Credentials', click your API key, then under 'Application restrictions' choose 'HTTP referrers' and add the URL of this site. Under 'API restrictions', select 'YouTube Data API v3'. Save. Restrictions take effect within a few minutes.
What's in the CSV export?
One row per video, with: video number, title, YouTube video ID, duration in seconds, formatted duration (HH:MM:SS), and a direct URL to the video.
Disclaimer
This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube. The use of the name "YouTube" is for context only; we are not claiming any ownership. We take no responsibility for user actions.