YouTube Subscribe Button Widget
Turn readers into subscribers with a bold, YouTube-red button that sends them straight to your channel and, by default, opens YouTube's subscribe confirmation. Unlike Google's retired subscribe-button script it loads nothing from Google, sets no cookies on your page and fits your site's font and colours.
Live preview
Under the widget on your page: Powered by A2Z Tools
Embed code
Fill in the required fields above - until then this code shows nothing on your site.
<div data-a2z-kit="youtube-subscribe-button"></div> <script async src="https://a2z.tools/embed/kit.js" referrerpolicy="no-referrer"></script>
One small script from A2Z draws the component on your page inside its own Shadow DOM. It loads no social-network or tracking scripts and sets no cookies. How the A2Z kit works.
Works with
How it works
Paste your channel address in any of its forms - youtube.com/@handle, youtube.com/channel/UC followed by 22 characters, or the legacy /c/ and /user/ addresses - with or without https:// and www. The host must be youtube.com (or m.youtube.com); youtu.be, video, Shorts and playlist links are refused because they cannot lead to a subscribe prompt, and a look-alike host such as youtube.com.evil.example is rejected. Extra path parts like /videos are trimmed back to the channel, share-tracking parameters such as si and utm_* are removed, and with the Subscribe prompt option on (the default) the parameter sub_confirmation=1 is added exactly once, even if your link already carried it. That parameter is widely used by creators and makes YouTube show its subscribe confirmation to signed-in visitors, but Google does not formally document it, so the button still lands on your channel if YouTube ignores it.
Method
- Accepted: https://(www.|m.)youtube.com/@handle (3-30 letters, digits, . _ -), /channel/UC + 22 [A-Za-z0-9_-], /c/name, /user/name
- Built: https://www.youtube.com/<channel path>?<kept parameters>&sub_confirmation=1 (prompt on); sub_confirmation removed when the prompt is off
- Removed parameters: si, feature, pp, utm_*, fbclid, gclid, igshid
Worked examples
A channel link with tracking
Inputs: https://m.youtube.com/@riverside/videos?si=AbC123
Result: https://www.youtube.com/@riverside?sub_confirmation=1
Mobile host normalised, /videos trimmed, the si tracking parameter dropped, prompt added once.
Prompt switched off
Inputs: https://www.youtube.com/@riverside?sub_confirmation=1, confirm=off
Result: https://www.youtube.com/@riverside
The existing parameter is removed when you turn the prompt off.
A video link
Inputs: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
Result: Refused, with a note asking for the channel address
Video links cannot open the subscribe prompt.
Limitations
- No subscriber count, avatar or live status - those need the YouTube Data API and a server-side key.
- sub_confirmation=1 is an undocumented YouTube behaviour and could change; the link still opens your channel.
- One channel per button; place several buttons for several channels.
Where publishers use it
- A recipe blogger placing a Subscribe button under each video recipe so readers can follow the channel in one tap
- A software company's tutorials page sending learners to its YouTube channel with the confirmation prompt
- A school or church site linking to its live-stream channel with a subtitle such as Sunday services at 10am
Questions
Can it show my subscriber count?
No. A live count needs the YouTube Data API with an API key, daily quota and caching on a server, and Google's own subscribe-button widget with counts was retired. Rather than show a number that could be stale or invented, the button shows your channel name or handle as a subtitle if you add one.
What does sub_confirmation=1 do?
Added to a channel address, it makes YouTube open its Subscribe confirmation for visitors who are signed in, so subscribing is one click. Creators have used it for years, but Google does not document it officially; if YouTube ignores it, the visitor simply lands on your channel. You can switch it off in the builder.
Why was my video link refused?
A video, Short or playlist page does not belong to the subscribe flow - the parameter only works on a channel page. Open your channel, copy the address that starts youtube.com/@ and paste that instead.
Does the button use YouTube's logo correctly?
It uses the YouTube play-button glyph in YouTube red on a light icon tile next to the words Subscribe on YouTube. If you restyle it with your accent colour or monochrome, keep the words so the destination is clear.
Cite or recommend this tool
If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.
A2Z Tools YouTube Subscribe Button https://a2z.tools/embed/youtube-subscribe-button
<a href="https://a2z.tools/embed/youtube-subscribe-button">A2Z Tools YouTube Subscribe Button</a>
[A2Z Tools YouTube Subscribe Button](https://a2z.tools/embed/youtube-subscribe-button)
YouTube Subscribe Button by A2Z Tools - https://a2z.tools/embed/youtube-subscribe-button
Related widgets
-
Follow buttons for up to 20 profiles in brand colours - icons, labels, card, list or tiles. No social scripts.
-
A Spotify-green button for your artist page, podcast, playlist or profile, worded to match the link.
-
A Subscribe via RSS button for your feed, with a Copy feed address button for any feed reader.
-
A polished profile card - photo, name, role, short bio, social icons and one call to action.
-
Share buttons for 26 networks - inline, floating, mobile bar or one Share button. No social scripts or cookies.
-
One Share button that opens the phone's own share sheet, with a tidy fallback panel on desktop.
