# Google Videos Scraper (`searchapi/google-videos-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes Google Videos for any query. Extracts the full canonical videos-vertical schema: title, URL, embed URL, channel/publisher, duration, views, likes, comments, publish date, thumbnail, platform, isLive/isShort flags, resolution, and more.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/searchapi/google-videos-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Search API](https://apify.com/searchapi) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 89.3% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.99 / 1,000 search results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

### What does Google Videos Scraper do?

Google Videos Scraper searches public [Google Videos](https://www.google.com/videohp) results for videos from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, publishers, and other public websites. It turns Google result cards into a stable, typed dataset suitable for research, discovery, monitoring, and API workflows.

The Actor supports one query or a batch of up to 20 queries, Google country and language localization, platform filters, publication windows, duration filters, SafeSearch, bounded pagination, stable IDs, and global deduplication. It does not log in to video platforms, solve CAPTCHAs, or crawl private engagement endpoints.

### Why use Google Videos Scraper?

- Discover public videos around products, brands, people, events, and research topics.
- Monitor publisher coverage across multiple search topics.
- Restrict results to a supported platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.
- Find recently published or short, medium, and long videos.
- Schedule searches and consume datasets through the Apify API, webhooks, and integrations.
- Use the optimized HTTP-only `GOOGLE_SERP` transport in Apify Cloud.
- Retain a fingerprint-consistent Playwright fallback for direct, Residential, and custom proxies.

### What data can be extracted?

Each dataset record includes source-backed fields that Google actually displays or that can be safely derived from the public result URL:

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | Stable ID derived from a platform video ID or canonical URL |
| `title` | string | Public Google result title |
| `url` | string | Canonical public video URL |
| `videoId` | string | Platform video ID when safely derivable |
| `platform` | string | Recognized platform or source domain |
| `sourceName` | string | Source label displayed on the Google card |
| `channelName` | string | Channel or creator displayed by Google, when available |
| `durationSeconds` | integer | Parsed duration in seconds |
| `viewCount` | integer | Parsed public view count when shown |
| `publishedAt` | string | ISO-8601 time derived from the displayed date |
| `thumbnail` | string | Public thumbnail URL when exposed |
| `isLive`, `isShort` | boolean | Included only when the result gives explicit evidence |
| `query`, `position`, `page` | mixed | Search, ranking, and pagination context |

Optional values are omitted when the Google card does not display them. The Actor does not fabricate likes, comments, followers, resolution, tags, categories, verification state, or detail-page metadata merely to fill columns.

### How to scrape Google videos

1. Select **Single query** or **Multiple queries**.
2. Enter a search phrase such as `machine learning tutorial`.
3. Optionally select a platform, publication window, duration, country, language, and SafeSearch setting.
4. Set `maxItems` and `maxPages`, then run the Actor.
5. Open the dataset or download JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or HTML.

Batch mode allocates records fairly across unique queries and interleaves the final result set. Limits are global, so a run cannot unexpectedly collect hundreds of items per query.

### Input options

- `mode`, `query`, and `queries` configure single or batch search.
- `platform` applies a user-friendly Google `site:` filter.
- `timeRange` supports the past hour, day, week, month, or year.
- `videoDuration` supports any, short, medium, and long Google duration filters.
- `maxItems`, `maxPages`, and `maxConcurrency` keep runs bounded and fast.
- `proxyConfiguration` defaults to the verified `GOOGLE_SERP` HTTP transport. Do not tunnel Playwright through this proxy group. Direct, Residential, or custom proxy settings use browser mode.

### Example input

```json
{
  "mode": "batch",
  "query": "space documentary",
  "queries": ["healthy cooking tutorial"],
  "platform": "all",
  "timeRange": "month",
  "videoDuration": "any",
  "maxItems": 10,
  "maxPages": 2,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["GOOGLE_SERP"]
  }
}
```

### Example output

```json
{
  "id": "google-video-52bcaebae9b413419bcb721d",
  "type": "video",
  "position": 1,
  "title": "Example public video",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example",
  "videoId": "example",
  "platform": "YouTube",
  "channelName": "Example Channel",
  "duration": "12:34",
  "durationSeconds": 754,
  "query": "space documentary",
  "country": "US",
  "language": "en",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-29T10:00:00.000Z"
}
```

The `OUTPUT` key-value-store record contains run counts, transport, duplicates removed, and application runtime without raw responses or proxy credentials.

### Performance, cost, and reliability

The default production path fetches small HTML result pages and normally completes in seconds. Cost depends on query count, pages, proxy selection, retries, and frequency. `GOOGLE_SERP` and Residential traffic may have separate proxy charges. Start with 5–20 records and one or two pages.

Temporary network errors use bounded retry and progressive delay. Explicit CAPTCHA or unusual-traffic pages fail closed without repeated retries or storing challenge content. Genuine no-results searches complete successfully with an empty dataset.

### FAQ and responsible use

#### Why are likes and comments missing?

Google result cards do not reliably expose those values. Fetching them would require separate platform APIs, logins, or additional detail crawls. This Actor preserves only public, source-backed search metadata.

#### Can `GOOGLE_SERP` be used with Playwright?

No. It is an HTTP search-result transport. The Actor automatically selects HTTP mode for that group and browser mode for other configurations.

> This Actor extracts publicly displayed video-search metadata. Results can contain names or other personal data published in titles or channel names. Process personal data only with a legitimate reason and follow applicable law and target terms.

Use the Actor's Issues tab for support and its API tab for programmatic access.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/searchapi/google-videos-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Run one query or a fairly allocated batch of queries.

## `query` (type: `string`):

The phrase to enter in Google Videos.

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Up to 20 topics in batch mode. Duplicates and blanks are removed.

## `platform` (type: `string`):

Limit Google Videos results to a supported public platform.

## `timeRange` (type: `string`):

Apply Google's publication-time filter.

## `videoDuration` (type: `string`):

Apply Google's short, medium, or long duration filter.

## `safeSearch` (type: `string`):

Enable or disable Google SafeSearch for this run.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Global maximum number of dataset records.

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Maximum Google result pages to request for each query.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of queries processed concurrently.

## `maxRequestRetries` (type: `integer`):

Retries for temporary failures; CAPTCHA pages are not retried.

## `navigationTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Per-request HTTP or browser navigation timeout.

## `requestHandlerTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum time for one browser request handler.

## `resultsWaitSecs` (type: `integer`):

Browser-mode wait for recognizable result elements.

## `gl` (type: `string`):

Two-letter country code, for example us, in, or gb.

## `hl` (type: `string`):

Language code such as en, es, or pt-br.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

GOOGLE_SERP uses the optimized HTTP path. Direct, Residential, and custom proxies use browser mode.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "single",
  "query": "machine learning tutorial",
  "platform": "all",
  "timeRange": "any",
  "videoDuration": "any",
  "safeSearch": "active",
  "maxItems": 50,
  "maxPages": 3,
  "maxConcurrency": 2,
  "maxRequestRetries": 1,
  "navigationTimeoutSecs": 45,
  "requestHandlerTimeoutSecs": 90,
  "resultsWaitSecs": 12,
  "gl": "us",
  "hl": "en",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "GOOGLE_SERP"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "query": "machine learning tutorial",
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "GOOGLE_SERP"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("searchapi/google-videos-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "query": "machine learning tutorial",
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["GOOGLE_SERP"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("searchapi/google-videos-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "query": "machine learning tutorial",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "GOOGLE_SERP"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call searchapi/google-videos-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,searchapi/google-videos-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/ySfLgxuxivjhm6ecV/builds/TQeE8K7epRPFX9PdB/openapi.json