Bilibili Links Explained: BV IDs, AV IDs, b23.tv & More

Sitting on a weird Bilibili link wondering “will this work?” — or saw a “BV ID” and had no idea what it was? Below: every Bilibili link format decoded in plain English, plus a free Link Inspector — paste anything in, and it identifies, validates, and expands it. No sign-up.

The 10-second version

Copy whatever the app or browser gives you — the whole thing — and SaveBili normalizes it. BV codes, AV numbers, b23.tv short links, URLs with ?p=3 — they’re all just different names for the same video, and SaveBili accepts them all.

BV ID: the canonical format since 2020

The BV ID is Bilibili’s current standard identifier — 12 characters, always starting with BV (in practice BV1), mixing letters and numbers. Deliberately excluded: lookalike characters like 0, O, l, I, so IDs are hard to mistype. Example: BV17x411w7KC.

Where to find it: in a browser, it’s in the address bar — bilibili.com/video/BV17x411w7KC. In the app, tap Share → Copy Link; the link contains the BV ID (or a b23.tv short link, covered below).

AV ID: the legacy numeric format (still works)

Before 2020, Bilibili identified videos with a plain number — the AV ID, like av170001. Old bilibili.com/video/av170001 links survive in forum posts, bookmarks, and tutorials.

The good news: AV IDs never die. Every AV ID maps to exactly one BV ID — two names for the same video. Visit an old av link and Bilibili redirects you to the BV version. SaveBili accepts raw AV numbers too, so no conversion is needed before pasting.

AV ↔ BV: the math, explained for humans

An AV number and its BV code are connected by a reversible encoding — like one contact saved under two names. Any BV decodes back to its AV number and vice versa, with no lookup table needed. It’s not encryption: knowing the BV reveals nothing extra about the video; it’s just the same address written differently. The Link Inspector converts live and shows both forms side by side.

b23.tv short links: they’re official, don’t worry

Share a video from the Bilibili app and the link looks like https://b23.tv/xxxxxx — an unfamiliar short domain. It’s legitimate: b23.tv is Bilibili’s own official link shortener, used for every in-app share. It encodes the same BV ID as the full URL, so paste it as-is — no need to expand it first. If the video is deleted or made private, the short link breaks with it; see the troubleshooting hub if a link that used to work suddenly doesn’t.

The ?p= parameter: one video, N parts

Long uploads — series, tutorials, stream archives — are split into parts. The URL shows which: bilibili.com/video/BV17x411w7KC?p=3 opens part 3. Paste a link without a ?p= parameter and tools default to part 1, so keep the parameter if you want a specific part. You’ll also see ?t= (timestamp) and share-tracking bits — these don’t change which video a link identifies, so keep or strip them freely.

Bangumi & series pages (a brief note)

Links like bilibili.com/bangumi/play/epXXXXX (an episode) or /bangumi/play/ssXXXXX (a series page) are anime/drama series pages. Many are membership-only or region-restricted, and legitimate tools won’t bypass membership gates or regional restrictions — that’s an honest limit, not a bug.

Which links SaveBili accepts

Not sure what you’re holding? Paste it into the Link Inspector — it identifies the format and tells you whether it’s valid before you try to save anything.

“Invalid link?” — what to check

If a pasted link is rejected, run through this list first:

1. Copy the whole thing. The most common failure is truncation — a BV ID without its leading BV, or a short link without the b23.tv/ part.
2. Check the video still plays on Bilibili. Deleted or private videos can’t be saved by any legitimate tool.
3. Look for glued-on text. Chat apps sometimes append trailing punctuation (BV17x411w7KC. — that trailing period breaks it).
4. Identify the format. Run it through the Link Inspector to confirm it’s a video link and not a profile or live-room URL.

Still stuck? The download troubleshooting hub covers every other failure mode.

Keep going

• Bilibili Link Inspector — paste anything, get identification, validation, AV↔BV conversion, and short-link expansion.
• Download not working? — the troubleshooting hub for every save failure.
• Bilibili downloader FAQ — quality, formats, and general questions answered.

A quick reminder: only download videos you own, created yourself, or have permission to save — your own uploads, Creative Commons content, or videos whose creators allow downloading. Respect copyright and Bilibili’s terms of service.

Frequently asked questions

Got your link? Save it with SaveBili →