YouTube Timestamp Link Generator

How to use the timestamp link generator

1. Paste the video's link. Any YouTube link works: a normal watch link, a youtu.be short link, a Shorts link or an embed link.
2. Enter the start time. Type it the way the player shows it, such as 12:34 or 1:02:05. If your link already contains a time, it's filled in for you.
3. Add an end time if you're embedding. It's optional and only affects the embed link and embed code, which will stop playing at that point.
4. Press Make link and copy what you need. Each format has its own Copy button, and every link opens in a new tab so you can test it first.

Which timestamp link format to use

Watch and share links take the start time as t; embedded players use start and end, both in seconds, as described in YouTube's player parameters documentation. Every link is rebuilt from the video ID, so tracking parameters such as ?si= in a copied link don't carry over.

Doing it on YouTube itself

On a computer, press Share under the video, tick the Start at box and type the time, as YouTube's help page on sharing describes. That covers the basic share link. The generator adds what YouTube's box doesn't: the full and Markdown formats, embed code, an end time, and a way to do it from a phone or from a link someone sent you.

If you're the creator and want viewers to jump between sections, timestamps in your video description can become chapters instead; how YouTube chapters work covers the rules.

Who uses timestamp links

• Teachers sending a class straight to the three minutes that matter, or embedding just that segment in a lesson page. The guide for teachers covers choosing those moments.
• Students and researchers citing the exact point where a claim is made, so a note can be checked in seconds. Why every summary should carry timestamps explains the habit.
• Teams pointing a colleague to one answer in a recorded talk instead of saying "it's somewhere in the middle".
• Creators linking to a moment from another video, a community post or a pinned comment.

Key features

• Five formats at once: share, full, Markdown, embed link and embed code, each with its own Copy button.
• Start and end for embeds: an embedded player can play just one segment.
• Any YouTube link in: watch, youtu.be, Shorts, live and embed links, with or without tracking parameters.
• Forgiving time input: 12:34, 1:02:05, seconds or 12m34s, and a start time read straight from a pasted ?t= link.
• Private: links are built on the page; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

Examples

For notes like the second example, the video notes workflow shows how timestamped links fit into a system you'll still use next month, and the Markdown format pastes straight into video notes in Obsidian.

Tips for timestamp links that work every time

• Start a few seconds early. People need a moment to settle into a new clip, and a sentence cut off at its first word is hard to follow.
• Expect up to two seconds of drift. The player jumps to the nearest keyframe, which can land slightly before your time.
• Test before you send. Open the link from the results to check it lands where you meant.
• Remember who can watch. A private video won't open for anyone without access, whatever the link says, and some creators turn off embedding, so the embed shows an error while share links still work.
• Use start for embeds. YouTube documents start and end for embedded players and t for watch links; the generator uses the right one for each format.

Finding the moment in the first place

If you don't know where in a long video the part you need is, scrubbing through it is the slow way. A YouTube summarizer with timestamps splits the video into chapters, each linked to the second it starts, so you can read the outline and jump straight to the moment worth sharing. The chapter summary generator page explains how those chapters are drawn.

Frequently asked questions