YouTube Timestamp Link Generator

Make a link that jumps straight to the moment that matters — perfect for comments, chats and study notes.

Updated November 2, 2026 · By Free Thumbnail Downloader Team

Sometimes the best part of a video is at 14:32. Instead of telling people to “skip ahead to about the middle”, send them a link that starts exactly there. This generator turns any YouTube link and a time into a short link, a full link and a ready-to-paste line for comments – in a few seconds, on phone or computer.

  1. Paste the YouTube video link – a watch, youtu.be, Shorts, live or embed link all work.
  2. Type the start time: 1:25, 1:02:30 or 90. Use the small buttons to nudge the time a few seconds forward or back.
  3. Copy the short link, the full link, or the line for your description or comment.
  4. Click Test the link to check that it starts at the right moment.

If the link you paste already contains a time, for example from YouTube’s own Share box, the tool reads it and fills in the time for you.

For a video with the ID dQw4w9WgXcQ starting at 1 minute 25 seconds:

TypeLink
Short linkhttps://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?t=85
Full linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&t=85s
Embed (for websites)https://www.youtube.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ?start=85
In a comment1:25 – the part where…

The t value is always counted in seconds, which is why 1:25 becomes 85. Websites need the start parameter instead; the embed code generator adds it for you.

  • Answering a question in the comments. “It’s explained at 6:10” with a clickable time saves your viewer a search.
  • Group chats and messages. Share the one funny moment of a two-hour stream without making friends scrub through it.
  • Teaching and study notes. Link each topic of a lecture to the second it starts; students jump straight to what they need for the exam.
  • Customer support. Point users to the exact step in a tutorial instead of sending the whole video.
  • Social posts. Promote a long video by linking to its strongest moment.
  • Start two or three seconds early. Links that begin mid-sentence feel abrupt; a short run-up gives context.
  • Use the short link in chats, where space matters, and the full link in documents, where readers like to see the domain.
  • Add a few words of context. “14:32 – the before and after” gets far more clicks than a bare link.
  • For many moments in one video, chapters are better than a list of links. Build them with the chapters generator.

Common problems

  • The video starts at 0:00. The time may be longer than the video, or the link was opened in an embedded player that ignores t. Use start= for embeds.
  • The link opens the browser instead of the app. That depends on the app you share it in. Our YouTube deep link generator makes links that open the YouTube app directly and can keep the start time.
  • The time is a few seconds off. YouTube starts playback at the nearest keyframe, so the start can shift by a second or two.

Want the full guide, including how to do it in the YouTube app? Read how to link to a specific time in a YouTube video.

Frequently asked questions

How do I link to a specific time in a YouTube video?

Add ?t= followed by the number of seconds to a youtu.be link (youtu.be/ID?t=90), or &t=90s to a youtube.com/watch link. The generator does this for you – paste the video link, type the time, copy the result.

Which time formats can I type?

Minutes and seconds (1:25), hours, minutes and seconds (1:02:30), plain seconds (90) or YouTube style (1m25s). If the link you paste already contains a time, the tool picks it up automatically.

Do timestamp links work on phones?

Yes. The YouTube app and mobile browsers both respect the t= parameter, so the video starts at the right moment wherever the link is opened.

Do timestamps work for Shorts?

Only partly. The Shorts player in the app usually plays from the beginning. The generator turns a Shorts link into normal youtu.be and watch links; the full watch link opened on a computer respects the start time best.

How do I make a clickable time in a comment or description?

Just type the time, for example 4:30. YouTube turns times in comments and descriptions of the same video into clickable links automatically. The tool gives you a ready-made line to paste.

How is this different from the Share button on YouTube?

On a computer, YouTube’s Share box has a Start at option that does the same thing. The mobile app usually does not, and it adds a tracking code (si=). The generator works on any device and gives you a clean link.

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