This article details a workaround for mobile devices, how to manually date a YouTube video, and how to share a specific moment in a YouTube video on a desktop browser.
How to Create a Link to a Specific Time in a YouTube Video
When you want to share a certain section of a movie on YouTube, linking to a specific time in the video is a terrific tactic to use, especially if the video is lengthy and the section you want to share begins several minutes into the playback.
On a desktop browser, it is simple to link to the precise section of any YouTube video. Find the video you wish to share on YouTube.com, then follow these directions.
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Click Share directly beneath the video.
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In the pop-up box, check the box next to Start at.
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Enter the time you want the video to start. The correct time may already be listed if you pressed the share button at the exact moment you want the video to start.
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Select Copy to copy the time-stamped URL. You might notice that the link changed to include some extra characters. These extra characters are used to tell YouTube to link to the specific time that chose.
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Paste the link wherever you want or select any of the social share buttons to share it. Anyone who opens your link will begin watching the video at the time you specified.
Link to a Specific Time in a YouTube Video by Creating a Timestamp
To create a timestamp for a specific time in a YouTube video, you can add the time in minutes and seconds to the end of the video’s URL.
For example, if you want to link to the 1 hour, 20 minutes, and 30 seconds point in a video, the URL would be:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID#t=1h20m30s
You can also use the &t= parameter in the video’s URL instead of #t= if you prefer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=1h20m30s
Note that you need to replace the VIDEO_ID with the actual id of the video you want to link to.
Share a Link to a Specific Time in a YouTube Video
You may have noticed that there is no Start at check box or field on the official YouTube mobile app for iOS and Android devices, only a share button that allows you to copy the video link and share it to social apps. Only web browsers that are used to view YouTube videos have access to this feature.
So you have a few choices if you want to use your smartphone to link to a certain moment in a YouTube video:
- To load YouTube’s desktop site rather than its mobile version, open the video in a browser app like Chrome and modify the browser’s settings (choose Desktop site from Chrome’s menu). The time-stamped URL can then be created by following the procedures outlined above.
- Link to a specific time by manually creating a time stamp (see below).
Why Linking to a Specific Time Matters
Internet users have short attention spans, so making them watch even a 4- or 5-minute video where the best part doesn’t begin until halfway through can be enough to drive them crazy and cause them to hurriedly close the video.
There are thousands of shareable videos on YouTube that range in length from a few minutes to many hours (these are our favorite 10-hour videos). Your friends will appreciate that you included a link to the precise moment in the video when something fascinating occurred if you were to post a video of an hour-long public speaking presentation on Facebook.
More individuals than ever before use mobile devices to access YouTube (which largely explains the shorter attention spans). They don’t have time to wait around for a drawn-out introduction and other unimportant information before getting to the important parts.
You’re not doing anyone a disservice by connecting to an important moment when you choose to share a video at a specific time because viewers may rewind the film if they wish to watch it in its entirety. When you set the video without making any changes to it, the YouTube video player begins buffering and playing.
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