How to Timestamp a YouTube Video: A Step-by-Step Guide

YouTube is a platform where millions of videos are uploaded every day, and it’s not uncommon for viewers to find videos that are too long. Sometimes, viewers want to share a specific quote or section of the video with their friends, followers, or colleagues. Timestamping a YouTube video makes it easy to share a specific part of the video with others.

In this article, we’ll show you how to timestamp a YouTube video in comments and video descriptions on desktop and mobile devices. We’ll also provide tips on how to take advantage of the timestamping feature on YouTube.

Table of Contents

How to Timestamp a YouTube Video in Comments

Watch the video up until the time you want to link to.
Pause the video at the exact point you want to timestamp.
Type the time exactly as you see inside the video player, in the format of Hours:Minutes:Seconds, without spaces.
Publish your comment, and the timestamp will become clickable.
Test your timestamp by clicking it. You should be sent directly to the part of the video you paused at in step 2.

How to Timestamp a YouTube Video in Video Descriptions on Desktop

Watch the video up to the point you want to timestamp.
Pause the video at the exact moment you want to share.
Right-click on the video.
Select “Copy video URL at current time.”
Press CTRL+p (Windows) or CMD+p (Mac) to paste it anywhere you want to share the link, such as inside an email or a new tweet box.

How to Timestamp a YouTube Video on Mobile

Start watching a video in a mobile browser or the YouTube app up to the place you want to share, and take note of the time.
Convert your timestamp into seconds, for example, 1 minute 5 seconds would be 65 seconds (use Google Converter for that).
Click the “Share” icon overlaying the video player.
Click “Copy link.”
Double-tap (iPhone) or tap-and-hold (Android) on the field where you want to share the link and select “Paste.”
Add your time in seconds at the end of the URL in the following format: ?t=65.

Tips on How to Use YouTube Timestamps

Timestamping a YouTube video can be helpful in many ways. Here are some tips on how to use YouTube timestamps:

Create video timestamps for transcription to point out the exact time you are talking about.
When posting a YouTube comment, link a time in a YouTube comment to show which part of the video you are commenting on.
When uploading a YouTube video, create a pinned comment with a detailed clickable table of contents to allow viewers to jump right to the part they are most interested in and increase engagement with your video.
When emailing or messaging a YouTube video link, deep-link to the time that got your attention.
Save your social media followers’ time by deep-linking to the part where the action starts, bypassing intros.