Knowing how to timestamp YouTube videos is essential if you want to make the most out of video marketing. It is a convenient yet comprehensive method to promote your personal brand, products, merchandise, or services.
You must have come across different time segments within the video description while watching YouTube videos. Those segments are called timestamps or video chapters. YouTube timestamps enable you to view only the specific part of the video that consists of important information instead of watching the complete video. It’s pretty simple to understand how to timestamp YouTube videos.
This article will walk you through the 2 major methods of how to add timestamps to YouTube videos when browsing a desktop and the YT app. You will learn how to send YouTube video with timestamp while sharing them on other platforms. As a content creator, you will understand the method of how to add timestamp on YouTube videos, which highlights different sections of your video.
Table of Contents
How To Send YouTube Video With Timestamp? (For Desktop)
Learning how to add timestamp on YouTube video links before sharing them is easiest through a desktop. If you are viewing the video in your favorite browser on a desktop, simply follow the steps below to add timestamps to YouTube videos.
1. Go to YouTube.com and play the video that you want to share.
2. Pause the video at the exact moment where you want to set the timestamp.
3. Click on the share button available below the video.
4. A pop-up box will appear with available sharing options. Click on the checkbox in the bottom-left corner beside the ‘start at‘ option. It will modify the URL with the specified timestamp.
You can either copy the modified URL link and paste it wherever you want to share the video, or you can select any of the sharing methods shown in the pop-up box. This is all about how you can add timestamps to YouTube videos before sending or sharing them on social platforms.
How To Timestamp On YouTube App? (iOS & Android)
If you wish to share a YT video using the app on a smartphone or iOS device, you won’t find an option to add the timestamp to the specified YouTube video directly. Follow the steps below to learn how to manually add timestamps to YouTube videos using the app.
1. Open the YT app on your device and start viewing the video that you wish to share.
2. Pause the video right at the moment where you wish to add the timestamp and note the time.
3. Click on the share option and copy the link.
4. While pasting the link, add “?t=Xs” to the end of the URL without any spaces. Here, ‘X‘ stands for the seconds timestamp. When the receiver clicks on the link shared, the video will begin from the specified timestamp.
You can also add minutes and seconds in the timestamp using the format “XmYs,” where ‘X’ stands for minutes and ‘Y’ stands for seconds. Now you know how to add timestamp to YouTube video manually while sharing the link using a mobile device.
How To Add Timestamps To YouTube Videos As A Creator?
YouTube creators can add video chapters to highlight different sections within their video, each with an individual preview. You can also dive deeper into why you should add chapters to your videos and how you can add one. It helps to add information and context to different parts of the video, thus making it easier for the viewer to watch the video as per their choice.
Follow the steps below to add timestamps or video chapters to your videos.
1. Put Your Own Timestamps To YouTube Videos
Adding YouTube timestamps also helps your videos appear as YouTube-featured snippets when people search for your videos on Google.
1. Sign in to YouTube Studio using your credentials.
2. Select “content” on the left menu and click on the video you wish to add timestamps for.
3. Go to the ‘Description‘ section and add a list of timestamps and respective titles.
4. Ensure that the first timestamp starts with 00:00 and the list has at least 3 timestamps specified in ascending order. The minimum length of the video chapters should be 10 seconds.
5. Click Save after adding the timestamps and titles.
2. How To Put Timestamps On YouTube Videos Automatically?
As a creator, you can also enable automatic video chapters to allow YouTube to set significant moments as timestamps. Follow these steps to add timestamp to YouTube video.
1. Sign in to YT studio using your credentials.
2. Select “Content” in the left menu and click on the video you wish to edit and add timestamps.
3. Click on the ‘Show More’ option and select “Allow automatic chapters” under ‘Automatic Chapters.’
4. Click Save.
You can also share live streams and YouTube videos with timestamps using the YT clip feature.
Conclusion
Wasn’t it easy to timestamp YouTube videos and then share them using the tips above? Now you know how to add timestamp to YouTube video before sharing or publishing them. Adding video chapters helps you rank higher on the YT search results page and increases your chances of getting more views.
The timestamp feature makes it easier for viewers to watch the video directly from the query without watching the complete video. Providing a convenient content viewing experience is crucial to increasing your subscriber base. You can make a GIF from YouTube videos to make your audience curious to watch your videos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How To Write Timestamps In YouTube Videos?
The format of writing timestamps to YouTube is mins: seconds of the video. For example, 04:18.
Q2. How Can You Make A YouTube Link Start At A Timestamp?
When you paste the link of the video, you can add the timestamp in the format “XmYs.” to the end of the URL. Then, when someone clicks on the link, the video will directly play from the timestamped duration.
Q3. Why Is Timestamp On YouTube Not Working?
The timestamp feature may not work because you might have forgotten to include the intro in the duration slots. You must start from the beginning of the duration to add the chapters to the YT video. You can also verify why your YouTube chapters are not working using these tips.
Q4. How To View The Subtitles On The YouTube Video?
To see the subtitles or the closed captions on the YouTube video, you have to click on the cc icon at the bottom of the video, and you will see the automated captions on the video.
