TranscriptYTHow to share a YouTube video at a specific time
- 1
Paste the video link
From the browser or the app's Share button.
- 2
Type the time
As 1:30, 1:02:03, 90 seconds, or 1m30s.
- 3
Copy the link
Anyone who opens it starts watching at that moment, in the app or the browser.
Share the exact moment, not the whole video
Sending someone a 40-minute video and saying 'skip to around 23 minutes' rarely works. A timestamp link opens the video at the second you choose, in the YouTube app or any browser, so they see the part you meant.
Find the time first
Not sure when something was said? Search the video's transcript with the free transcript search tool: every match comes with its timestamp, and clicking one opens the video there. Then paste that time here for a short link.
Turn timestamps into chapters
If you're adding several timestamps to your own video's description, the free chapter generator writes them for you from the transcript, with titles, ready to paste.
Need more?
Need transcripts at scale? Use the API
The same transcripts are available through the YouTube Transcript API: timestamped JSON, text, SRT, VTT, CSV, or Markdown, 150+ languages, and AI transcription for videos without captions. Or connect the YouTube MCP server to Claude, Cursor, or Codex and just paste links in chat.
curl "https://transcript-yt.com/v1/transcript?url=5f3Pn-N6yLc&format=text" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ts_live_..."
Common questions
How do I link to a specific time in a YouTube video?
Add ?t= and the number of seconds to a youtu.be link (youtu.be/VIDEO_ID?t=90), or &t=90s to a youtube.com/watch link. Type the time here and the tool builds both.
How do I share a YouTube video at a timestamp on my phone?
The app's Share sheet has no start-time option. Copy the share link, paste it here with the time you want, and share the link this page gives you.
How do I share a timestamp on a computer?
Pause the video at the moment, right-click the player, and choose Copy video URL at current time. Or click Share and tick Start at. This tool does the same when you know the time but aren't at that point in the video.
How do I add clickable timestamps to a comment or description?
Type the time as 1:30 or 1:02:03 in the comment or description. YouTube turns it into a link to that moment automatically. Three or more timestamps in a description, starting at 0:00, become chapters.
Does it work for Shorts?
Shorts are too short for start times; the link opens the Short from the beginning.