YouTube Timestamp Link Generator

Create links that start a YouTube video at a specific time.

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Paste a YouTube video link and this tool builds short youtu.be links that open the video at a set point, with ready-made examples for 30 seconds and 1 minute and the pattern for any other time. It is the quickest way to send someone straight to the right moment in a lecture, a match highlight, a recipe step or a software tutorial.

What the tool gives you

For a pasted link such as https://youtu.be/Xy12Ab_cD-9?si=Qw3rTy, pressing Get result shows:

Start at 30s: https://youtu.be/Xy12Ab_cD-9?t=30
Start at 1m:  https://youtu.be/Xy12Ab_cD-9?t=60
Add ?t=SECONDS to any youtu.be link.

There is no separate time box: to start somewhere else, replace 30 or 60 with the number of seconds you need. The links are rebuilt from the video ID alone, so any time already in the pasted address and the si= sharing parameter that YouTube's app adds are both left out, which also makes the link shorter. Watch, Shorts, live and embed links work, as does a bare 11-character ID; for a watch link, v= should come right after watch?.

Turning a timestamp into seconds

Seconds = hours × 3,600 + minutes × 60 + seconds.

Timestamp	Seconds	Link ending
4:05	245	?t=245
12:45	765	?t=765
1:23:45	5,025	?t=5025

The last row works out as 1 × 3,600 + 23 × 60 + 45 = 3,600 + 1,380 + 45 = 5,025. Don't type the comma in the link. YouTube also understands minutes and seconds written out, so ?t=12m45s lands in the same place as ?t=765.

Where timestamp links are useful

Study groups: a teacher or classmate can post the exact point where a concept is explained in a two-hour lecture instead of saying "somewhere after the first hour".
Feedback: editors and clients can point to a specific cut or error in a draft video.
Chats and email: a timestamped link previews like any other YouTube link in WhatsApp or Gmail but starts at the moment you chose.

Other ways to do the same thing

Full watch links take the parameter after an ampersand: youtube.com/watch?v=Xy12Ab_cD-9&t=765s.
YouTube's Share button on a computer has a "Start at" checkbox that adds the current playback time for you.
Comments and descriptions need no link at all: typing 12:45 in a comment on the same video becomes a clickable jump.
Embedded players use a different parameter, start=, in the embed URL. The embed code generator produces the iframe, and you can add ?start=765 to its address.

The link is assembled in your browser without contacting YouTube or our server.

Frequently asked questions

How do I share a YouTube video from a specific time?

Add ?t= followed by the number of seconds to a youtu.be link, for example ?t=90 to start at 1:30. On a watch link, use &t=90s instead.

How many seconds is 1:23:45?

5,025 seconds: one hour is 3,600, twenty-three minutes is 1,380, plus 45.

Can I write the time as minutes and seconds instead of total seconds?

Yes. YouTube accepts formats like t=2m30s, which starts at the same point as t=150.

Why don't the generated links include the si= part of my original link?

The links are rebuilt from the video ID only. The si parameter is a sharing identifier that YouTube does not need to play the video.

How do I make an embedded video start at a certain time?

Embeds use start= rather than t=. Add ?start= and the number of seconds to the embed URL.