YouTube Guides
How YouTube Timestamps Work (and How to Link to a Moment)
By Tool Studio Team · 2026-06-14
Learn how YouTube start-time links work, how to format them, and how to generate a shareable link that jumps straight to a moment.
Ever wanted to share a video starting at the exact moment something happens? YouTube supports that with a simple start-time parameter in the URL.
The ?t= parameter
Adding ?t=90 (or &t=90s on a full watch URL) tells YouTube to begin playback 90 seconds in. You can express the time in seconds, or as combinations like 1h2m3s.
- Short link: https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID?t=90
- Full link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=90s
- Both jump straight to your chosen moment
Timestamps in descriptions
When you add timestamps like 0:00, 1:30, 5:45 in a video description, YouTube turns them into clickable chapters — a great way to help viewers navigate longer videos.
Tip: Chapters require at least three timestamps, the first starting at 0:00, each at least 10 seconds apart.
Generate a timestamp link instantly
Paste a video URL, enter the time, and get a ready-to-share link — no login and no data sent anywhere.
Try the YouTube Timestamp Link Generator tool