A YouTube timecode link is a URL that opens a video at a specific point in time instead of the beginning. YouTube supports this via the t query parameter, which accepts a number of seconds. For example, adding ?t=90 to a YouTube URL starts playback at the 1-minute-30-second mark.

Two URL formats are commonly used: the full youtube.com/watch?v=... format and the shortened youtu.be/... format. Both support the t parameter and are useful for sharing a specific moment in a long video — a key quote, a tutorial step, or a highlight — without making the viewer scrub through the whole thing.

Tool description

This tool generates YouTube timecode links from a video URL or ID and a timestamp entered as hours, minutes, and seconds. It outputs both the short youtu.be link and the full youtube.com/watch link, ready to copy or open directly in a new tab.

Examples

Link to 1 minute 30 seconds:

  • Input URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
  • Timecode: 0h 1m 30s
  • Short link: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?t=90
  • Watch link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&t=90

Link to no specific time (start of video):

  • Input URL: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
  • Timecode: 0h 0m 0s
  • Short link: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
  • Watch link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Features

  • Accepts full YouTube URLs, short youtu.be URLs, or bare 11-character video IDs
  • Outputs both the short link and the standard watch link
  • Open the generated link directly in a new tab without copying

Tips

  • If you only have a video ID (the 11-character string after v= in the URL), you can paste it directly into the URL field.
  • When the timecode is all zeros, the t parameter is omitted and the link simply points to the start of the video.
  • Use the short youtu.be link for sharing in messages and social media; use the full youtube.com/watch link when embedding or referencing in documentation.