YouTube Timestamp Link Generator
YouTube Timestamp Link Generator
Create links that start a video at an exact moment, and format chapter lists for video descriptions.
Chapters
A YouTube Timestamp Link Generator creates addresses that open a video at an exact second instead of the beginning. That is the polite way to share a long video: instead of telling a friend to skip to the good part, or a student to find a segment in a lecture, you send a link that starts there. It is equally useful for creators, who add chapter lists to their descriptions so viewers can jump between sections, which YouTube turns into clickable markers on the progress bar when the list is formatted correctly and begins at zero minutes.
The page works in two modes. The single timestamp mode takes one moment, written either as plain seconds or in minutes and seconds, and returns the short share link with the time attached. The chapters mode takes a list, one chapter per line in the form time, a vertical bar, then the label, and produces two finished blocks: a clean chapter list formatted exactly as a video description needs it, with times like 0:00 and 1:30, and a matching set of individual share links for each chapter, ready for comments, notes, a blog post, or messages to collaborators reviewing specific sections of a draft upload before it is published.
How to use
- Paste the video link or its ID into the first box.
- For one link, type the moment as seconds or as minutes and seconds, then click the first button.
- For chapters, list one per line in the chapters box using time, a bar, and a label.
- Click the chapters button to build both the description list and the share links.
- Copy the block you need into your description, comment, document, or message.
Frequently asked questions
Why must a chapter list start at 0:00?
YouTube only activates clickable chapters when the first timestamp in the description is exactly 0:00, there are at least three entries, and each is at least ten seconds apart. Those are YouTube's published rules. This tool formats your times consistently, but you must include that opening 0:00 entry yourself, labelled Intro or similar, for the feature to switch on.
What is the difference between youtu.be and watch links with times?
Both work. A shortened youtu.be link carries the time as ?t=seconds, while a full watch address uses &t=seconds after the video parameter. This generator uses the short form because it is cleaner to paste into messages and documents, and YouTube resolves it to the same player at the same moment.
Can I write a timestamp as 1:02:30 for a long video?
Yes. Times with hours are understood in the same colon format, and the chapter list will print them back in the full hour format YouTube expects.
Do timestamp links work inside the YouTube app?
Yes. Tapping a timestamp link on a phone opens the app at that moment in the video, provided the video is public or unlisted and available in the viewer's region.