Ever wanted to share a YouTube video but skip straight to the good part? Maybe there’s a killer moment at 6 minutes and 23 seconds, and you don’t want to make your friend sit through the whole intro just to get there. Totally understandable, and the good news is YouTube makes this pretty easy once you know where to look.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to make a YouTube video start at a specific time, whether you’re sharing a link, embedding a video on a website, or dropping a timestamp in the comments. We’ll cover desktop, mobile, and manual URL editing, plus a few gotchas that can trip you up, like YouTube’s auto-resume feature quietly overriding your carefully set start time.
Method 1: Right-Click on Desktop (Fastest Way)
If you’re on a desktop browser, this is hands-down the quickest method. No menus to dig through, just a right-click.
- Open the YouTube video in your browser and play it until you reach the exact moment you want to share.
- Pause the video at that point.
- Right-click directly on the video player.
- Click Copy video URL at current time.
- Paste the link wherever you want to share it, email, text, Slack, you name it.
The link you get will look something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=383sThat t=383s at the end is the start time in seconds (in this case, 6 minutes and 23 seconds). When someone opens the link, the video jumps straight to that moment.
Quick note: On some browsers, the first right-click opens YouTube’s own custom menu. If you don’t see the option, try right-clicking again in a slightly different spot on the player. This method is desktop-only, so the mobile app doesn’t have it.
Method 2: Use the Share Button on Desktop
YouTube’s share dialog sometimes includes a handy Start at checkbox that does the work for you. Whether you see it depends on your region and whatever experiment YouTube is running at the time, but it’s worth checking first.
- Open the video and seek to the time where you want it to start.
- Pause the video.
- Click the Share button below the video.
- In the share dialog, look for a Start at checkbox. If it’s there, check it, the URL will automatically update to include the timestamp.
- Copy the link or choose a sharing target (Gmail, WhatsApp, etc.).
If you don’t see the Start at checkbox, don’t worry. Just use the right-click method above or edit the URL manually (more on that below).
Method 3: Mobile App (Manual URL Editing)
The YouTube mobile app on Android and iOS doesn’t reliably offer a “start at current time” option in the share sheet, so you’ll need to do a tiny bit of manual editing. It sounds more complicated than it is, promise.
- Open the video in the YouTube app and scrub to the moment you want to start. Note the minutes and seconds.
- Tap Share, then tap Copy link.
- Open a notes app, message draft, or anywhere you can paste and edit text.
- Paste the link. It’ll look like one of these:
https://youtu.be/VIDEO_IDhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
- Convert your desired start time to total seconds. For example, 6 minutes and 23 seconds = (6 × 60) + 23 = 383 seconds.
- Add the timestamp to the URL:
- For the short
youtu.belink: add?t=383s→https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID?t=383s - For the long link (already has
?v=...): add&t=383s→https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=383s
- For the short
- Share the edited link.
When the recipient taps the link, whether it opens in a browser or the YouTube app, it’ll jump straight to your chosen start time.
Method 4: Embedding a Video with a Start Time
If you’re embedding a YouTube video on a website or blog, the process is slightly different. The embed URL uses a start= parameter (in seconds only) instead of t=.
Here’s what the embed code looks like with a start time:
<iframe
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID?start=383"
width="560"
height="315"
frameborder="0"
allowfullscreen>
</iframe>You can also combine it with other parameters. For example, to start at 383 seconds and autoplay with the sound muted:
<iframe
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID?start=383&autoplay=1&mute=1"
width="560"
height="315"
frameborder="0"
allowfullscreen>
</iframe>Important: Use start= (not t=) in embed URLs, and always use seconds only. If your CMS is stripping the parameters out, check that your HTML editor isn’t sanitizing query strings.
Method 5: Add a Timestamp in the Comments
This one’s super simple. If you’re leaving a comment on a YouTube video and want to reference a specific moment, just type the time in mm:ss format, like 6:23 or 1:14:30. YouTube automatically turns it into a clickable link. Anyone who clicks it will jump straight to that point in the video.
It’s a handy way to say “the best part is at 4:12” without having to write out a whole explanation. Just be aware that comments on big videos can get buried fast, but for videos shared privately with friends and family, it works great.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Problem: The video starts in the middle even without a timestamp
This is YouTube’s auto-resume feature. If the person you’re sharing with is signed in and has already watched part of that video, YouTube will pick up where they left off, completely ignoring your timestamp. To get around it, they can:
- Open the link in an incognito or private window
- Sign out of YouTube before clicking the link
- Clear their YouTube watch history
It’s worth mentioning this in your message when you share a timestamped link, especially if precision matters.
Problem: The link doesn’t start at exactly the right second
The right-click method is usually accurate, but there can be a 1–2 second difference due to buffering and how YouTube handles video keyframes. If you need it to be precise, manually set the t= value in the URL yourself.
Problem: The embedded video ignores the start time
Double-check that you’re using start=SECONDS in the embed URL (not t=), and that your CMS hasn’t stripped out the query string. Also, if you set autoplay=0, the video will still wait for the viewer to press play, but when they do, it’ll start at the right time.
Problem: Does this work on YouTube Shorts?
Nope. Shorts use a different viewing format and don’t reliably support the t= parameter. Timestamps are meant for standard YouTube videos only.
Pro Tips
- Use seconds for consistency: Both
t=383sandt=6m23stechnically work in watch URLs, but sticking to seconds keeps things simple and avoids confusion. - Timestamps work in most apps: If you paste a timestamped link into Gmail, iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack, or Messenger, the parameter is preserved. When the recipient taps it, YouTube honors the start time.
- Chapters are a nice alternative: If you’re sharing a long video where the creator has added chapters (those clickable sections in the progress bar), you can tell someone “jump to the chapter called X” instead of providing a timestamp. It’s a bit more user-friendly for less tech-savvy folks.
- YouTube’s Clip feature: YouTube has a built-in Clip tool that lets you highlight a short segment of a video to share. It doesn’t expose raw timestamp parameters, but it’s a clean way to point someone to a specific moment without URL editing. You can also use sites to trim and crop YouTube videos for more editing flexibility.
Quick Reference: URL Formats
| Use Case | URL Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Short share link | https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID?t=Xs | https://youtu.be/abc123?t=383s |
| Full watch URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=Xs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123&t=383s |
| Embed code | https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID?start=X | https://www.youtube.com/embed/abc123?start=383 |
| Comment timestamp | Just type mm:ss or h:mm:ss | 6:23 or 1:14:30 |
Wrapping Up
Making a YouTube video start at a specific time is one of those small tricks that’s genuinely useful once you know it. For most people, the right-click method on desktop is all you’ll ever need. It’s fast, accurate, and requires zero math. Mobile users will need to do a little manual URL editing, but it’s not as scary as it sounds once you’ve done it once.
Just keep the auto-resume gotcha in mind. If your recipient has already watched the video before, YouTube might ignore your timestamp entirely and pick up where they left off. A quick heads-up in your message (“open this in incognito if it doesn’t start at the right spot”) can save a lot of confusion. Overall, this is a solid, reliable feature that works well across all the major platforms and apps. If you’re looking for even more ways to get the most out of YouTube, check out these best YouTube tools for a better video experience.