How to Use YouTube's Timestamp Feature to Share Perfect Clips

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YouTube is a user-friendly platform, but mastering it requires some insider knowledge and shortcuts to elevate your skills beyond the basics.

Recently, I discovered a handy tip for sharing YouTube videos at specific timestamps. This feature is particularly beneficial when I want to direct a colleague to a specific moment in a video, allowing them to bypass unnecessary scrolling through the content.

There are two methods to achieve this: The first is to right-click on the video at the desired time and select “Copy video URL at current time.” Alternatively, you can append a timestamp manually to the end of the URL using the format &t=ymxxs, where “y” represents minutes and “xx” represents seconds.

Dominic Bayley / Foundry

The manual method also has its perks; it works on mobile devices while the right-click option is limited to computers. This makes it easier for tasks like editing multiple URLs for a site to ensure they all begin at specific points.

Here’s how it works:

For example, let’s take the PCWorld YouTube channel’s video titled “Exploring Micro Center On Opening Day!” If you haven’t checked it out, it’s quite entertaining. In this video, hosts Adam Patrick Murray, Will Smith, and Alaina Yee explore the aisles of the new Micro Center store in Santa Clara. The video’s link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFgp7IVkfOQ

The total length of the video is 14 minutes and 11 seconds. If I wanted to send you a link that jumps straight to Adam’s amusing interview with Alaina towards the end, I could simply add the timestamp &t=11m37s to the end of the URL.

Thus, the modified link would be: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFgp7IVkfOQ&t=11m37s

And that’s all there is to it! For more useful tips on using PCs, don’t forget to subscribe to PCWorld’s “Try This” newsletter.