How to Bookmark or Share Specific Sections of YouTube Videos
How to Bookmark a Video on YouTube
Bookmarking a video to access it later is simple. In a desktop browser, open the video that you want to save so that your browser has its page URL open.
To bookmark the current page in most browsers, including Chrome, you can press Ctrl + D (Cmd + D on a Mac). If you’d rather use the mouse, click the star icon in the address bar, then choose a folder and click Done to save it.
This method allows you to bookmark YouTube videos without signing in. If you’d rather, you can also save YouTube videos by adding them to a playlist. This is also the preferred method for mobile devices since you’re probably watching YouTube in the app instead of a browser.
To do so, click the Save button on a video. You’ll then see a prompt to select one or more playlists to add the video too. Using this, you can create a folder called Bookmarks, Saved Videos, or similar. Then use the left sidebar (on desktop YouTube) or the Library tab on the mobile app to access that playlist in the future.
How to Bookmark a Playlist on YouTube
When you open a playlist on YouTube, you’ll see its contents on the right side. YouTube playlist URLs include the video you’re watching, as well as its position inside the current playlist.
You can bookmark a playlist in your browser using the same steps as above.
To save a playlist to your YouTube account instead, click the Save Playlist button on the right side. This will make it easily accessible from the Library tab on the left side of YouTube.
How to Add a Timestamp to YouTube Links
Sometimes when you share a YouTube video, you’d prefer it to start at a certain point. Maybe the intro is too long, or you want to call attention to a certain point in the video without having to tell the other person where to start. In these cases, you can easily share a YouTube URL containing a timestamp.
To do this, right-click on a video as it’s playing and choose Copy video URL at the current time. This will add a link to your clipboard with the starting time appended to the end.
There's an alternative way to do this. Below the video, click the Share button and YouTube will show a new box with a shortened video URL. Check the Start at the box to add a timestamp to the end of this URL. By default, this will use the current video time, but you can change that field if you like.
For an even easier way to create precise timestamps, you can use a youtube timestamp generator. This tool simplifies the process by automatically generating the exact URL with your desired timestamp.
If you like, you can add the timestamp element on your own; you don't have to use either of the above methods. Simply append ?t=X to the end of the video URL, where X is the number of seconds into the video that it starts at.
If you prefer, you can also use the format ?t=XmYs, using minutes: seconds timestamp that you want the video to start at. It also supports hours, if necessary.
Add a Timestamp to YouTube Links on Mobile
There’s no built-in way to add a timestamp to links in the mobile apps for YouTube, so you’ll need to do so manually. Tap the Share button on the video in question, then choose to copy the link or share it using an app. Note the timestamp that you want the video to start at.
Before you send the message to someone, simply append the timestamp to the URL as described above. It’s not as efficient as the desktop procedure but still works fine.
How to Add a Start and End Time to YouTube Timestamps
If you like, you can use a separate URL tweak to add an ending time to the video. This is great if you’re sending the video to someone who’s less tech-savvy and don’t want them to watch for too long.
To do this, you’ll need to take a video URL and turn it into an embed URL. This only supports seconds for the start and end times, so you can’t use minutes or hours as described above. And because it’s an embed link, the video will open in a full-screen page instead of the normal YouTube interface.
