How to add clickable links to a YouTube video description

To add a link to a YouTube description, open the video in YouTube Studio, paste the full address (starting with https://) into the Description box and click Save. As of November 2026, YouTube only makes external links in long-form video descriptions clickable if your channel has access to advanced features, and URLs in Shorts descriptions are never clickable. Put your most important link in the first few lines, because that is the part viewers see before they expand the description.

Below: how to check whether your channel can add clickable links, the steps on a computer and in the apps, what to do for Shorts, and which links are worth the space.

First check: can your channel add clickable links?

YouTube splits creator features into three levels: standard, intermediate and advanced. According to its page on feature access, "add clickable links to your long-form video description and posts" is an advanced feature, together with things like pinned comments, chapters and related videos on Shorts. YouTube's overview of which links are clickable says the same for URLs in long-form descriptions and comments.

To see where you stand:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer.
2. Click Settings, then Channel, then Feature eligibility.
3. Features you can use are marked Enabled.

If advanced features are not enabled yet, there are two routes. Channels with enough history and a clean record usually qualify automatically; YouTube does not publish an exact threshold. Or you can verify your identity with a valid ID or a short video to unlock them straight away, although YouTube says ID and video verification is not available to every creator. Either way, the access depends on keeping to the Community Guidelines.

How to add a link to a description on a computer

1. Go to studio.youtube.com and sign in.
2. From the left menu, select Content.
3. Click the title or thumbnail of the video you want to edit. The video's details page opens.
4. Click into the Description box and paste the link where you want it.
5. Click Save.

If you are uploading a new video, the same description box is on the details page of the upload flow, so you can add links before publishing. A description can hold up to 5,000 characters, and YouTube's help on editing video settings notes that bold, italic and strikethrough are available from the options at the bottom of the description box. There is no way to hide a URL behind a word: the address itself is what viewers see, so write a short label in front of it.

How to add a link to a description on iPhone or Android

In the YouTube Studio app:

1. Open the YouTube Studio app.
2. Tap Content in the bottom menu.
3. Select the video and tap Edit.
4. Edit the description and tap SAVE.

In the YouTube app:

1. Tap your profile picture.
2. Tap Your videos.
3. Tap More next to the video, then Edit.
4. Change the description and tap Save.

Pasting is easier if you copy the link first in your browser or in the app it comes from. If you want to link one of your own videos, playlists or your channel, our guide on copying any YouTube link shows where each Share button is.

Write the link so it turns clickable

YouTube's help pages do not spell out which URL formats become links, so stick to what reliably works:

• Paste the full address, including https://. Copying from the browser's address bar or a Share button gives you this automatically.
• Put each link on its own line, with a few words in front: Full tutorial: https://.... A label tells viewers what they are tapping, and a line break keeps punctuation from sticking to the URL.
• Do not leave spaces inside the address, and check that the link has no line break in the middle after pasting on a phone.
• Open the video page afterwards (signed out, or on another device) and tap the link once to confirm it works.

Links also have to follow YouTube's external links policy: no links to malware, phishing, pornography or other content that breaks the Community Guidelines. YouTube says it may remove a link it cannot verify as safe, and a violating link in a video's description can lead to the video being removed.

Why links in Shorts descriptions are not clickable

YouTube made URLs in Shorts descriptions and Shorts comments non-clickable to reduce spam and scams, and as of November 2026 its help pages still list them that way. You can type a URL into a Short's description, but viewers cannot tap it. Mentions (@handle) and hashtags in Shorts descriptions remain clickable.

What works instead:

• Related video. You can link a Short to one of your own long videos, which then appears as a tappable link on the Short. It is an advanced feature, and the linked video must be public or unlisted.
• Channel profile links. Your channel page can show up to 14 links, including Instagram, TikTok or your website. Our guide on adding links to your YouTube channel has the steps.
• A long-form video's description. If the Short is a teaser for a longer video, put the external links there and point viewers to that video with the related video link.

Which links to put in your description (and where)

On the watch page, viewers see only the first few lines of a description before they expand it, and YouTube's own description tips suggest using those first lines to describe the video. That leaves room for one link above the fold, so choose it carefully. A typical order:

1. One or two lines about the video, with the words people would search for.
2. The link that matters most for this video: the product, the source, the full episode, or the sign-up page you talk about in the video.
3. Timestamps or chapters, if the video is long. Chapters need the first timestamp at 00:00, at least three timestamps in ascending order and chapters of at least 10 seconds; our guide to YouTube links with timestamps covers the rules and sharing a moment from outside YouTube.
4. Your other YouTube links: the playlist the video belongs to, the next part of a series, and your channel with a subscribe link.
5. Social profiles and your website, at the bottom.

A playlist link is a good fit for almost every video in a series, because it keeps viewers watching the next part; YouTube's tips recommend linking playlists of related videos. Use the playlist page's address (youtube.com/playlist?list=...) so viewers land on the whole list. Our guide on making and sharing a YouTube playlist shows how to get it.

A subscribe link is your channel URL with ?sub_confirmation=1 added, such as youtube.com/@yourhandle?sub_confirmation=1. It asks YouTube to show a Subscribe confirmation; it is not officially documented by YouTube, and the viewer still has to tap Subscribe. The YouTube subscribe link generator builds one for you.

Do you need a short link in a YouTube description?

Usually not. A viewer who taps a YouTube link inside a YouTube description is already in YouTube, so a playlist, channel or video link opens right there. Paste those YouTube links as they are.

Ytgo is also not the tool for links to other websites: it only shortens YouTube links (videos, Shorts, channels, playlists and live streams). Its use is the other direction. When you post the same video on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, a tapped Ytgo link asks the phone to open the YouTube app at that video, with a browser fallback if the app is not installed, instead of leaving viewers in the app's built-in browser. If that is where the link is going, you can shorten it with the YouTube link shortener.

Frequently asked questions

Why are the links in my YouTube description not clickable?

The most common reason is that your channel does not have advanced features enabled, which YouTube requires for clickable links in long-form descriptions. Check YouTube Studio under Settings, Channel, Feature eligibility. If the video is a Short, links in its description are not clickable for anyone.

How do I add a clickable link to my YouTube description on my phone?

Open the YouTube Studio app, tap Content, select the video, tap Edit, paste the full link starting with https:// into the description and tap Save. You can also use the YouTube app: profile picture, Your videos, More next to the video, Edit.

Can I add links to a YouTube Shorts description?

You can type them, but they are not clickable: YouTube disabled links in Shorts descriptions and comments to reduce spam. Use a related video link to point the Short to one of your long videos, or put links on your channel profile instead.

How do I add my Instagram link to my YouTube description?

Copy your Instagram profile address, which looks like https://www.instagram.com/yourname, and paste it on its own line near the end of the description, with a label such as Instagram:. It becomes clickable on long-form videos once your channel has advanced features. You can also add it to your channel profile links.

How many links can I put in a YouTube description?

YouTube Help does not give a separate limit for links; the description as a whole can hold up to 5,000 characters. Fewer links usually work better, because only the first few lines are visible before viewers expand the description.

Can I hyperlink text in a YouTube description?

No. YouTube shows the URL itself, and the only formatting options in the description box are bold, italic and strikethrough. Write a short label before the link so viewers know where it goes.