YouTube deep link generator: links that ask for the YouTube app
A YouTube deep link opens one screen inside the YouTube app, such as a video, a Short, a channel or a playlist, instead of a web page. Paste any YouTube link above and Ytgo makes a free short link that does this from Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, with no code: it picks the right app link for iPhone or Android and falls back to youtube.com.
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How to create a YouTube deep link
Copy a YouTube link
Any channel, @handle, video, youtu.be, Shorts, playlist, live or subscribe link.
Paste it above
Choose Shorten. You need no account and no URL schemes.
Copy your deep link
The short link, such as ytgo.me/abc1234, is your deep link. A QR code comes with it.
Test it on a phone
Tap it from Instagram or TikTok on an iPhone and an Android phone that have the YouTube app.
What a deep link is, and why social apps need one
A deep link opens a specific screen inside an app rather than a website. On a phone, a normal youtube.com link already behaves like one when it is tapped in Safari or Chrome: iPhone (Universal Links) and Android (App Links) pass it to the YouTube app.
Inside the in-app browsers of Instagram, TikTok and Facebook that hand-over usually does not happen, so the same link loads as a web page. A deep link for those apps has to ask for the YouTube app directly, in the form each system expects.
The URL forms behind a YouTube deep link
On iPhone, the YouTube app answers to its own URL schemes, for example vnd.youtube://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID or youtube://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID. On Android, an intent:// URL names the YouTube app (package com.google.android.youtube) and carries a browser fallback address.
Those forms are not enough on their own. Without the YouTube app a bare vnd.youtube:// link leads nowhere, a computer cannot open it, bio and sticker fields usually expect a web address, and some in-app browsers only pass an app link on after a real tap or a confirmation. A link you can share is therefore a normal https link that picks the right form for each tap and keeps a web fallback.
That is what a Ytgo link does: it checks whether the tap came from an iPhone or an Android phone and from which app, asks for the YouTube app in the matching form, and shows an Open in YouTube button and a browser option when the phone does not hand over.
Deep link formats by link type
On iPhone the app link keeps the web path after the scheme (vnd.youtube://www.youtube.com/…). On Android the same path goes into intent://www.youtube.com/…#Intent;scheme=https;package=com.google.android.youtube;…;end. Ytgo builds both from the web link, so you only paste one of these addresses:
- Video: youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID, or youtu.be/VIDEO_ID for the same video.
- Short: youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID.
- Channel: youtube.com/@handle or youtube.com/channel/UC…
- Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYLIST_ID.
- Subscribe prompt: a channel link ending in ?sub_confirmation=1.
Questions and answers
What is a YouTube deep link?
A link that opens a specific screen in the YouTube app, such as a video, a Short, a channel or a playlist, instead of a web page. In the app viewers are usually signed in, so they can subscribe, like and comment straight away.
How do I create a YouTube deep link for Instagram?
Paste the YouTube link on this page, choose Shorten and put the short link in your Instagram bio, story sticker or DM. Tapped inside Instagram, it asks the phone to open the YouTube app. It is free and needs no account.
Does a YouTube deep link work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, but the two systems need different forms: a URL scheme on iPhone, an intent:// URL on Android. A Ytgo link picks the right one for each tap. The phone and the app the viewer is in have the final say.
What happens if the viewer doesn’t have the YouTube app?
The Ytgo link continues to the same channel, video, Short or playlist on youtube.com in the browser. The same happens on a computer.
Is a deep link the same as a short link?
No. A short link is a shorter address that redirects somewhere; a deep link opens a screen inside an app. A general short link to YouTube just redirects to youtube.com. A Ytgo link is both: short, and built to ask for the YouTube app.
Can a deep link open a video at a specific time?
Add a start time to the video link, such as ?t=90 or &t=1m30s, before you shorten it. Ytgo keeps it on video links; whether playback starts there is up to the YouTube app.