Which YouTube link to use
A YouTube QR code is a web link, and YouTube has a different one for each thing you might want to open:
| To open | Link | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Your channel | https://www.youtube.com/@yourhandle | Your handle, shown under your channel name |
| A video | https://youtu.be/ and the video’s ID | Share, then Copy, under the video |
| A moment in a video | The video link with ?t= and a number of seconds | Share, then tick Start at |
| A playlist | https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list= and the playlist’s ID | Share on the playlist’s page |
| A Short | https://youtube.com/shorts/ and its ID | Share, then Copy, on the Short |
Use the short youtu.be form for videos when you can. Both forms open the same video, but the shorter link makes a code with fewer, bigger modules, which prints smaller and scans faster. If a copied link has extra tags after the ID (anything after ?si=, for example), you can usually leave them off; scan the result to check it still opens the video.
Copy links from YouTube’s Share button rather than from the address bar. On a phone, the address bar can show a mobile address (m.youtube.com) or a link from a search, which still work but are longer than they need to be. For a channel, the address with your @handle is shorter than the older /channel/ address, and both open the same channel.
Start at the right moment
A code on a recipe card or a step in a manual is most useful when it skips straight to the part that matters. Tick Start at in YouTube’s Share box, or add ?t= and the number of seconds to a youtu.be link yourself: ?t=90 starts at 1:30. Test it on a phone, in the YouTube app and in a browser, before you print.
Public, unlisted and private videos
- Public: anyone can find and watch it.
- Unlisted: anyone with the link can watch it, but it doesn’t appear in search or on your channel. That suits a code in a product manual, a course handout or a wedding invitation.
- Private: only accounts you’ve invited can watch it. A code to a private video shows everyone else an error, so don’t print one.
Where a YouTube code helps
- Recipe cards and food packaging: the video of the dish being made, starting at the tricky step.
- Product manuals and boxes: a setup or care video, unlisted if it’s only for customers.
- Classes and handouts: the lesson recording, or a playlist for the whole course.
- Posters and flyers: a trailer for an event, a gig or an open day.
- Property signs: a video tour of the home. Our real estate sign page covers sizes for reading from the street.
Size and testing
A youtu.be link is short, so its code can print as small as about 2 cm wide on a card read up close. For a poster, aim for about a tenth of the reading distance: 10 cm for a metre, 30 cm for three metres. Scan a printed proof with two phones, one with the YouTube app and one without: phones with the app usually open the video there, others play it in the browser.
A free code always opens the same link. If the poster should open a newer video next month, or you want to know how many people scanned it, use an Editable code (US$19 a year): see the dynamic QR code generator page.
How to make it
- Copy the link from YouTube’s Share box, with Start at ticked if you want a moment.
- Open the studio and paste it into the message bar.
- Pick a world and style the code; your channel’s logo can go in the middle.
- Press Get QR code and download PNG or SVG, or open the print sheet.
- Scan the printed proof and check it opens the right video at the right time.
