How to Make YouTube Playlist Start Video at a Certain Time

If you want your Youtube playlist to start playing from a specific time in a video rather than from the beginning, there are a couple ways you can accomplish this.

The easiest method is to create a timestamped link to that point in the video, and add that link to your playlist instead of the normal video link.

Creating a Timestamped Link

To create a timestamped link, simply add ?t= and the time in seconds to the end of the normal Youtube video URL. For example:

• Normal link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
• Timestamped link starting at 1 minute 30 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ?t=90

So to make your playlist start at a specific time, find the normal link for that video, add ?t= and the time in seconds to the end, and use this new timestamped link when adding it to your playlist.

Adding the Timestamped Link to Your Playlist

To add your timestamped link to a playlist you manage:

1. Go to your playlist and click the Edit button.
2. Click Add videos.
3. Paste your timestamped link into the URL field.
4. Click Add.

The video should now be added to your playlist with the start time set.

Setting Start Times in Playlist Settings

Alternatively, you can set a video to start at a specific time directly in your playlist settings:

1. Go to your playlist and click Edit.
2. Click on the video you want to set a start time for.
3. Under “Playlist Settings” check the box for Start at.
4. Enter the time in seconds where you want the video to start playing.
5. Click Save.

This will overwrite the normal start time for that video in your playlist. You can set different start times for each video in your playlist this way.

Start Times on Mobile Apps

The YouTube mobile apps do not support linking directly to a timestamp or setting start times in playlist settings. However, there is a workaround using playlists created on desktop:

1. Create your playlist with timestamped links or custom start times on desktop.
2. On your mobile device, open the playlist.
3. Start playing the first video.
4. Skip to the next video – this should start at the preset time.
5. Continue skipping to progress through the playlist at the right times.

So while not as convenient as desktop, you can leverage playlists created on the YouTube website to have videos start at specific times when playing on mobile.

Start Times for YouTube Embed Links

If you want to embed a YouTube video on a website and have it start at a specific time, you can use the same timestamped link technique:

1. Create your timestamped YouTube link as shown above.
2. Embed this timestamped link on your site instead of the normal link.

When users view the page, the video should start playing from the time set in the link rather than the beginning.

Set Default Start Times with YouTube API

For YouTube channels with access to the YouTube API, you can use the API to set default start times for your videos that will apply no matter how they are viewed:

1. Upload your video as normal.
2. Use the videos.update method in the API, setting startAt to your desired time in seconds.

This will make your video always start at that time when played on YouTube, in playlists, embeds, etc, without needing to create timestamped links.

Troubleshooting Playlist Start Times

Here are some common issues and fixes for getting playlists to start videos at specific times:

• Double check your timestamped links use seconds, not minutes or hours.
• Make sure mobile users play the first video before skipping around.
• If embeds don’t work, check for errors loading the timestamped URL.
• For API issues, confirm your API requests are authorized and formatted correctly.
• Test in incognito/private browsing mode to avoid extension conflicts.

Additional Tips

Some additional tips for managing start times in YouTube playlists:

• You can link to exact points mid-video for more precision by adding &t=1m30s for 1 min 30 sec, for example.
• To play only a clip, use &end= to set an end time after your start point.
• Make sure viewers have cookies enabled for timestamp links to work.
• Consider concatenating multiple videos to simplify playlists with complex start/end times.

With the techniques outlined here, you have a variety of options to choose from to get your YouTube playlists and embedded videos to start precisely when you want them to. Take advantage of timestamped links, playlist settings, mobile workarounds, and the YouTube API to create the ideal viewing experience for your audience.