A YouTube QR code lets someone scan a poster, a product box or a slide and start watching your video on their phone in seconds. It works well for tutorials on packaging, recipe videos on a menu or a wedding video on a thank-you card. You do not need a special YouTube tool, because a QR code simply stores the video's link. This guide shows how to make one, which link to use for videos, timestamps, playlists and channels, and how to make sure the code still works once it is printed.
How a YouTube QR code works
A QR code cannot hold the video itself. It holds the web address of the video. When someone scans it, their phone opens that link. On phones with the YouTube app installed, YouTube links usually open in the app; otherwise they open in the browser.
That means two things matter most: copying the right link, and making sure the video is viewable by the people who scan it.
Step-by-step: make a QR code for a YouTube video
- Open the video on YouTube and tap or click Share below it.
- Copy the link. YouTube's share link usually looks like
https://youtu.be/followed by the video's ID. A full address likehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plus the ID works too. - Paste the link into a browser to check it opens the right video.
- Open the QR Studio generator and choose the URL tab.
- Paste the link and check there are no extra spaces or characters at the end.
- Choose colors with a dark foreground on a light background.
- Add a small logo if you want. QR Studio raises the error correction automatically when you add one.
- Download the PNG and scan it with your phone before you use it.
Everything runs in your browser, there is no signup, and the code is static, so it will not expire.
Make a free QR code for a link, WiFi or contact card — generated in your browser.
Open the free QR code generator →Which YouTube link should you use?
Different goals need different links. Here are the common options:
| Goal | What to link | Link format |
|---|---|---|
| Play one video | The video's share link | https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID |
| Start at a key moment | Share link with a start time | https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID?t=90 |
| A series of videos | The playlist page | https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYLIST_ID |
| Grow your channel | Your channel page | https://www.youtube.com/@yourhandle |
| A Short | The Short's share link | Copy it from the Share button on the Short |
Replace the capitalized parts with your own IDs or handle. The easiest and safest way is always to copy the link from YouTube's Share button rather than typing it.
Starting at a specific time
If the important part of a video starts partway through, you can make the link start there. On a computer, YouTube's Share box has a Start at option. Tick it, set the time, and the copied link includes a time parameter. In the example above, t=90 means the video starts 90 seconds in, which is 1 minute 30 seconds.
To work out seconds, multiply the minutes by 60 and add the remaining seconds. A moment at 4:15 is 4 × 60 + 15 = 255 seconds, so the link ends in ?t=255.
Linking to a playlist instead of one video
A playlist is a good choice for a course, a product's set of how-to videos or a series of recipes. You can add new videos to the playlist later, and the same printed code still leads to the whole set.
Channel links and subscribers
For business cards, shop signs and event banners, your channel link often works better than a single video, because it shows everything you have made. Many creators also add ?sub_confirmation=1 to the end of their channel link, which typically shows viewers a prompt to subscribe. YouTube can change how features like this behave, so test it before printing.