Three tools that carry viewers onward in long videos — five info cards, four end screen elements and chapter timestamp rules (October 2026)

1. In YouTube Studio "Content", click the video you want to edit.
2. Choose "Editor" from the left menu.
3. Choose "Info cards" and pick the type of card to add. You can add up to 5 per video.
4. Change the card’s start time and, if needed, add a message and teaser text (both are required for a channel card).
5. Press "Save".

• Video and playlist cards link to a public video or playlist. A channel card can thank a channel that helped you or recommend another channel.
• Only channels in the YouTube Partner Program can use a link card to point to an external website; if the site breaks the Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, the card or link is removed and it can lead to a strike or account termination.
• On a video claimed through Content ID, cards do not show if the content owner set up a campaign, and a video with cards does not show the call-to-action overlay.

A video element can show your most recent upload, a video chosen for the viewer by YouTube, or a specific public or unlisted video from your channel or another. Linking to an external website is only for Partner Program channels. Other interactive elements such as card teasers and the video watermark do not appear on the end screen. The recommendations are to use elements relevant to the video, use custom images of at least 300 x 300 pixels, and use a call to action on each element.

1. In Studio "Content", choose the video’s title or thumbnail, then "Editor" on the left.
2. Choose "End screen" and apply a template or add elements (video, playlist, subscribe, channel, link).
3. Drag the timeline end to set when elements start and end, and drag elements in the player to position them. The grid icon’s "Snap to grid" helps.
4. Preview with the play button and "Save".

For automatic chapters, open the video’s "More options" → "Automatic chapters" and choose "Allow automatic chapters"; it is checked by default on new uploads. Chapters you make yourself take priority over automatic ones. Some videos may not get automatic chapters even when they qualify, and if the channel has an active strike or some viewers may find the content inappropriate, the chapters feature may not be available. If chapters do not show yet, check your advanced features access.

1. In Studio "Content", click the video.
2. In the "Description", add a list of timestamps and titles. The first timestamp must be 00:00.
3. Add at least 3 timestamps in ascending order; each chapter must be at least 10 seconds.
4. Press "Save".

• YouTube phone verification and feature tiers

URLs in a Short’s description are not clickable, so the most direct route to send viewers to a long video is the Short’s "Related video". Once they arrive, a card can suggest the next video, an end screen can suggest subscribing or a playlist, and chapters let them start where they want. This flow is the author’s suggestion.

Shortsmith can be used to pull Shorts from long videos and also to expand Shorts into long videos, and it asks you to pick a story angle before building the script. Cards, end screens and chapters are set in the YouTube Studio editor, not in Shortsmith.

• Turning Shorts into long videos
• The Shorts link click problem