Guide
YouTube Clips is gone: how to clip a YouTube video in 2026
October 21, 2026 · 4 min read
If the ✂ Clip button has disappeared from under YouTube videos, nothing is wrong with your app or your account. In April 2026 YouTube retired viewer Clips — the 5-to-60-second looping links anyone could make — and replaced them with plain timestamp sharing. Here's what changed, what still works, and how to get a real clip of a moment today.
What YouTube changed
TeamYouTube announced it on the YouTube Help Community on 17 April 2026: sharing at a timestamp "will become the main way to share specific moments in videos, replacing the Clips feature." At the same time, timestamp sharing came to the Android and iOS apps, so phones got what desktop always had. YouTube added that third-party tools with more advanced clipping are available for anyone who needs more.
What a timestamp link keeps
- A link to an exact second of the video.
- Works in the app and on desktop.
- The view still counts for the creator.
What went away with Clips
- An end point — the video plays on past your moment.
- A title for the moment.
- The loop that replayed just that part.
Ways to share or save a moment now
| What you get | Who can use it | Stops at the end? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share at a timestamp | A link that opens the video at a set second | Anyone | No |
?t= in the link | The same, typed by hand: youtu.be/VIDEO_ID?t=95 | Anyone | No |
| YouTube Studio: clips and Edit into a Short | A new video or Short on the channel | Only the channel's owner | Yes |
| Clip Cutter | An MP4 or MP3 file of just that part | Anyone | Yes |
How to clip a YouTube video now
01
Copy the link
Share → Copy link, or the address bar
02
Paste it into Clip Cutter
Watch, youtu.be, Shorts and live links
03
Set in and out
To the exact frame
04
Download
MP4 up to 1080p, or MP3
- 1Copy the link. In the YouTube app tap
Share→Copy link; on a computer, copy the address bar. A watch link, ayoutu.belink, a Short or a/live/stream all work. - 2Paste it into Clip Cutter. Open Clip Cutter, pick
From a linkand paste — the video opens in the editor. - 3Set the moment. Drag the green in-point and the violet out-point, or click a timecode and type it, like
01:12.40. - 4Pick a format and download. Video
MP4at the original quality (up to 1080p) or smaller, or AudioMP3for just the sound.
Timestamp link or a clip file?
Pointing a friend at a moment
Share at a timestamp
Fast, and the view stays with the creator. Fine when it's OK that the video keeps playing.
Using the moment somewhere
A clip file
For an edit, a slide, a chat that won't open YouTube, or watching offline.
Want more than one way to do it? How to download only part of a YouTube video also covers yt-dlp and screen recording, and the best YouTube clip cutters compared lines up six tools side by side.
Questions
Why is there no Clip button on YouTube anymore?
YouTube retired viewer Clips in April 2026 and replaced them with sharing at a timestamp. It isn't a bug or a setting on your account.
Do my old YouTube clips still work?
Yes. Clips made before the change still open and play; you just can't create new ones.
How do I share a YouTube video at a specific time?
Use Share and set the start time — on a computer, tick Start at; the option reached the Android and iOS apps in 2026. Or add ?t= and the seconds to any link, like youtu.be/VIDEO_ID?t=95.
Can I make a clip longer than 60 seconds?
Not with YouTube's old Clips — 60 seconds was the limit. With Clip Cutter the clip can be as long as you need.
Is Clip Cutter free?
Yes — free, with no watermark and no sign-up.
Try it now
Clip Cutter