Open YouTube links in the app
Paste a YouTube URL and get a link that opens the YouTube app instead of the browser — with a web fallback for everyone else.
Free forever. No login. Works with youtube.com links.
Which YouTube links work
toThe.App recognises links on youtube.com, youtu.be, m.youtube.com. These URL shapes are handled:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
- https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID
- https://www.youtube.com/@HANDLE
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/CHANNEL_ID
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYLIST_ID
On iPhone
Video URLs open straight to the video in the app. Channel and legacy user URLs open the channel. Handles, Shorts and live URLs open the app, which resolves the destination itself.
On Android
The YouTube app opens when it is installed, and the browser takes over when it is not.
Known limitations
No link can force a phone to open an app. These are the cases where a YouTube link falls back to the web:
- Playlist URLs open the video rather than the playlist view in some app versions.
- Timestamps (?t=) are preserved in the query string but the app does not always honour them.
- YouTube Music links (music.youtube.com) are treated as ordinary YouTube links.
Questions
How do I make a YouTube link open in the app?
Paste the YouTube URL into the generator above and select Make short link. Share the result. On a phone with YouTube installed, the link offers to open the app; otherwise it continues to the YouTube website.
Which YouTube URLs are supported?
Links on youtube.com, youtu.be, m.youtube.com are recognised. Typical shapes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID · https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID · https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID · https://www.youtube.com/@HANDLE · https://www.youtube.com/channel/CHANNEL_ID · https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYLIST_ID.
What happens on iPhone?
Video URLs open straight to the video in the app. Channel and legacy user URLs open the channel. Handles, Shorts and live URLs open the app, which resolves the destination itself.
What happens on Android?
The YouTube app opens when it is installed, and the browser takes over when it is not.
Why did the YouTube app not open?
The device makes the final call. Common reasons: the app is not installed, the specific URL type is not covered (Playlist URLs open the video rather than the playlist view in some app versions.), or the link was tapped inside another app's in-app browser, which will not hand off to a native app. The web fallback always works.
