YouTube link opener
Paste a YouTube link and get one that opens the YouTube app instead of Instagram's, TikTok's or Facebook's built-in browser, on iPhone and Android.
- 100% free
- Runs in your browser
- No uploads
Your link
Paste a YouTube link to get one that opens the app.
- Runs on your deviceEvery tool works directly in your browser. No files are uploaded.
- Your privacy mattersYour files never leave your device, so there's nothing for us to store.
- No limitsUse any tool as much as you need. No daily caps, no waiting.
- Completely freeNo signup and no trial to cancel. Ads keep the tools free.
How to make a YouTube link that opens the app
- Copy your YouTube link. Use the Share button in YouTube, or copy the address of your channel, video, Short, live stream or playlist.
- Paste it above. The tool shows what it found, for example Channel @yourname or Short.
- Choose subscribe mode for a channel. Leave it off for a video. For your channel, turn it on to show YouTube's Subscribe box.
- Copy the new link, or download the QR code. Put it in your Instagram or TikTok bio, a story, a WhatsApp message or an email.
Why links in Instagram and TikTok lose you subscribers
Social apps open links inside their own browser so people stay in the app. For a YouTube link that means a stripped-down page where most viewers aren't signed in. To subscribe or like, they'd have to log in to Google first, and almost nobody does that on the way through.
A deep link skips that step. It opens the YouTube app, where the viewer is already signed in, on the exact video, Short or channel you linked. Subscribing is then a single tap.
How the link opens the app
The link points to a small page on this site that checks the phone and the app it was tapped in, then hands over straight away:
- Android: an Android app link for YouTube, with the normal YouTube page as the fallback if the app isn't installed.
- iPhone and iPad: the YouTube app's own address. Some in-app browsers only allow this after a tap, so the page also shows a big Open in the YouTube app button.
- Inside Instagram, TikTok or Facebook: the page tries the app, and if that app's browser blocks it, it stays put rather than dropping viewers on a signed-out YouTube page. It shows the tap button, an Open in Chrome button on Android, and where that app hides Open in browser.
- Computers: the normal YouTube page.
Everything the link needs is in the link itself, so it works for as long as this site exists, with nothing to pause, expire or upgrade.
Where to use it
Instagram and TikTok bios and stories, where the built-in browser causes the problem. WhatsApp, Telegram and email, so the video opens in the app on phones. And on posters, flyers and business cards as a QR code; you can also style one in the QR code designer.
Test the link once from the app you'll share it in: tap it in an Instagram direct message to yourself, for example, before you put it in your bio.
Frequently asked questions
Why should a YouTube link open in the app?
Inside Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, a normal YouTube link opens in that app's built-in browser, where most people aren't signed in to YouTube. They can watch, but they can't subscribe, like or comment without logging in, and most won't. In the YouTube app they already are signed in, so one tap is enough.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. On Android the link uses Android's standard way of opening an app, with the YouTube website as a fallback. On iPhone it uses the YouTube app's own address. Instagram and Facebook on iPhone don't let any website open another app by itself, this one included, so there the page shows an Open in the YouTube app button and the menu step to open the link in Safari, which then opens the app.
What if someone doesn't have the YouTube app?
They get the normal YouTube page in their browser instead, so the link never leads nowhere.
Is it free? Is there a limit?
It's free, with no sign-up and no limit. The link carries everything it needs in its own address, so nothing is stored on a server and links never expire.
Can it ask people to subscribe?
Yes, for channel links. Tick Ask people to subscribe and the link adds YouTube's own ?sub_confirmation=1, which shows a Subscribe box when the channel opens. YouTube always shows it on its website; in the app the viewer lands on the channel with the Subscribe button in view. See the YouTube subscribe link generator for more on how that works.
Do you track the people who click?
No. There's no click counter and no list of visitors. The page that opens the app is counted like any page on this site, without cookies, but it doesn't record who you are or what you open.