How to Clip a YouTube Video on Computer or Phone (2026)

A friend sends you a forty-minute podcast episode and says the good bit is somewhere in the middle. That's exactly the problem YouTube's Clip button solves: you grab the moment that matters, give it a title and send a link that starts and stops right where you want it.

For small business owners and creators, clips are a quick way to point a client at one answer in a long webinar, or to share a highlight from a live session without editing anything. I'll follow YouTube's own help pages here, so you'll know what the button does, how long a clip can be and who can see it.

Clipping a YouTube video on a computer

YouTube's help describes the desktop route like this. You need to be signed in, because clips belong to your account.

1. Sign in to YouTube and open the video you want to clip.
2. Select More (the three dots under the player), then choose Clip.
3. Add a title for your clip. YouTube allows a maximum of 140 characters.
4. Drag the slider to pick the section you want. A clip runs between 5 and 60 seconds.
5. Click Share clip.
6. Choose Embed, a social network, Email or Copy the link.

The title is worth a few seconds of thought. It's what people see when the link lands in their inbox or feed, so describe the moment, not the whole video.

Clipping a YouTube video in the phone app

On a phone or tablet the button sits in the row of options under the video, and it's often hidden off the edge of the screen.

1. Open the YouTube app and go to the video.
2. Under the Subscribe button, slide the row of options to the right until you see Clip.
3. Tap Clip.
4. Drag the slider to choose your section.
5. Tap Share clip, then pick an app, copy the link or send it by email.

If you can't see Clip after swiping, the video or channel may not allow it. More on that further down.

How long a YouTube clip can be

This is the detail people trip over most. YouTube's help says a clip has to be at least 5 seconds and no more than 60 seconds. You can't stitch two separate moments together, and you can't stretch a clip past a minute. If you need a longer excerpt, the honest answer is that a clip isn't the right tool: share the full video link instead and tell people the timestamp to jump to.

Clip question	What YouTube's help says
Shortest clip	5 seconds
Longest clip	60 seconds
Title length	Up to 140 characters
Share options on a computer	Embed, social networks, email, copy link
Who can watch it	Anyone with the link who can also watch the original video

What other people see when you share a YouTube clip

Clips are public. According to YouTube, anyone who has access to your clip and can also watch the original video can watch it and share it on. That also means a clip is only as available as the video it came from: if you can't watch the original, you can't watch the clip.

Clips can also turn up in some of YouTube's search and discovery areas, so don't title a clip with anything you'd be unhappy for strangers to read.

Clips from live streams and unlisted YouTube videos

A few situations behave differently, and YouTube's help spells them out:

• Live streams need DVR switched on. Without it, there's no Clip option.
• If a stream runs longer than its DVR window, clips from outside that window won't play until the stream ends and the recording is posted.
• Clips made from unlisted videos stay available. If you're unsure what unlisted means for your audience, my explainer on what unlisted means on YouTube covers it.
• If the original video is deleted, made private or breaks the Community Guidelines, its clips are removed too.

Finding and deleting your YouTube clips

Every clip you've made is saved to your account. In the YouTube app, tap You, then Your Clips. To remove one, tap More next to the clip, choose Delete clip and confirm with Delete forever. Deleting a clip doesn't touch the original video.

If what you wanted was to replay a whole video rather than a slice of it, a clip will feel limiting. My guide on looping a YouTube video is the better fit for that.

Using YouTube clips as a creator or small business

If you run a channel, clips made from your videos can send new viewers to the full thing. In YouTube Studio you can see how many clips were made from a video, how many views each one got and who made it. YouTube also says viewers can remix a clip into a Short when your video allows remixing, and you can turn a whole clip of your own video into a Short.

A few ways I'd use clips for a business channel:

• Clip the one answer from a Q&A live and send it to the customer who asked.
• Share a short highlight of a webinar in your email signature or on social.
• Pull the best minute of a tutorial and put it with a playlist. Here's my walk-through on sharing a YouTube playlist if you want to pair the two.

Turning off clipping on your own YouTube channel

Clipping is on by default for every channel. If you'd rather viewers didn't clip your content, YouTube's help gives this route on a computer:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. Click Settings in the left menu.
3. Select Channel, then Advanced Settings.
4. Under Clips, untick Allow viewers to clip my content.
5. Click Save.

If the problem is one person or certain words, you don't have to switch clips off for everyone. YouTube points creators to the Hidden users list or blocked words instead.

If the YouTube Clip button is missing

Work through these before assuming something's broken:

1. Check you're signed in, since YouTube's clip steps start with signing in.
2. On the app, swipe the options row fully to the right.
3. Check whether it's a live stream without DVR, which can't be clipped.
4. The creator may have turned off clipping in YouTube Studio. That's their choice and there's no workaround.
5. Update the YouTube app, close it and open the video again.

Frequently asked questions

How long can a YouTube clip be?

YouTube's help says a clip must be between 5 and 60 seconds. For anything longer, share the full video link with a timestamp instead.

Can the creator see that I clipped their video?

Yes. YouTube Studio shows creators how many clips were made from a video, the views on each clip and who made it.

Are YouTube clips private?

No. Clips are public, so anyone with the link who can also watch the original video can view and share it.

Why can't I clip a YouTube video?

You may be signed out, the creator may have switched off clipping, or it may be a live stream without DVR. Swiping the app's options row to the right also reveals a hidden Clip button.

How do I delete a YouTube clip I made?

In the YouTube app tap You, then Your Clips, tap More next to the clip and choose Delete clip, then Delete forever.