How to create a YouTube QR code
- 1
Paste the link or @handle
Copy the link from YouTube’s Share button, or type your channel’s @handle.
- 2
Design it
Add a frame such as “Watch the video” and keep a dark code on a light background.
- 3
Download and test
Scan it with a phone to check that the right video or channel opens.
What you can link to
- A video: people land on the video, ready to play. The youtu.be link from the Share button is shorter, which makes a simpler code.
- A specific moment: tick “Start at” in YouTube’s Share box to open the video at the right second, which is ideal for tutorials.
- A Short: paste the Short’s link.
- A playlist: paste the playlist link to play a series in order.
- Your channel: type your @handle, such as @yourchannel, and we build the link.
How it opens
On phones with the YouTube app, the video opens in the app, where people are already signed in and can subscribe, like and comment in one tap. Without the app, it opens in the browser. Either way, there’s nothing to install before watching.
Remove the tracking parameter
Links copied from the Share button often end in ?si=…. That part isn’t needed to play the video, and removing it makes the code simpler and easier to scan. Keep the t= part if you want a start time.
Ideas for YouTube QR codes
- Product packaging with set-up guides, recipes or care instructions
- Textbooks, worksheets and notice boards linking to lessons
- Property brochures with a video walk-through
- Posters for music releases, film trailers and events
- Restaurant tables showing how a signature dish is made
- Wedding cards with the couple’s story or a live stream of the ceremony
Grow your channel from print
If your goal is subscribers, link to your channel rather than a single video, and say so in the frame: “Subscribe for weekly recipes”. To promote a new video every month from the same printed code, use a dynamic QR code and change the link whenever you publish. You’ll also see how many scans each print brought in.
Check the video before printing
- Make sure the video isn’t private and isn’t age-restricted if your audience includes people who aren’t signed in.
- Check that it plays smoothly on mobile data, not just on WiFi.
- If the video is part of a series, add an end screen that points to the next one, so viewers stay with you.
Measure the results
YouTube Studio shows where views come from, but a QR code scan looks like any other direct visit. To see how many views each print brings, give each placement its own dynamic QR code and compare scans by day, city and device. You can then keep the posters that work and change the ones that don’t.
Print tips
Video links are short, so the code stays simple. Print it at least 2 cm wide on packaging and 3–4 cm on posters. Put a thumbnail or a play icon next to the code so people know a video is waiting.