How to Add a YouTube Link to Your Instagram Story

To add a YouTube link to your Instagram story, copy the video's link from YouTube's Share button, start a story in Instagram, tap Stickers, choose Link and paste it in. Anyone who taps the sticker goes straight to the video. Every account can use the Link sticker except brand new accounts and ones that repeatedly break Instagram's Community Guidelines.

Copy the link from YouTube

Start in the YouTube app, on the video you want to promote:

1. Open the video.
2. Tap Share, under the video player.
3. Tap Copy link.

If you want the video to start partway through, for example at the moment the recipe starts or the song kicks in, open Share and turn on the Minute : Second toggle before you copy the link.

The share menu also lets you pick another app to send the link to. YouTube's help center doesn't list a dedicated "share to Instagram Stories" option, so the dependable route is the one above: copy the link, then add it yourself with Instagram's Link sticker. That way you control what the story looks like and where the sticker sits.

Add the link to your story with the Link sticker

With the link copied, switch to Instagram:

1. Start a story and add a photo or video as the background.
2. Tap Stickers at the top of the screen.
3. Select Link.
4. Paste your YouTube link into the URL box.
5. Tap Customize sticker text if you want the sticker to say something like "Watch the full video". If you skip this, the sticker shows the web address.
6. Tap Done.
7. Drag the sticker where you want it, and tap it to switch between color styles.
8. Post the story.

When someone taps the sticker, Instagram sends them to the linked page, which opens your video.

Plan on one link per story. If you want to share two videos, put each one on its own slide.

Make the story worth tapping

The sticker is only half the story. The background is what makes someone stop. A few things that work well:

• A clip or still from your own video. A few seconds of the best moment, with the sticker underneath, tells people exactly what they're about to watch.
• A clear reason to tap. Customize the sticker text with what the viewer gets: "Full tutorial", "New episode", "Watch the reveal".
• Room around the sticker. Keep text and faces away from where the sticker sits so nothing important is covered.

Only post clips of your own videos, or ones you have the rights to share.

Keep the story up after 24 hours

Stories disappear from Feed, your profile and Direct after 24 hours. To keep the link available, add the story to a highlight:

1. Go to your profile and start a new highlight.
2. Name it, for example "YouTube" or "Videos".
3. Select the stories with your video links.
4. Choose a cover and save.

Highlights stay on your profile until you remove them, even after the original story has expired. Your past stories are also saved to your Stories Archive, so you can add older video stories to the highlight later.

When the Link sticker is missing or won't work

If Link doesn't show up when you tap Stickers:

• Update Instagram. Instagram's help center says to install the latest version from the App Store or Google Play Store when stickers are missing. It also notes that not every sticker is available to everyone.
• Check your account's age and standing. New accounts and accounts that repeatedly share content against the Community Guidelines, such as hate speech or misinformation, don't get the Link sticker.
• Check if the story is an ad. Link stickers only work in regular, organic stories. Stories ads use a call-to-action sticker instead, and you can't create partnership ads from stories that have organic link stickers.

Follower count is no longer a factor. Since October 27, 2021, the Link sticker has been open to all accounts, not just verified ones or those above a follower threshold. For more on the sticker itself, see our full guide on how to add a link to an Instagram story.

Put your YouTube channel in your Instagram bio

A story link lasts a day. A bio link lasts until you change it, which makes your bio the better home for your channel as a whole. Instagram lets you add up to 5 websites to your profile, and anyone, on or off Instagram, can see them.

On iPhone:

1. Go to your profile.
2. Tap Edit profile.
3. Tap Links, then Add external link.
4. Paste your channel's URL and tap Done.

Our guide on how to add a link to your Instagram bio covers the rest, including the Reorder links and Remove link options.

It works the other way too. Your YouTube channel page can show up to 14 clickable profile links, so your Instagram can sit right there for YouTube viewers. Our pillar guide on adding links to your YouTube channel shows how to set those up. One thing to know: URLs in Shorts descriptions and comments are not clickable, so links to Instagram belong on your channel page or in long-form descriptions. See how to put links in a YouTube description for the details.

Use one Olaa page for your channel and everything else

If you're juggling a YouTube channel, a shop, a newsletter and a few socials, five bio links fill up fast. Olaa gives you one short link, olaa.im/yourname, that opens a page with all of it, and setting it up takes a few minutes with no code.

On the free plan you get unlimited links and video players that play on the page, YouTube included, so someone can start watching your latest upload without leaving your page. It also includes featured cards for the video you're pushing this week, social icons, a QR code and 7 days of analytics. Olaa Pro, $8 a month or $72 a year, adds scheduled links that go live at a time you set, up to 10 pages and 30 and 90 day analytics. See how it looks on Olaa for Instagram.

FAQ

Can I share a YouTube video directly to my Instagram story?

YouTube's help center doesn't document a direct share to Instagram Stories. The reliable way is to tap Share, then Copy link in YouTube, and add the link to your story with Instagram's Link sticker.

Do I need 10,000 followers to add a YouTube link to my story?

No. Since October 27, 2021, the Link sticker has been available to all accounts. The exceptions are new accounts and accounts that repeatedly break the Community Guidelines.

Can I add a YouTube Shorts link to my Instagram story?

Yes. Open the Short, tap Share, copy the link and paste it into a Link sticker the same way you would a regular video.

How do I make the link start at a certain point in the video?

In YouTube, tap Share and turn on the Minute : Second toggle for the moment you want before copying the link. The sticker will open the video at that time.

Why can't I find the Link sticker on Instagram?

Update the app first, since Instagram says to get the latest version when stickers are missing. New accounts and accounts with repeated Community Guidelines violations don't have the sticker, and it isn't available in story ads.

How do I keep my YouTube link on Instagram longer than 24 hours?

Add the story to a highlight on your profile, where it stays until you remove it. For a permanent link to your channel, add it to your profile under Edit profile, then Links.