To copy a YouTube Shorts link, open the Short, tap or click Share under the player, then choose Copy link. The link is now on your clipboard, ready to paste into a chat, a comment, a document or a downloader. That is the whole answer for most people. The rest of this guide covers the small differences between Android, iPhone and a computer, the two URL shapes you will see, what to do when Share is missing or copies the wrong thing, and what you can do with the link once you have it.
Copy a Shorts link in the YouTube app on Android
YouTube's own help page for sharing videos describes the Android flow in three steps: select the video you would like to share, tap Share under the player, then select Copy link or choose an app to share through. The help page does not have a separate section for Shorts, but the Shorts player has the same Share button and it does the same job.
- Open the YouTube app and play the Short you want to link to.
- Find the row of buttons beside or under the video and tap Share.
- In the sheet that opens, tap Copy link.
- Open the app where you want the link, long-press in the text field and tap Paste.
If you would rather send the link straight to WhatsApp, Instagram or email, pick that app in the Share sheet instead of Copy link. The result is the same URL. YouTube simply hands it to the other app for you.
Copy a Shorts link on iPhone and iPad
The iPhone flow is the same Share then Copy link sequence. Open the Short, tap Share, then tap Copy link in the sheet that appears. Button labels can differ slightly between app versions, and your phone's own sharing options may appear in the same sheet, so look for the Copy link option before you pick an app.
To paste the link, tap and hold in any text field and choose Paste. If the paste gives you something other than a YouTube address, go back to the Short and copy again. Another app may have replaced the clipboard contents in between.
Copy a Shorts link on a computer
On a desktop or laptop browser you have two options, and both give you a working link.
Use the Share button. YouTube's help page says to click Share under the video, then click the Copy button in the panel to copy a link to the video. On a Short, the Share button sits with the other controls next to the player. The same panel has a "Start at" box that lets you add a timestamp, such as 2:30, so the video opens at that moment. Shorts are rarely long enough for that to matter, but the option is there if you want it.
Copy the address bar. Click once in the browser's address bar, select the whole URL and copy it with Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on a Mac. This gives you the Shorts URL exactly as your browser shows it, with no extra step.
The two URL shapes you will see
A copied Shorts link usually looks like one of these:
- youtube.com/shorts/VIDEOID
- youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEOID
The part that matters is VIDEOID, the string of letters, numbers, dashes and underscores after /shorts/ or after v=. Both shapes point to the same video. The /shorts/ form opens it in the vertical Shorts player, while the /watch form opens it on the regular video page. Swapping one form for the other by hand works, because the ID is the same, and most tools that accept YouTube links accept both.
You may also see a youtu.be link, which is YouTube's own shortened address. It carries the same video ID after the slash and opens the same video. Some share sheets hand out the youtu.be form rather than the full address, and that is normal.
Links sometimes arrive with extra pieces after the ID, such as a ?si= code or a feature tag. These are tracking parameters. You can leave them in place or delete them, and the video opens either way.
When Share is missing or the wrong link copies
A few things can get in the way:
- You are on the channel page or the Shorts shelf, not inside the Short. Tap the Short to open it in the player first. Copying from a shelf or a profile often gives you the channel URL instead of the video.
- The buttons are hidden. On a phone, tap once on the video to bring the controls back. On a computer, move the mouse over the player.
- The link copied as the channel page. Check what you pasted. If it contains /@channelname or /channel/ rather than /shorts/ or watch?v=, go back, open the Short itself and use its Share button.
- Nothing is copying. Close and reopen the YouTube app, or open the Short in Chrome or Safari and copy the address bar instead.
- The Short is private or unlisted. You can still copy its link if you can see the video, but anyone who opens it needs the same access you have. A private Short shows an error to viewers who have not been invited.
What you can do with a Shorts link
Once the link is on your clipboard you have a few useful options.
Send it. Paste it into WhatsApp, Telegram, a comment, an email or a document. YouTube links unfurl into a preview on most platforms, so the recipient sees the thumbnail and title before they tap.
Embed it. Many website builders and blog platforms turn a pasted YouTube link into an embedded player, and Shorts embed the same way regular videos do. If your platform needs an embed code instead, YouTube provides one for any public video.
Download your own Short. If the Short is yours, or you have permission from its owner to reuse it, paste the link into the CapsAI YouTube Shorts downloader. It takes a public Shorts link and saves the video as an MP4 without adding a CapsAI watermark. Private or unlisted Shorts cannot be fetched, and the downloader does not save the captions as a separate file. For a longer walkthrough, read how to download YouTube Shorts. If a link refuses to download, why some YouTube Shorts cannot be downloaded explains the usual causes and what to try.
Caption it and repost. A common reason to download your own Short is to add burned-in captions before posting the same clip to Instagram Reels or another platform. Upload the MP4 to the YouTube Shorts subtitle generator, choose the spoken language, check the timed draft against the audio and export an MP4 with the captions burned in. CapsAI accepts MP4 or MOV files up to 10 minutes long and supports 11 spoken languages, including Hinglish in Roman script. It does not export SRT files and does not translate. New accounts get 3 free minutes, one-time packs start at ₹49, and watermark-free export comes with every paid pack. The full process is in how to add subtitles to YouTube Shorts.
Quick reference by device
| Device | Where the Share button is | What you tap next |
|---|---|---|
| Android, YouTube app | In the button row beside or under the Short | Copy link |
| iPhone or iPad, YouTube app | In the button row beside or under the Short | Copy link |
| Computer, any browser | Under the video with the other controls, or skip it and copy the address bar | Copy |
Permission and copyright
Copying a link is always fine. The link is public information, and sharing it is how YouTube is meant to work. Downloading the video behind the link is a different matter. YouTube's terms restrict downloading to the features YouTube itself provides, and the person who uploaded the Short holds the copyright to it.
Keep downloads to Shorts you made yourself or Shorts whose owner has given you permission to reuse them. That covers the common legitimate cases: pulling your own clip back when the original file is gone, moving your Short to another platform with new captions, or working on a client's video with their agreement. If you want to use someone else's Short, ask them first, or share the link instead so viewers watch it on their channel and the views count for them.
Checklist
- Open the Short itself, not the channel or the Shorts shelf.
- Tap or click Share, then Copy link (or Copy on a computer).
- Paste it and check that it contains /shorts/ or watch?v= followed by the video ID.
- Share it, embed it, or, if it is your own public Short, download it and caption it before you repost.
