How to Share Timestamped Video Links in Telegram: Precision Seek URLs, Reply Timecodes & In-Chat Scrubbing
Direct your audience straight to the pivotal moment without forcing them to manually scrub through hour-long streams. Discover how to share timestamped video links using URL query parameters, and how typing simple timecodes like 1:46 in reply messages automatically creates instant seek hyperlinks inside Telegram chats.
Links generated with ?t=106 launch the in-app player right at the target second without buffering delay.
Replying to any video with a timecode format (e.g. 2:15) auto-converts into an interactive clickable seek link.
Works seamlessly across native Telegram video files, shared YouTube embeds, Vimeo, and podcast streams.
play_circle Feature Demonstration Video
tune Interactive Timestamp & Timecode Simulator
Drag the scrubber bar to generate an exact timestamped URL or test clicking reply timecodes.
terminal MTProto Layer 174 Timecode Entity Parsing
How Telegram parses timecodes inside messages and executes video player seek commands.
Timestamp support in Telegram operates across two distinct but complementary mechanisms:
- Universal URL Parameters: When copying a post link, appending
?t=1m46sor?t=106embeds the seek offset into the URL query string. When resolved by the receiving app, Telegram decodes the offset parameter and commands the video decoder to jump straight to that I-frame (Keyframe). - In-Reply Regex Parser: If you reply to a message containing a video with plain text numbers formatted as
MM:SS(e.g.03:12) orHH:MM:SS(e.g.1:15:30), Telegram's client engine dynamically parses the string as an interactive timestamp seek button, without requiring manual markdown or HTML link tagging. - Fast Keyframe Seeking: Telegram streams video MP4 moov atoms first, enabling instant precision seeking even if the 2GB video file hasn't been completely downloaded to local storage.
checklist How to Use Timestamped Video Links
Share exact scenes in seconds.
Open any video in Telegram's built-in player and pause playback at the exact timestamp you want to share.
Tap the share button or the three-dot player menu. Select Copy Link at [MM:SS]. The clipboard now contains the precision deep-link URL.
Swipe left to reply to any video message in a chat and type 1:46. Telegram will automatically format the numbers into a clickable timestamp link for all chat members.
table_chart Timestamp Syntax Compatibility Matrix
| Format / Syntax | Example Output | Supported Media Types | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL Query Parameter | t.me/channel/12?t=2m15s |
Native Telegram Channels & Groups | Opens post and launches player directly at 2m 15s. |
| Reply Timecode (MM:SS) | Reply: Check 04:30 |
In-Chat Videos & YouTube Links | Converts text into blue hyperlink that seeks on tap. |
| Hours Syntax (HH:MM:SS) | Reply: Keynote at 1:12:05 |
Long-form Podcasts & Video Recordings | Supports multi-hour timestamps seamlessly. |
help Frequently Asked Questions
2:45 creates a clickable link that opens the YouTube in-app player right at that exact minute.
?t=... parameter and cues the HTML5 video player to seek immediately to that second once the video metadata loads.
12:40) to jump to specific podcast chapters or song segments.
