End Screens help you to increase views, watch time and subscriptions to your YouTube channel. So here is your guide to End Screens, plus how to add an End Screen to your video. Check out Everything You Need To Know About Adding Cards To Your YouTube Videos too, if you want to increase views.

Included here will be a list of elements that you can add, all the restrictions of an End Screen and a few tips.

TL:DR? Watch the video below for everything you need to know about adding an End Screen in the NEW Studio:


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The video below is the old version for Classic Studio if you prefer that:

Sticking around for the article? What is an End Screen anyway?

What is an End Screen?

An End Screen is an overlay that sits on the end of your YouTube video and encourages your viewers to engage with your channel further. This is created in YouTube and NOT in the editing process – although you could design your video to best take advantage of the End Screen tool. There are restrictions so read on to understand what you cannot do with your End Screens.

So… how do you add an End Screen in YouTube?

How to add an End Screen.

    1. Firstly, log in to your account and, if the video already exists, go to your video list and hover over the video until the icons appear and select the Pen icon. This takes you to the Edit Screen and on the right hand side there are boxes – select the End Screen option.
    2. Alternatively, select the Create button on the top right and Upload Videos for new video. Select your video for upload and once the basic SD version of this has uploaded and processed you will be able to more on to press Next and move on to the Video Elements section. Select Import From Video in the grey Add An End Screen box to use an overlay that you have used before. Alternatively, select Add to build a new end screen.
    3. Note that we have an editing section on the left, a viewing screen on the right and a timeline below. The top line in the timeline is the End Screen section.
    4. Add End screen elements in and of these ways (The elements that you can add are listed below this how to add section):
      • Select +Element on the top left to add elements one by one.
      • Select Import From Video for a list of previous videos and End Screens to replicate.
      • Select one of the suggested overlays from the examples listed, including the first one which is from your last video. You can add one of these suggested overlays and then add in extra elements if you want to.
      • Click on the viewer screen to open a drop down of choices to add.
      • Click on the + icon in the End Screen section of the timeline.
    5. Move the elements by clicking on and dragging them in the viewer to place them where you want.
    6. Resize the elements in the viewer by hovering over the corners and then clicking and pulling them in or out.
    7. Select the element to edit characteristics of by:
      • Clicking on the element in the viewer.
      • Clicking on the element bar in the timeline.
    8. Notice that selecting an element will turn the bar in the timeline blue and show options in the editing section.
    9. Edit characteristics of the selected element in the editing section, such as:
      • Selecting which video you want to link to or appearance of buttons.
      • Change the timing of the video by typing in the timings manually into the top left of the edit section or by clicking and dragging the ends of the bars (the cursor will turn into 2 way arrow) in the timeline. Click and drag the bar from the middle (the cursor will turn into 4 way arrow) to place the element in different sections of the video.
      • Delete the element by selecting the Trash icon.
    10. Link to a video that is not your own by selecting the “Choose specific video” option in the editing section. You can then use the video’s title or web address to search for and then select it.
    11. Select the vertical playhead line in the timeline by hovering over until a vertical bar with a double headed arrow appears and drag this to where you want to start playing the video and press spacebar to start or stop play to review how the End Screen looks.
    12. REMEMBER TO PRESS SAVE! Press Next to move on to the rest of the process.

If something is not working as it should, scroll down to review the restrictions of End Screens and you may find the answer. Wondering are the elements that you can add to the an End Screen?

What can you add to an End Screen?

The elements that you can add to an End Screen are:

  1. Video – separate video, any video on YouTube.
  2. Playlist – a playlist of videos, yours or someone elses.
  3. Subscription button.
  4. Link to Channel – someone else’s.
  5. Website link – to an external website BUT you must be on the YouTube Partner Program (see below).

So what can’t you do with End Screens?

What are the restrictions of End Screens??

The restrictions to End Screens are:

  1. Your video must be at least 25 seconds long to have an End Screen.
  2. Your End Screen must be between 5-20 seconds long.
  3. You can only place End Screens in the last 20 seconds of the video.
  4. At least one of your elements must be a video or a playlist.
  5. You can have up to 4 elements on your End Screen but no more (at present).
  6. You have a restricted area within which you can place elements and you are limited to how big or small you can make those elements (see video).
  7. Other elements or overlays that were sitting across the video before the End Screen will disappear whilst it is up, e.g. water marks.
  8. You cannot have End Screens on videos that you have identified as Made For Kids.
  9. If you want to add an external link you must be on the YouTube Partner Program; this has a set of requirements to join, including having 1000 subscribers and over 4000 watch hours in the last year.
  10. The End Screen should show up on apps in mobile devices but may not show up in the browser in these devices.


Useful End Screen tips.

  1. Do design your end credit to take your End Screen into account – leaving the desired space on screen and timings, plus any useful calls to action and graphics.
  2. Save time and reuse the End Screen you have created across other videos by selecting the “Import from video” button that sits in the Video Elements section.

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