YouTube end screens: duration, elements and how to add one

The YouTube end screen is added to the last 5 to 20 seconds of a video and, on 16:9 videos, supports up to four elements: other videos, a playlist, a subscribe button, another channel and, if you are in the Partner Program, a link to a website. The video has to be at least 25 seconds long, and YouTube recommends reserving the last 20 when editing it.

What the end screen is and how long it lasts

It is the final stretch of the video where you can show elements to, for example, promote other videos or encourage people to subscribe. Its rules, according to YouTube's help on end screens:

Rule	What YouTube says
How long it lasts	The last 5 to 20 seconds of the video.
Minimum video length	25 seconds.
Elements	Up to four on videos with a 16:9 aspect ratio; other aspect ratios may have a lower limit.
While it is showing	Other interactive elements, such as card teasers and watermarks, are suppressed.
Where it does not show	On videos set as made for kids, in the YouTube Music and YouTube Kids apps, on Flash videos, on the mobile web (except the iPad mobile web) and on 360° videos.

In addition, users can hide end screens while watching the video, and YouTube warns that yours may not always appear or may be displayed differently from how you designed it, because it optimises them based on performance, user behaviour, devices and context.

Which elements you can add

• Video. Your latest upload, a specific video or the video on your channel that best suits each user, chosen by YouTube.
• Playlist. A public YouTube playlist; if your videos come in series, it is the natural element (how to organise them, in YouTube playlists).
• Subscribe. Encourages users to subscribe to your channel.
• Channel. Promotes another channel with a personalised message.
• Link. Only if you are part of the YouTube Partner Program: a link to an external website, which has to comply with its policies.

There are also templates, which are sets of elements you can customise. And the dimensions? Elements are placed by dragging them over the video preview, with an optional grid and the “Snap to grid” or “Snap to element” options. If you use a custom image, YouTube recommends it be at least 300x300 pixels.

How to add an end screen

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio and, in the left-hand menu, select Content.
2. Click the title or thumbnail of the video you want to edit.
3. In the left-hand menu, select Editor.
4. Select End screen and choose the element you want to add, or apply a template.
5. Adjust when each element appears and disappears by dragging the ends of its timeline, or type a specific timestamp.
6. Press the play button to see the preview and click Save.

By default, all elements appear at the same time, but you can make each one show at a different moment. And you do not have to wait for the video to be published: you can also add and customise the end screen while you upload it. Where each option in the panel is, in YouTube Studio: what it is and what each section is for.

How to reserve those seconds in the script

YouTube's recommendation is to leave enough time and space at the end of the video and, when editing it, to reserve the last 20 seconds for the end screen. If the video is narrated, those seconds are decided beforehand, in the script:

1. Write a closing section with its length in mind. With the reference of 150 words per minute that the Estudio de Canales uses to estimate narration length, 20 seconds is about 50 words. Your voice or the chosen voice may run a little faster or slower: check the real time when you listen to it.
2. Nothing new in the closing. The elements are placed over the image and the viewer is about to choose the next video: it is the moment to recap and to recommend, not to give the key fact.
3. Leave space in the image. A calm shot, with no important text in the areas where the elements will go.
4. Have the voice point to the elements. YouTube recommends including elements relevant to the video and using calls to action. Saying which video you recommend and why works better than leaving it there with no explanation.

For example, the closing of an episode of a history series could be: “That's the story of the first railway line. In the next episode, we ride the train that crossed the mountains; you'll find it right here. And if you'd rather watch them all in order, the full series playlist is right next to it. Thanks for joining us to the last station.” That is about 50 words, close to 20 seconds at that pace.

Info cards

Info cards are the other interactive element, and they appear at the moment of the video you choose, not only at the end:

• You can add a maximum of 5 cards to each video.
• They can link to a public YouTube video, a public playlist, a channel and, if you are part of the Partner Program, an external website.
• They are added in the same way as the end screen: Content, the video, Editor and then the cards section.
• You can add a message and teaser text; on channel cards, including both is mandatory.
• They are not available on videos made for kids.
• They are not shown if the video has a Content ID claim and the content owner has created a campaign.

While the video plays, the user sees a teaser for the time you set; if it is not shown, they can hover over the player and click the card icon. Cards also appear below the video description. A simple way to combine the two: a card when you mention another episode midway through the video, and the end screen for the next step.

How to tell whether they work

End screen performance is viewed in the Engagement tab of YouTube Analytics. On a specific video, the “End screen element click rate” card says how often its elements have been clicked. For the whole channel, “Top end screen element types” compares the element types and “Top videos by end screen” shows the videos whose end screens get the most clicks. How to read the rest of the figures, in YouTube metrics.

What the Estudio de Canales does

The Estudio de Canales does not add end screens or cards: that is done in YouTube Studio, during the upload or afterwards. What you can do in the studio is prepare the video to receive them:

• 16:9 video. The preview comes out at 1280×720 and the master at 1920×1080, the aspect ratio in which up to four elements fit.
• The voice sets the length. Each scene lasts as long as its audio, so the seconds of the end screen have to be narrated in the script.
• The closing is written with the script. When the outline is generated with AI, it is asked for a closing that fulfils the video's promise; the brief is asked for the call to action, and the channel bible has a field for calls to action. And the script, with its closing, is approved by a person before the video is produced.
• The last scene, still. Each scene carries its movement (ken burns, pan, zoom or still); on the closing one, a still shot leaves the image calm for the elements.

Afterwards, when you upload the video in YouTube Studio, you add the end screen and the cards. If the video is set as made for kids, you will not be able to use them (what else changes, in made for kids content on YouTube). The rest of what is worth checking before publishing is in the checklist for publishing a video on YouTube.

Sources consulted

Checked on 11 October 2026. We link to the original source so that you can consult the current text.

• Añadir pantallas finales a vídeos. Google · Ayuda de YouTube.
• Subir vídeos de YouTube. Google · Ayuda de YouTube.
• Añadir tarjetas de información a vídeos. Google · Ayuda de YouTube.