YouTube end screens and cards: how to add them

Both point viewers to more of your content, but at different moments. An end screen catches people who watched to the end, the viewers most likely to want more. A card catches people mid-video, at the moment you mention something related:

Sources: YouTube Help: Add end screens to videos, checked 14 October 2026; YouTube Help: Add cards to videos, checked 14 October 2026

End screens are added after upload, in the video's Editor. If you use the same layout on every video, save time with a template:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. Select Content in the left menu.
3. Click the video's title or thumbnail.
4. Select Editor in the left menu.
5. Select End screen, then choose an element type, or Apply template to reuse a layout.
6. Click Save.

Source: YouTube Help: Add end screens to videos, checked 14 October 2026

Videos in other aspect ratios may allow fewer than four elements. YouTube also says end screens may show differently than designed as it improves them, so preview the result on the watch page after saving.

Two or three elements are usually enough. A subscribe element plus one clear next video gives viewers a simple choice.

• Video: your latest upload, a video YouTube picks for each viewer, or a specific video.
• Playlist: any public YouTube playlist.
• Subscribe: a button to subscribe to your channel.
• Channel: another channel, with a custom message.
• Link: an external website, if you're in the YouTube Partner Program and the site follows YouTube's policies.

Source: YouTube Help: Add end screens to videos, checked 14 October 2026

Cards show below the video description, and viewers on a computer can open them from the card icon on the player. If a video has several cards, viewers can scroll through them while it plays. Use the teaser text to say why the linked video is worth watching, in a few words.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio and select Content.
2. Click the video, then select Editor.
3. Select Info cards and choose the card type.
4. Set the card's start time under the video.
5. Add an optional message and teaser text. Channel cards need both.
6. Click Save.

Source: YouTube Help: Add cards to videos, checked 14 October 2026

Before you rely on them, know where viewers won't see them. Because some viewers will never see an end screen, say the next step out loud in the video as well:

• Videos set as made for kids: neither shows, even if you added them earlier.
• End screens don't show on mobile web (except iPad), in YouTube Music or YouTube Kids, or on 360 videos, and viewers can hide them.
• Cards won't show if the video has a Content ID claim and the content owner has set up a campaign.
• A video with cards won't show a Call-to-Action overlay.

Sources: YouTube Help: Add end screens to videos, checked 14 October 2026; YouTube Help: Add cards to videos, checked 14 October 2026

YouTube's own advice to creators is to help viewers keep watching through series, playlists, end screens and calls to action. For a small business that usually means:

1. Plan the last 20 seconds while filming: leave space on screen and say what to watch next.
2. Point the end screen at the next video in a series or a playlist, not just your latest upload.
3. Add a card at the moment you mention another video, so the link appears exactly when it's relevant.
4. Use a subscribe element on every video; it costs nothing and reminds people.
5. Once you're in the Partner Program, add a link element to your booking page or shop.

Source: YouTube Help: YouTube's Recommendation System, checked 14 October 2026

Think about what a viewer who watched to the end is ready for. They liked the video, so the next step should be small and obvious:

• After a how-to video: the next video in the series, plus subscribe.
• After a product or service video: a playlist of customer questions, plus subscribe.
• After a video that answers a common question: your best-performing video on a related question.
• Once you're in the Partner Program: a link element to your booking page, shop or quote form.

Source: YouTube Help: Add end screens to videos, checked 14 October 2026

End screens and cards are added in YouTube Studio after upload. Zolyp, which publishes this guide, publishes to YouTube as one of 9 platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads). It creates video uploads and Shorts with titles and descriptions written for search, can set a custom thumbnail on a standard video, and schedules them with the posts on your other networks. You approve the week before anything goes live.