YouTube End Screen and Cards Planner: timing, elements and layout
Plan a video's end screen and cards, check them against YouTube's rules and brief your editor.
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About the YouTube End Screen and Cards Planner
Enter the video's length and shape, whether it is made for kids and whether your channel is in the YouTube Partner Program, then choose the end screen's length, its elements and up to 5 cards. You see a timeline of the video with the end screen and cards, checks against YouTube's rules, a suggested layout and an editing brief to copy. It runs in your browser and does not connect to YouTube.
How it works
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Step 1
Enter the video's length and shape, and answer the made-for-kids and Partner Program questions.
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Step 2
Choose the end screen length and elements, and add the time and type of each card.
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Step 3
Fix what is flagged, copy the brief for your editor, then add the end screen and cards in YouTube Studio.
YouTube's end screen rules
An end screen appears in the last 5 to 20 seconds of a video that is at least 25 seconds long. A 16:9 video can have up to 4 elements; YouTube says other aspect ratios may have a lower limit. Elements can be a video, a playlist, a subscribe button, a channel, or a link to an external website for Partner Program members. Viewers can hide end screens, and they do not show on mobile web, in YouTube Music or on 360 videos.
Cards
A video can have up to 5 cards, each pointing to a video, a playlist, a channel or a link; YouTube says the Link card requires Partner Programme membership. Channel cards need a message and teaser text. End screens and cards are not available on videos made for kids, and cards are not shown when a Content ID campaign is set up.
What this tool cannot do
It plans; it does not add anything to your video, because it does not sign in to YouTube. The layout is our suggestion, not YouTube's: you place the elements yourself in YouTube Studio, so leave that part of the picture clear when you edit. YouTube can change these rules; this tool follows YouTube Help.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a YouTube end screen be?
Between 5 and 20 seconds, at the very end of the video, and the video must be at least 25 seconds long. Our suggestion: plan those last seconds in the edit, with space where the elements will sit, so they do not cover faces or text.
How many end screen elements can I add?
Up to 4 on a 16:9 video. YouTube says other aspect ratios may have a lower limit, so a square or vertical video may allow fewer. Elements can be a video, a playlist, a subscribe button, a channel, or a link to an external website for Partner Program members.
Why can I not add an end screen or cards?
Check that the video is at least 25 seconds long and is not set as made for kids; end screens and cards are not available on videos made for kids. Link elements and Link cards also need YouTube Partner Program membership.
How many cards can a YouTube video have?
Up to 5. Each card can point to a video, a playlist, a channel or a link, and the Link card needs Partner Programme membership. A channel card needs a message and teaser text. Cards are not shown on videos made for kids or when a Content ID campaign is set up.
Where should end screen elements go?
You place them yourself in YouTube Studio. Our suggestion: keep video tiles to one side and the subscribe button in a corner, leave that space free of faces and text in the last seconds, and say what viewers should watch next. The planner draws one layout and writes a brief for your editor.
Sources and checks
Rules last checked
The YouTube End Screen and Cards Planner follows these official pages:
- Add end screens to videos (support.google.com)
- Add info cards to videos (support.google.com)
- Features on made for kids content (support.google.com)
Scores, limits and suggestions marked "our checklist", "our measure" or "our suggestion" are ours, not Google's or the platform's. How our tools work
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