YouTube end screens are the last 5 to 20 seconds of a video where you point viewers to what they should watch next: another video, a playlist, your channel, a subscribe button or, for Partner Program channels, your website. For brand channels they are one of the cheapest growth levers on the platform, because every view you have already earned gets a second chance to become a session.
The short answer: plan the ending in the edit, not in Studio afterwards. Give viewers one obvious next step that matches why they came, leave clean space on screen for it, and judge the result on the end screen element click rate report rather than on gut feel.
The short version
- End screens need a video of at least 25 seconds and can hold up to four elements on a standard 16:9 video. External links are for Partner Program channels only.
- YouTube may not show your end screen exactly as designed. Its Help page says display can change based on performance, viewer behaviour, device and context.
- Viewers can hide end screens since September 2025, but YouTube reported a drop of under 1.5% in views from end screens during testing.
- Cards and end screens do different jobs. Cards (up to five) work mid video; end screens work at the finish. Card teasers are suppressed while an end screen is showing.
- The next step matters more than the number of elements. One relevant video or playlist, a spoken call to action and clear space on screen beats a crowded wall of tiles.
What are YouTube end screens and cards?
An end screen is a set of clickable elements that appears over the final 5 to 20 seconds of a long form video. YouTube Help lists four element types: a video or playlist (the playlist must be public), a subscribe element, a channel element and a link element. Link elements, which can send viewers to an approved external website, are only available to channels in the YouTube Partner Program.
Cards are small interactive notices that slide in during a video. You can add up to five per video, and they can point to a video, a playlist, a channel or, again for Partner Program channels, a link, according to YouTube Help on cards. A viewer first sees a short teaser at the time you choose, then can open the card. Neither cards nor end screens are available on videos set as made for kids.
| Tool | Where it appears | Limits | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| End screen | Last 5 to 20 seconds of a video of 25 seconds or more | Up to 4 elements on 16:9; links need YPP | The single best next video or playlist |
| Cards | Any point in the video, shown as a teaser | Up to 5 per video; links need YPP | A deeper explainer at the moment a topic comes up |
| Related Video link | Below the channel handle in the Shorts player | One video; needs advanced feature access | Moving Shorts viewers to a long form video |
| Series playlist or show | Watch page, search, Recommended shows | A video can sit in only one series playlist | Episodic content viewers should watch in order |
Sources: YouTube Help pages on end screens, cards, Related Video and series playlists, checked 20 October 2026.
What changed: the Hide button and performance based display
Two changes matter for anyone planning YouTube end screens in 2026. First, viewers can now dismiss them. YouTube began testing a Hide option in March 2025, reported by Tubefilter, and rolled it out to everyone in September 2025. YouTube said the option resulted in a less than 1.5% decrease in views from end screens in a global mobile experiment, as quoted by Social Media Today. Hiding only applies to the video being watched; it is not a permanent setting.
Second, the official Help page now warns that your end screen may not always show, or may show differently than designed, based on performance, viewer behaviour, device and context. End screens are also not shown on mobile web (iPad excepted), in the YouTube Music or YouTube Kids apps, or in 360 videos. So make your spoken call to action carry the message on its own.
“The goal is to make your end screens so engaging that viewers want to click on them, not click to hide them!” Rene Ritchie, YouTube Creator Liaison
Ritchie, writing on the YouTube Official Blog in December 2025, also reminded creators not to let overlays cover visuals the audience wants to see.
YouTube end screen best practices: 6 steps for brand channels
These steps are Advertain guidance built on the official rules above.
1. Decide the next step before you shoot
Every video should have one intended next video or playlist, written into the brief and the script. Our YouTube script template has a payoff and next step section for exactly this.
2. Build 5 to 20 seconds of clean space into the edit
YouTube’s own advice is to leave enough space and time at the end for an end screen. In practice that means an outro shot with a calm background, the presenter to one side and no captions or product shots where the tiles will sit.
3. Feature one hero element, not four
Four elements is a ceiling, not a target. YouTube offers three options for the video element: your most recent upload, a specific video, or best for viewer, which lets YouTube pick a video from your channel to suit each viewer.
4. Say it out loud
YouTube recommends encouraging clicks with calls to action for each element. A spoken line naming the next video works even when YouTube changes the layout or the device does not show end screens.
5. Use cards earlier, not as a second end screen
Cards are for the moment a topic comes up mid video. Place them where your audience retention graph is stable rather than just before a known drop, and remember card teasers are hidden while the end screen is on screen.
6. Measure, then change one thing at a time
Check the end screen element click rate report in the Engagement tab of YouTube Analytics for each video, and the Top end screen element types card to compare element types, as described in YouTube Help. Then change one thing at a time. Our guide to YouTube Analytics covers where each report sits.
What is a good end screen click rate?
There is no official YouTube benchmark, and we could not find a large, published study with a clear method. The figures that circulate come from tool vendors and single channels, so treat them as indicative only. TubeBuddy reports its own channel average sits around 5.5%, with top performing end screens above 15%. TubeMilestone suggests 2% to 5% is typical for channels with moderate engagement, 6% to 10% for loyal communities or strong verbal calls to action, and 1% to 2% for entertainment, without publishing a dataset.
End screen click rates quoted by tool vendors (indicative only)
Compare against your own channel average instead. A low rate usually means an irrelevant target, no spoken prompt, or an ending that loses viewers first.
Playlists, series and shows: where the end screen should point
Playlists turn one view into several. YouTube Analytics counts traffic from any playlist that includes one of your videos as the Playlists traffic source, separate from End screens and Channel pages, as defined in YouTube Help on traffic sources.
A series playlist lets you mark a playlist as an official set of videos that should be viewed together, so other episodes can be featured and recommended while someone watches one. A video cannot sit in more than one series playlist, according to YouTube Help on series playlists. Shows go further: YouTube describes them as collections of episodes with a clear connection, which may appear in search and under Recommended shows and Continue watching, per YouTube Help on shows. We cover planning episodic content in our guide to the branded content series.
Do end screens work on YouTube Shorts?
The official end screen Help page does not list Shorts, and it does not say how end screens behave on TV apps, so we would not plan around either. For Shorts, the tool YouTube built is the Related Video link: it shows a clickable link below your channel handle in the Shorts player and can point to any public or unlisted video on your channel, according to YouTube Help on Related Video. It needs advanced feature access.
Links in Shorts comments and descriptions stopped being clickable from 31 August 2023, reported by TechCrunch, so the Related Video link is the main route from a Short to your long form work. YouTube’s July 2026 Related videos traffic guide advises matching intent, such as linking a quick tip to the full tutorial. Our guide on how to repurpose long form video shows how to plan clips with that link in mind.
A worked example (fictional)
Imagine a kitchenware brand, Harrow Kitchen, running a weekly YouTube series of 12 minute recipes. Each episode ends with the chef stepping to the left of frame for 15 seconds while saying, “If you want the knife skills behind this, watch the next episode right here.” The end screen has one large element pointing to the series playlist and a subscribe element on the right. Every recipe Short carries a Related Video link to the full episode, and the team reviews click rates monthly. This example is illustrative, not a client result.
For real outcomes, our own work includes taking Paul Ribot from 0 to 30,000 subscribers in 75 days and over 7M views for Formula E across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. End screens amplify good content; they do not replace it. See more on our work page, and read our guide on how to get more subscribers on YouTube for the wider growth picture.
YouTube end screens checklist
| Check | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Next step chosen | One target video or playlist written into the brief and script |
| Clean outro | 5 to 20 seconds of footage with clear space where tiles sit, no captions underneath |
| Spoken call to action | A line that names the next video and works even if tiles are hidden |
| Element count | One hero video or playlist plus subscribe; four only when each earns its place |
| Video element option | Specific video for planned journeys; best for viewer for deep evergreen libraries |
| Cards placed mid video | Up to five, timed to the moment a topic comes up |
| Shorts covered | Related Video link set on every Short that has a natural long form follow up |
| Playlists and shows | Episodic content in a series playlist or show, mirrored on the channel home tab |
| Measured monthly | End screen element click rate reviewed per video; one change at a time |
Advertain guidance based on YouTube Help documentation, October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is a YouTube end screen used for?
To send viewers who reach the end of a video to a next step: another video or playlist, your channel, a subscribe prompt or, for Partner Program channels, an approved website.
How long are YouTube end screens?
End screens can be added to the last 5 to 20 seconds of a video, and the video must be at least 25 seconds long.
Do end screens work on YouTube Shorts?
YouTube’s end screen documentation does not cover Shorts. Use the Related Video link instead, which adds a clickable link to one of your videos below your channel handle in the Shorts player.
What is the difference between YouTube cards and end screens?
Cards appear during the video as a teaser at a time you choose, with up to five per video. End screens appear only in the final 5 to 20 seconds, with up to four elements. Card teasers are suppressed while an end screen is showing.
Why are my YouTube end screens not showing?
Common reasons are a video set as made for kids, viewers watching on mobile web or in the YouTube Music or Kids apps, a viewer pressing Hide, or YouTube adjusting display based on performance, device and context. Videos shorter than 25 seconds cannot have one. If you want help building a channel where every ending leads somewhere, talk to us.
