5 Steps to Open YouTube Links in Android App

An easy-to-follow guide for setting YouTube as default when opening supported links

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: December 21, 2023 Tested

Do you want to watch a video in the YouTube app on your Android instead of in a web browser? Luckily, this is something that is very easy to set up. This wikiHow article teaches you how to make YouTube video URLs open in the YouTube app instead of your Android's web browser.

Things You Should Know

Change the default app on your phone that opens links to YouTube.
Go to "Settings > Apps > YouTube > Set as default" and tap the switch next to "Open supported links" to turn it on.
Your phone may look different with options like "Opening Links" and "Open supported Links" instead. Tap those options to continue.
If you have a Samsung phone or tablet, go to "Settings > Apps > Samsung Internet > Samsung Internet settings > Useful features" and tap the toggle next to "Open links in other apps."

Steps

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1
Open Settings. It’s the gear icon in the app drawer.
- Alternatively, tap the gear icon in the Quick Settings panel (access it by swiping down from the top of your screen).
Depending on your phone or tablet's manufacturer, this might say "Apps & notifications" instead. Scroll down to see this menu option next to a 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 grid icon.

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The list is displayed alphabetically by default, so "YouTube" will be at the bottom of the menu. You can tap the search bar and search for the app instead.
This is under the "Defaults" header.
5
Tap the switch next to "Open supported links" to turn it on
. Tap "Supported web addresses" to see which websites (m.youtube.com, youtube.com, www.youtube.com, and youtu.be) will open inside the app instead of a browser.
- By default, this setting is on.

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Tips

If you're using the Brave mobile web browser, you need to turn off the feature to watch videos in your browser. To do that, tap the three-dot menu icon, then tap Settings > Site settings > Video playback in Brave then tap the switch to turn it off.^{[1]
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Once you have the mobile app opening videos, you can copy video URLs to share them!

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You might need to do some extra steps if you're using a Samsung smartphone or tablet to prevent Samsung Internet from opening links. Go to Settings > Apps > Samsung Internet > Samsung Internet settings > Useful features and tap the toggle next to "Open links in other apps."

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