{"id":3219,"date":"2008-06-04T23:45:28","date_gmt":"2008-06-04T18:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=3219"},"modified":"2026-10-12T14:08:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T08:38:32","slug":"youtube-videos-annotations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/","title":{"rendered":"YouTube Annotations Are Gone: Use Cards and End Screens (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In June 2008 YouTube launched <strong>YouTube annotations<\/strong>: speech bubbles, notes and clickable boxes creators could place on top of their videos, even to build choose-your-own-adventure stories. We liked the idea but warned that some videos were so cluttered they became unwatchable. YouTube eventually agreed. Annotations are gone, replaced by cards and end screens. Here&#8217;s what changed and how to add interactive links to videos today.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/youtube-annotations-cards-end-screens-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"YouTube annotations replaced by cards and end screens\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/youtube-annotations-cards-end-screens-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/youtube-annotations-cards-end-screens-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/youtube-annotations-cards-end-screens-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/youtube-annotations-cards-end-screens-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/youtube-annotations-cards-end-screens.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> YouTube removed annotations in 2019 because they didn&#8217;t work on mobile and annoyed many viewers. Today you add interactivity with <strong>cards<\/strong> (small &#8220;i&#8221; pop-ups linking to videos, playlists, channels or approved sites), <strong>end screens<\/strong> (clickable elements in the last 5-20 seconds), chapters in the description, and pinned comments. Add them in YouTube Studio under Content &gt; Details &gt; Editor or Cards \/ End screen.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae7349445c85\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae7349445c85\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#What_YouTube_annotations_did\" >What YouTube annotations did<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#Why_YouTube_annotations_were_removed\" >Why YouTube annotations were removed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#How_to_add_YouTube_cards\" >How to add YouTube cards<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#How_to_add_an_end_screen\" >How to add an end screen<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#Other_ways_to_make_videos_interactive\" >Other ways to make videos interactive<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#Can_I_still_add_annotations_on_YouTube\" >Can I still add annotations on YouTube?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#What_happened_to_my_old_annotations\" >What happened to my old annotations?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/06\/youtube-videos-annotations\/#Do_cards_work_on_mobile\" >Do cards work on mobile?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_YouTube_annotations_did\"><\/span>What YouTube annotations did<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Speech bubbles, notes, titles and spotlight boxes over the video.<\/li>\n<li>Links to other videos, channels or search results at any time in the video.<\/li>\n<li>Branching stories where viewers chose what happened next.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Viewers could turn them off, but many didn&#8217;t know how, and on phones annotations often didn&#8217;t appear at all.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_YouTube_annotations_were_removed\"><\/span>Why YouTube annotations were removed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As most viewing moved to phones and TVs, desktop-only annotations made less sense. YouTube stopped letting creators add new annotations in 2017 and removed existing ones from videos in January 2019, pointing creators to cards and end screens, which work across devices.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_add_YouTube_cards\"><\/span>How to add YouTube cards<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <strong>YouTube Studio<\/strong> and select your video under Content.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Cards<\/strong> on the right of the Details page.<\/li>\n<li>Choose a video, playlist, channel or link (links require the YouTube Partner Program).<\/li>\n<li>Set when the card appears and add a short teaser text, then save.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You can add up to 5 cards per video.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_add_an_end_screen\"><\/span>How to add an end screen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>In YouTube Studio, open the video and click <strong>End screen<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Pick a template or add elements: video, playlist, subscribe button, channel or link.<\/li>\n<li>Place elements over the last 5-20 seconds and save.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_ways_to_make_videos_interactive\"><\/span>Other ways to make videos interactive<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chapters<\/strong>: add timestamps (starting at 0:00) in the description so viewers can jump to sections.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pinned comments<\/strong> with links or questions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Polls and quizzes<\/strong> in the Community tab or as stickers in Shorts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Related video link<\/strong> on Shorts to send viewers to a long video.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Growing a channel? See what YouTube offers at milestones in our post on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/07\/youtube-rewards-popular-channels\/\">YouTube rewards for popular channels<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_still_add_annotations_on_YouTube\"><\/span>Can I still add annotations on YouTube?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Annotations were removed in 2019. Use cards and end screens instead.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_my_old_annotations\"><\/span>What happened to my old annotations?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>They no longer display on any device.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_cards_work_on_mobile\"><\/span>Do cards work on mobile?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, cards and end screens work on desktop, mobile and most TV apps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In June 2008 YouTube launched YouTube annotations: speech bubbles, notes and clickable boxes creators could place on top of their&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3219"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64567,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3219\/revisions\/64567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}