You may not have known this, but Google Drive has a platform for sharing videos with friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers, along with timestamps. The user interface of the video is similar to that of YouTube, and why not? After all, both services are owned by the same company.
The big question is, how can a user share a video that plays at a specific time? We know this is possible with YouTube, so indeed, Google Drive must be able to do the same thing. Well, it is, but not a lot of users know how to take advantage of the timestamp feature. Worry not, however, because we’re going to explain everything you need to know. It doesn’t matter with who or what you want to share videos, this solution will work so there is no need for the other party to watch the entire video.
How to timestamp videos on Google Drive
To timestamp videos on Google Drive, follow these steps:
- Open your favorite web browser.
- Navigate to Google Drive
- Locate the video you want to add a timestamp to.
- Right-click on the selected video.
- After that, click Get Link.
- Finally, you must select Copy Link
- Paste the copied link into a new tab.
- Remove all symbols before View?.
- You must add t= right after View?.
- Add the time you want the video to start.
Now let us see the steps in detail.
Link to a specific spot in a video on Google Drive
First, we must navigate to the video file located on Google Drive. We suspect a video is already available, therefore, were not going to discuss how to upload a video because we are of the understanding most users would already have an idea of how to accomplish that.
Open your favorite web browser.
Navigate to Google Drive by clicking this link or typing the URL in the address bar.
Locate the video you want to add a timestamp to.
It is now time for us to copy the link to the video. This is super easy, so let us explain how to do it.
Right-click on the selected video and click Get Link.
Finally, you must select Copy Link, and that’s it for that.
We are now required to remove the unwanted symbols from the video link you’ve recently copied.
Paste the copied link into a new tab and remove all symbols before View?.
Next, you must add t= right after View?.
Also, add the time you want the video to start.
It should be m for minutes a s for seconds.
The link should look like this:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/113mfF8Fl2SyC57UMggs9reHUs0ryCIy9/view?t=5m8s
We should note that the link won’t affect the receiver from watching the video in its entirety. It will simply begin at the set timestamp. If they want to watch everything, they can easily do so.
Read: How to remove Suggestions and Suggested Files from Google Drive
Can the owner of a Google Drive see who viewed it?
Whenever people share their Google Drive content with the public, they cannot tell who stopped by for a look. This is to ensure the third party’s privacy and make it impossible for the owner to gather any form of personal information such as IP address or geolocation.
By default, all files in your Google Drive are private until you decide to share them with the public or specific people. Remember you must always be mindful when sharing publicly that no personal files are available for viewing.
Why can’t I upload an mp4 to Google Drive?
Google Drive supports the mp4 file format, so if you’re having problems, we suggest reloading the page and restarting the upload. For those using the Android or iOS app, the best option is to close and restart the app. From there, make attempts to upload the video again. If it still doesn’t work, the problem lies with your internet connection.
