# Why your YouTube Shorts links are not clickable and what to do

By HeyMark · Updated October 27, 2026

Did you put a link in your Short’s description or a comment, only to find that viewers cannot open it? YouTube keeps URLs as text in those two places. You can send viewers to your website through a channel profile link; first check that destination, then the route someone watching your Short will follow.

## Why the URL in a Short does not open

YouTube says URLs in Shorts comments and descriptions are not clickable. Pinning a comment or changing how you write the address does not turn it into a link. Channel profile links and URLs in long-form video comments and descriptions are listed as clickable surfaces. Clickable external links in long-form videos require access to advanced features. [See YouTube's overview of clickable surfaces](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13748639?hl=en).

## Direct viewers to a destination they can open

1. Open [YouTube Studio](https://studio.youtube.com/) on a computer and go to **Customization → Profile**. Under **Links**, select **Add link**, enter a title that identifies the destination, and paste its URL. Select **Publish**. If the link is already there, check that it opens the right page. YouTube allows up to 14 links; the first is displayed prominently. [See the official steps for managing channel links](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2657964?hl=en).
2. In the video, tell viewers to visit your channel profile to find that link. You can say it in the Short or write the instruction, but do not present a URL in the description or comments as a button.
3. Open the Short in the experience your audience uses and test the route: from the video to your profile, then from your profile to the website. The profile's placement and presentation can vary across surfaces, so check that your instruction is easy to follow.

## If the destination is another video on your channel

To send viewers to a video, Short, or live stream on your channel, you can assign a **Related video** to the Short. This is a different surface from an external profile link: its destination is content on your own channel. Follow [the guide to adding a related video to a Short](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/youtube-shorts-related-video/) if that is the route you need.

If you want an external URL to open directly from a description, you can include it in a long-form video's description if your channel has access to advanced features. Check your channel's access status and test the published link. The profile option is still useful when you want Short viewers to find a website without treating text in the Short as clickable.

If Studio says advanced access is missing for a feature, review [YouTube advanced feature requirements and options](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/restore-youtube-advanced-features/) while signed in to the right account.

## See it on your own accounts.

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## Keep reading

- [Add a related video to a YouTube Short](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/youtube-shorts-related-video/): Link a video, Short, or live stream from your channel to a Short in YouTube Studio. Check the advanced feature access and visibility YouTube requires.
- [YouTube MCP server: upload videos and Shorts from Claude](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/youtube/): Upload YouTube videos and Shorts from Claude or ChatGPT with HeyMark's MCP server: title, visibility, made for kids and the synthetic content disclosure.

## Developer and agent resources

- [HeyMark MCP documentation](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/)
- [llms.txt](https://heymark.ai/llms.txt)
- [Full site content for language models](https://heymark.ai/llms-full.txt)
- MCP protocol endpoint: `POST https://mcp.heymark.ai`
- OAuth protected-resource metadata: [/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource](https://mcp.heymark.ai/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource)
- MCP server card: [/server-card](https://mcp.heymark.ai/server-card)