How To Find The Exact Time A Video Was Uploaded?

by Mahmud Kabir - August 13, 2023 No Comments 11:39 am

Usually, you can see the date when a YouTube video is uploaded if you load the description box. But for uploaders, it might also be essential to know the exact time. It helps to generate precise data, which helps in the analytics and planning of further uploads. 

So, how to find the exact time a video was uploaded? Although there is no direct way to view the exact time, you can use YouTube Data Viewer to view the precise timing. The site lets you know intricate details like ID, title, views, and time stamp information.

How To Find The Exact Time A Video Was Uploaded? Step By Step

No matter how many times you go crazy over finding a video’s exact time of upload, you can only see the date or something like “uploaded 7 hours ago” on YouTube. So, for your convenience, here are two simple ways of finding the exact upload time of a YouTube video. 

Solution 1: Use A Third-Party Website 

You can use YouTube Data Viewer, a web-based tool, to know the exact upload time of any YouTube video. This also shares other information that you might need. Here are the steps to follow: 

  • Step 1: On the YouTube website, find the video you want to know the exact upload time for. Then, copy the URL of the video from your 
  • Step 2: Open your web browser and go to the YouTube Data Viewer website. Any search engine will allow you to visit the website. 
  • Step 3: Now paste the copied URL in the search bar of the YouTube Data Viewer.
  • Step 4: Click on the “Submit” or “Search” button on the website to initiate the search for the video’s data.

Now you will get the exact upload date and time, including other details like views, like counts, comments, and even the monetization status. One thing that you need to do is to convert the time into your timezone, so you know when it was uploaded according to your timezone. 

Solution 2: Use An Extension 

If you don’t want to use any third-party website, you can use a Chrome extension of YouTube that lets you know the exact time when a video was uploaded. To do so, you need to download the YouTube upload time extension that you can find on Google. 

Using this extension, you can get information like the upload time, date, and other data that might be useful. You can simply click on the extension while watching a video to know when the video was posted. As the extension uses Google’s API, the data is mostly accurate.

Solution 3: Use Google’s Search Tool

Although it might not give you the precise time, you can still view the time when a video was posted using Google’s advanced search tool. This is the filter tool to use while you are searching for a video. 

To do so, you need to click on the filters button that you will find at the top of the interface after searching for something on YouTube. Then, you need to set the time filters like last hour, today, this week, this month, or this year. The search results will appear according to your given filters. 

Read More: Is YouTube Social Media? The Debate Is Over!

Why YouTube Doesn’t Share When A Video Was Uploaded?

There are some valid reasons why you can’t see when a video was uploaded exactly. Now, you might be wondering what worse can happen through this when every other piece of information is viewable. Well, there are some things, and here we go:

Why YouTube Doesn’t Share When A Video Was Uploaded
  • Avoiding Data Manipulation: People always tend to choose the easier way to get noticed. Thus, if a video gets popular, leaving the exact upload time unveiled keeps the risk open of using the data for abuse. 

People can use the exact upload times to manipulate the perception of video popularity. For instance, some users may use the opportunity to re-upload an already popular video trying to make them appear newer, undermining the original creators’ credibility.

  • Seamless User Experience: YouTube already has many tabs for different purposes. The exact time of upload won’t help a user directly, so they use a relative time frame (“hours ago” or “days ago”), which is easy for users to understand. 
  • Smaller Area: YouTube has introduced many buttons like view count and like and dislike alongside other additional features with time. Now, if they include another button for the precise upload, the interface will look too crowded for the small area. 

As a result, it’s best to avoid showing such elaborate details in any video to enhance its usability. 

  • Small Monitor: Even if you can view the relative time frame, small monitor users can’t see that either. Their monitors don’t have enough space to hold that much information. 

So, let alone the exact time, you might need a bigger monitor to your rescue if you can’t even view the relative time frame. 

  • Data Management: YouTube stores and processes a tremendous amount of video content every minute, so displaying the exact upload time for each video would require a lot of data storage and server resources. 

YouTube can more effectively manage server load and data storage, ensuring smooth operations using relative time frames.

How Can Knowing The Exact Upload Time Help You?

Although you can’t view the exact upload time from YouTube directly, it might be essential to know if you are a creator. Here are some ways it can help you:

How Can Knowing The Exact Upload Time Help You
  • Content Verification: There are several news channels on YouTube. Thus, the exact time can help journalists, researchers, or fact-checkers to double-check the information and its authenticity. Besides, it can also help to create new content by knowing the timing and aiding in accurate analysis.
  • Knowing Time-sensitive News: As we said before, many news channels are on YouTube. So, if the content is time-sensitive, the exact upload time can help understand the context and relevance.
  • Engagement Tracking: Content creators can get a big help through it if they know the exact time of uploading a video. This lets them know about insights like initial engagement, which helps further uploads. 
  • Handling Copyright Matters: This is a good point of considering the exact time of upload. Knowing the exact time of uploading a video lets content creators track and identify unauthorized copies of their videos. 

Regarding copyright issues, owners can claim their videos if they can showcase that the pirated content has been uploaded after they have published their original one. 

  • Following Trends: Content creators can use the data of the exact time a video is being published to catch the trend and engagement. Thus, they can also find other creators who are on the same page, which increases the likelihood of networking or collaborating.

Further To Explore 

Which time is best for YouTube video upload?

The best time to upload a YouTube video depends on your target audience’s timezone and viewing habits. Generally, consider uploading during peak hours or when your audience is most active. You will get this data from your video’s insights.

Can you check your YouTube hours?

No, regular users cannot check YouTube hours for other channels. YouTube hours, also known as “watch time,” are private analytics accessible only to the owners of the respective YouTube channels. 

Does YouTube have timestamps?

Yes, YouTube has timestamps in video descriptions or comments. Creators and viewers can use timestamps to link to specific moments in a video.

What is the time stamp feature on YouTube?

The time stamp feature allows creators or viewers to provide clickable links to specific moments in a video. If you click the link, it will take you to the exact duration of the video.

Why timestamp is not showing in YouTube?

If timestamps aren’t showing on YouTube, it may be due to the creator not providing them in the description or comments. Also, certain short videos don’t have any timestamps included. Moreover, if your application is not updated, you might be unable to use this feature.

Wrapping Up 

Knowing how to find the exact time a video was uploaded can be beneficial in many ways. But people can also abuse the feature. That’s why YouTube hasn’t officially introduced the feature yet. Thus, you can use our tips to know your precise content timing. 

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About The Author

Dedicated creator and storyteller with a passion for crafting compelling narratives. A perpetual learner, finding inspiration in every experience. Enthusiast of technology, art, and the great outdoors. Striving to make a positive impact through creativity. Believer in kindness, the power of words, and the magic of a good book.

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