How to Create Clickable Timestamps
Clickable timestamps are links in your post copy that jump a WP Media Player to a specific moment. Use the [wpmediaplayer_timestamp] shortcode to turn any text into a seek link. This is useful for chapter markers in a transcript, show notes for a podcast, or a table of contents for a long video.
Write the Shortcode
The [wpmediaplayer_timestamp] shortcode needs two attributes:
- time: The target time in
MM:SSorHH:MM:SSformat. Required. - media_id: The ID of the WP Media Player video this timestamp controls. Required.
Put the link label between the opening and closing shortcode tags:
[wpmediaplayer_timestamp time="02:30" media_id="123"]Introduction[/wpmediaplayer_timestamp]
When a reader clicks “Introduction,” the nearest WP Media Player with a matching media_id of 123 seeks to 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Find the Media ID
The media ID is shown in the first column of WP Media Player > Media. You can also find it in the URL when editing a media item — the URL ends with id=123. Copy it and paste it into the media_id attribute.
Use Timestamps in a Transcript or Table of Contents
For a long video with a written transcript, place a timestamp link before each paragraph. For a table of contents, list the timestamps as a bulleted list at the top of the post. Each link seeks the player independently — the reader can jump to any section without watching from the beginning.
The time format accepts both MM:SS — for example 05:00 — and HH:MM:SS — for example 01:05:00. Use whichever format matches the length of your video.
What to Check
- Each timestamp link has a valid
timeandmedia_idattribute - Clicking the link seeks the player to the correct second
- The target video is present on the same page as the timestamp links
Next Steps
Timestamp links work alongside chapters, captions, and layers on the same video. To add navigable chapter markers directly in the player UI, see how to add chapters to a video.