YouTube Chapters Generator
Type your sections, get correctly formatted timestamps, and catch the three rules that quietly stop chapters from appearing at all.
Your chapters
Paste this into your descriptionReady to use
0:00 Intro 1:30 The main idea 4:15 How to do it
The rules YouTube does not tell you about
- Start at 0:00. The first timestamp must be exactly 0:00. Beginning at 0:05 disables chapters entirely.
- At least three chapters. Two is not enough, and YouTube gives no warning.
- Ten seconds minimum each. A chapter shorter than ten seconds invalidates the whole list.
- In order, one per line. Timestamp first, then a space, then the title. No dashes or bullets are required.
Good chapter titles are short and specific. "Setting the camera up" helps somebody skim; "Part 2" does not.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my chapters not showing?+
Three rules break them silently. The list must start at exactly 0:00, there must be at least three chapters, and every chapter must last 10 seconds or more. YouTube shows no error when one fails, it simply ignores all of them.
Where do chapters go?+
In the video description, each on its own line, with the timestamp first and the title after it. Nothing else is needed. YouTube detects the pattern and builds the chapter bar automatically.
What time format should I use?+
Minutes and seconds for videos under an hour, like 4:15. Hours, minutes and seconds for longer ones, like 1:05:20. This tool switches format automatically once any chapter passes the hour mark.
Do chapters help a video get more views?+
Indirectly. They do not boost ranking on their own, but they let viewers jump to the part they want instead of leaving, and Google sometimes shows chapters as key moments in search results.
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