How YouTube chapters work
YouTube turns a list of timestamps in your video description into chapters: the progress bar splits into labelled sections, and viewers can jump straight to the part they want. You don’t need any special setting. If the list follows YouTube’s rules, chapters appear once the description is saved.
YouTube’s rules for chapters
YouTube’s help page on video chapters lists these requirements. The generator checks each one:
- The first timestamp must be 0:00.
- There must be at least three timestamps.
- Timestamps must be in ascending order.
- Each chapter must be at least 10 seconds long.
Add the video length at the top if you want the last chapter checked too; otherwise the tool can’t know where it ends. YouTube can also turn chapters off for some channels or videos, for example where a channel has active strikes, and it may show its own automatic chapters if you haven’t added any.
How to add chapters to a YouTube video
- Watch the video (or skim your transcript) and note the time where each new topic starts.
- Enter each time and a short title as a row above, or paste your rough notes into “Paste rough lines” and let the tool pull the times out.
- Fix anything the checker flags. “Sort by time” puts rows in order.
- Copy the list and paste it into the video’s description in YouTube Studio, each chapter on its own line, then save.
Time formats
| Video length | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Under an hour | M:SS | 0:00, 4:30, 12:05 |
| An hour or longer | H:MM:SS | 0:00:00, 0:45:10, 1:02:10 |
YouTube reads both forms. Automatic mode switches to H:MM:SS when any chapter or the video length passes an hour, so every line in the list looks the same.
Writing good chapter titles
- Keep them short: a few words that say what the section covers.
- Use the words a viewer would search for. Chapter titles can show up in search results.
- Don’t make chapters too small. A handful of meaningful sections is easier to scan than dozens of tiny ones.
If you edit the video later and remove parts, the times shift. Update the description so the chapters still line up.
FAQ
Why are my YouTube chapters not showing?
Usually the list breaks one of YouTube’s rules: the first timestamp isn’t 0:00, there are fewer than three timestamps, they aren’t in ascending order, or a chapter is shorter than 10 seconds. Paste your list into this tool to see which one. YouTube can also disable chapters on some videos.
How do I add timestamps to a YouTube video?
Put a list of times and titles in the video description, one per line, starting with 0:00. For example “0:00 Intro”, then “1:05 Setup”. Save the description and YouTube turns them into chapters.
What format do YouTube timestamps use?
Minutes and seconds (M:SS, like 4:30) for videos under an hour, and hours, minutes and seconds (H:MM:SS, like 1:02:10) for longer ones. The title can go after the time on the same line.
How many chapters does a YouTube video need?
At least three, with the first at 0:00 and each chapter lasting at least 10 seconds. There is no small fixed maximum, but a few clear chapters are easier for viewers to use than many short ones.