YouTube Chapter Timestamp Generator

Paste your timestamps in any common format, one per line. The tool cleans them up, checks them against YouTube's rules for chapters, and gives you a list ready to paste into your video description.

Your timestamps

Accepts "1:15 Title", "Title - 1:15", "(1:15) Title" and hours like "1:02:30".

Paste into your description
00:00 Intro
01:15 Why index funds win
04:02 Picking a fund
07:30 Fees compared
09:45 What to do next

These chapters meet YouTube's requirements.

YouTube's rules for chapters

Chapters appear when your description lists timestamps that follow three rules, according to YouTube Help:

  • The first timestamp starts at 00:00.
  • There are at least three timestamps, in ascending order.
  • Each chapter is at least 10 seconds long.

If chapters do not show up after publishing, check each of these rules first. The checker above tests all three.

Naming chapters well

Name each chapter after what the viewer gets from it ("Fees compared"), not a label ("Part 3"). Chapter titles can appear in search results, so use the words people search for. Our video optimization checklist covers chapters alongside titles, thumbnails and end screens.

Timestamps from your script

If you write your videos as scripts, each section of the script is a natural chapter: note where each one starts in the finished video and paste the list above. Try the video creator.