How to use the YouTube Chapters Generator
- Pick your input style. Choose timestamps if every line already has a start time, durations if each line says how long the section lasts, or space evenly if you only have topics and a total length.
- Paste the outline or transcript lines. Put one chapter on each line. Times can be 5:30, 1:05:30, [05:30], 5m30s or sit at the end of the line in brackets. Add the video length if you have it.
- Read the checks. The result panel tells you whether the list starts at 00:00, has three or more stamps, ascends, and keeps every chapter at least 10 seconds long.
- Fix and shift. Use the sort button for unsorted or repeated stamps. If you added an intro after planning, shift every stamp by the same number of seconds.
- Copy it. Copy the list for your video description, or switch to the podcast show notes version, which adds the length of each chapter.
How the chapter checks work
What it checks
The tool reads each line for a start time, either at the beginning or the end, and keeps the rest as the chapter title. It then checks the list in the order you wrote it, so an out of order line is reported rather than silently reshuffled. Repeated stamps, empty titles and a last chapter that would run past the end of the video are reported too.
The fix button sorts the list and drops repeated stamps, keeping the first title for each. It never invents a title or moves a time on its own, apart from the optional Intro it can add at 00:00.
The rules it applies
Per YouTube Help, Add video chapters, checked October 2026: the first timestamp must be 00:00, the video needs at least three timestamps listed in ascending order, and the minimum length for a chapter is 10 seconds.
The tool does not know whether chapters are enabled for your video, whether YouTube chose to show them for your channel, or how it will label them, so a list that passes here is correct input, not a promise of how the player will look.
Limitations
A transcript pasted with timestamps becomes one chapter per line, which is usually far too many. Delete the lines you do not want as chapters before you copy. Even spacing is a placeholder, not a reading of your video, because the tool never hears the audio.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add chapters to a YouTube video?
Write the timestamps in the video description, one per line, each followed by a title. The first one must be 00:00, you need at least three, they must go up in order, and each chapter must be at least 10 seconds long. YouTube then splits the progress bar into sections. This tool builds and checks that list so you can paste it in.
Why are my YouTube chapters not showing?
The usual causes are a first stamp that is not 00:00, fewer than three stamps, stamps out of order, or two stamps closer than 10 seconds. Paste your list here and the checker names the exact line that breaks the rule. Chapters can also be switched off for a video, which this tool cannot see.
Should I write chapters as 5:30 or 05:30?
Both read as the same time. This tool prints mm:ss for videos under an hour and h:mm:ss once any stamp reaches an hour, so every line has the same shape. If you prefer h:mm:ss on every line, switch the format button.
Can I make chapters if I only have a list of topics?
Yes. Choose space evenly, add the video length and the tool divides the video into equal parts. That gives you a starting point, not the real positions. Open the video, find where each topic actually begins and replace the guessed times.
I added an intro after planning the chapters. How do I update them?
Use the shift panel. Enter the length of the new intro in seconds and press Later. Every stamp moves by that amount, and the tool can add a new Intro chapter at 00:00 so the list stays valid. If you trimmed the start instead, press Earlier.
Can I reuse chapters in podcast show notes?
Yes. The podcast show notes version outputs a Chapters heading and a bulleted list, with the length of each chapter added when you give the video length. Most podcast hosts accept plain text with timestamps in the episode description.