How YouTube chapters work
When a video description contains a list of timestamps, YouTube can split the progress bar into chapters. For chapters to appear, the list has to follow a few rules:
- The first timestamp must be
0:00. - There must be at least three timestamps, in ascending order.
- Each chapter must be at least 10 seconds long.
The generator checks all of these and tells you exactly which line breaks a rule.
How the generator works
Paste rough notes — timestamps at the start or end of each line, in brackets, or written as 2m14s. The tool extracts each time and title, optionally sorts them and adds an intro at 0:00, then formats every line consistently (switching to H:MM:SS automatically when the video passes an hour).
Example
Input: Intro 0:00, [2:14] Mic setup, 5m42s - Lighting. Output: 00:00 Intro, 02:14 Mic setup, 05:42 Lighting.
Limitations
- YouTube may still choose not to show chapters in some cases, such as on certain video types.
- Automatic chapters created by YouTube can differ from the ones you write.