YouTube chapters generator and timestamp checker
Paste your timestamps — typed by hand or exported as markers from Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve — and see straight away which of YouTube's chapter rules fails. Fix the safe parts with one click and copy a clean list for your description.
Check your chapters
Paste your timestamps to check them against YouTube's chapter rules.
Next step: show them on screen
Animated chapter cards mark each section inside the video, too.
Chapter cards and section templates →YouTube's rules for chapters
YouTube Help lists four requirements for chapters added manually in the description: the first timestamp must be 00:00, there must be at least three timestamps, they must be in ascending order, and every chapter must be at least 10 seconds long. If any of them fails, the video simply shows no chapters — there's no error message.
Even with valid timestamps, chapters can be unavailable when a channel has an active strike or the video may be inappropriate for some viewers, according to the same help page.
Why your timestamps are not working
The most common causes are a first timestamp of 0:01 or 0:05 instead of 0:00, two lines with the same time, a chapter shorter than 10 seconds (often a quick sponsor mention), or a last chapter that starts a few seconds before the end. This checker flags each one in plain words.
Formatting is forgiving: “0:00 Intro”, “00:00 - Intro”, “Intro 0:00” and “1:02:03 | Title” are all read, and timecodes with frames (00:01:23:12) lose the frames.
Chapters on screen, too
Chapters help viewers jump around, but inside the video a short animated chapter card tells them where they are. The chapter card templates take your section titles and export them on a transparent background for any editor.
How to use it in your editor
Premiere Pro
- Add a marker at the start of each section and name it.
- Export the markers as a text or CSV list.
- Paste that list here: the timecodes are read and the frames dropped.
DaVinci Resolve
- Add timeline markers with names at each section.
- Export them as a list (EDL or CSV), or copy the timecodes.
- Paste here, check the rules and copy the clean list.
Questions
- Why aren't my YouTube chapters showing?
- Check that the first timestamp is 0:00, that you have at least three, that they go in ascending order and that every chapter lasts 10 seconds or more. Chapters can also be unavailable on channels with an active strike.
- Does the first chapter have to be called Intro?
- No, any title works — only the time has to be 0:00. “Fix the safe parts” adds “Intro” when it's missing; rename it to whatever you like.
- Can I paste markers from my editor?
- Yes. Lines with timecodes like 00:01:23:12 are read; the frames are ignored and the rest of the line becomes the title.
Want a different style? See all chapter card and section templates