YouTube chapters not working? Check them here

Paste the timestamps from your video's description. We tell you whether YouTube will show them as chapters and give you a clean list to paste back.

YouTube's chapter rules

YouTube turns the timestamps in a description into chapters only when these rules are met:

The first timestamp is 0:00.
There are at least three timestamps, in order from lowest to highest.
Each chapter is at least 10 seconds long.

Each timestamp goes at the start of its own line, followed by the chapter's name. You can write minutes and seconds (01:15) or, for long videos, hours, minutes and seconds (1:02:15).

If they follow the rules and still don't show

Save the description and give it a while: YouTube doesn't always show them right away. Also check that automatic chapters aren't turned off for the video in YouTube Studio, and look at the published description in case a timestamp ended up stuck to other text.

Get the chapters while you record

Writing the times down afterwards means watching the whole video again. In Director, press CtrlAltN at the start of each part. When you stop, Director lists your markers as chapters with their timestamps, ready to copy, rename and paste here to check. The guide to YouTube chapters from a screen recording walks through the whole process.

Questions, answered.

Still curious? Join the waitlist and try Director first.

01 What are YouTube's chapter rules?

The first timestamp has to be 0:00, there have to be at least three timestamps in order, and each chapter has to be at least 10 seconds long. The timestamps go in the video description, each on its own line.

02 Why are my YouTube chapters not showing?

Almost always because of one of the rules: the 0:00 is missing, there are fewer than three timestamps, a chapter is shorter than 10 seconds or the times are out of order. Paste your description into this tool to see which one. After you save, YouTube can take a while to show them.

03 Can I use hours in the timestamps?

Yes. For a video longer than an hour, write the times like 1:02:15. The checker reads minutes and seconds, or hours, minutes and seconds.

04 Does the checker keep what I paste?

No. The check runs in your browser and nothing is sent to any server.

05 How do I get the timestamps without writing them down?

In Director, press Ctrl+Alt+N at the start of each part while you record. When you stop, Director lists your markers as chapters with their timestamps, ready to copy and rename. Director is in private testing on Windows 10 and 11, with a waitlist.

Early access · private testing

Chapters ready when you stop recording.

Join the waitlist and get early access to Director for Windows.

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