Free tool
YouTube chapter maker
Paste your timestamps to check them against YouTube's chapter rules, or draft chapters from a caption file. Free, and it runs in your browser.
Updated 25 October 2026
One per line, time first or last: 1:42 Gear, (1:42) - Gear or Gear 1:42.
Or draft them from your captions
Your file stays in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Finds where the topic changes and names each part after what's said in it. Runs in your browser.
2. Check
Paste chapters or draft them, and they're checked here.
YouTube's chapter rules
- The first timestamp is 0:00.
- There are at least three chapters.
- Each chapter is at least 10 seconds long.
- They're in order, one per line, in the description (not a pinned comment).
The checker flags anything that breaks a rule, and “Fix it for me” sorts the list, adds a 0:00 Intro and drops chapters that are too short. Drafted chapters are found where the vocabulary of what's said changes, and each is named after the phrase most particular to it, so edit the titles to taste.
Let CaptionMe do it for every upload
CaptionMe drafts chapters and a short summary for every video it captions, and on paid plans adds them to the YouTube description for you, after your own text. See plans or how it works.
Questions
Why don't my chapters show on YouTube?
The usual reasons: the first timestamp isn't 0:00, there are fewer than three, one is shorter than 10 seconds, or they're in a pinned comment rather than the description. YouTube can also take a little while to pick them up after you save.
How are chapters drafted from captions?
The transcript is split where its vocabulary shifts, a method called text tiling, and each part is named after the phrase said most in it and least elsewhere. It runs in your browser; the file isn't uploaded.
What formats do the timestamps need?
One chapter per line with the time first or last: "1:42 Choosing a lens", "(1:42) - Choosing a lens" or "Choosing a lens 1:42". Hours work too, like 1:02:05.
Do chapters help my video?
They let viewers jump to the part they want, show titles on the progress bar, and can appear in Google search results as key moments.
More for YouTube captions
- YouTube auto-captions, explained How YouTube's automatic captions are made, which languages get them, why some videos have none, and how to turn them on, edit or remove them.
- How to fix YouTube's auto-captions Why YouTube's automatic captions misspell names and jargon, how to correct them in YouTube Studio, and how to stop fixing every upload by hand.
- How to remove auto-generated captions on YouTube Unpublish or delete the "(auto-generated)" caption track in YouTube Studio, and put your own captions in its place.
- YouTube caption file formats: SRT, VTT, SBV and YTT Which caption files YouTube accepts, how SRT, WebVTT and SBV differ, and where styled YTT (srv3) stands.
- Caption file converter Convert SRT, VTT, SBV, ASS and YouTube timed text into each other, with styling for ASS and YTT. Free, in your browser.
- Caption timing shifter Captions out of sync? Move them all earlier or later, or fix drift from another frame rate. SRT, VTT, SBV, ASS and YTT. Free, in your browser.
- Caption checker Check captions for reading speed, line length, line count, timing and overlaps, and fix what can be fixed in one click. Free, in your browser.
- Captions to transcript Turn SRT, VTT and other caption files into a clean transcript in paragraphs, with optional timestamps. Free, in your browser.
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