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What are YouTube chapters?

YouTube chapters split a video by topic, shown on the player's progress bar. They come from a list in the description, with one time and one title per line, in ascending order. To work, the list starts at 0:00, has at least three chapters and each one lasts 10 seconds or more.

Also called: video chapters, description timestamps

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Example

A chapter list

It is just text in the description. Past the one hour mark, timestamps add hours, like 1:06:40.

  1. Intro 0:00
  2. Why I film weddings 4:12
  3. The wedding in the rain 22:45
  4. The gear I bring 41:30
  5. Audience questions 1:06:40
Why it matters

Why chapters are worth adding

Viewers jump straight to the part they want instead of giving up on a long video. In livestreams, church services and long podcasts, the index is what makes the replay useful.

Google can also show those sections as key moments in search, sending people straight to the right minute.

In FilmScribe

Chapters in FilmScribe

We split the recording by topic, give each part a title and deliver the list in YouTube's format, starting at 0:00, ready to copy, on every plan. It works with video, audio and YouTube links, livestreams included. On Studio and Agency, each chapter also gets the moments inside it.

If you already marked the video in your editor, the free tool turns Premiere, DaVinci or Final Cut markers into the chapter list.

Markers to YouTube chapters Paste your editor's markers and get the chapter list with YouTube's rules already checked. Convert my markers →
In practice

Writing chapters that show up and help

  1. 01

    Build the list from the final upload

    Take the times from the video you actually publish, not from an earlier cut. A trimmed intro shifts every chapter after it, and chapters that start mid-sentence look careless.

  2. 02

    Keep the list clean

    Start each line with the timestamp and follow it with the title. Keep links, credits and sponsor notes on separate lines above or below the list, not mixed into it.

  3. 03

    Find the right granularity

    A chapter every few minutes suits most long videos. Dozens of tiny chapters make the progress bar hard to use, and a handful of giant ones defeat the purpose.

  4. 04

    Your list beats automatic chapters

    YouTube can create chapters on its own when you add none. If you want control over the titles and breaks, write the list yourself, since chapters in the description take priority.

Related terms

See all terms →
Timestamps Markers of the moment each line or scene happens in a recording, in hours, minutes and seconds. Timecode The address of every frame in a video, written as hours, minutes, seconds and frames: HH:MM:SS:FF. SBV A simple caption format tied to YouTube: start and end on a single line, separated by a comma, with no numbering. Transcription The speech in audio or video written down as text, either verbatim, with every hesitation, or clean and easy to read.

Frequently asked questions

Why are chapters not showing on my video?

It is almost always a rule: the list does not start at 0:00, has fewer than three chapters, one runs under 10 seconds or the times are out of order.

Do YouTube chapters help SEO?

They help people find the right section, and Google can show chapters as key moments in results. Each chapter title should say what the section is really about.

Can I add chapters to a livestream?

Yes, on the replay. Edit the description after the stream ends and paste the list. In FilmScribe, a livestream is processed once the replay is available.

Captions, clips and paper edits. All in one place.

Upload a video or paste a YouTube link. We transcribe every word with its timing, and you take the result to social media or to your editor.

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See the result on your own recording before adding a card.