Chapter Title Formatter
Rough chapter notes, repaired into the shape YouTube’s parser accepts.
- 100% success
Tool input
Overview
About this tool
Reads timestamps in any shape you typed them, sorts them, collapses duplicates, formats the labels, and reports every reason YouTube would silently refuse to draw the chapters — the first one not at 00:00, fewer than three, or one that runs under ten seconds. It will not invent a 00:00 chapter to make the block pass.
Instructions
How to use it
Paste the notes you typed while watching. Times can be before or after the label, in "1:23", "01:23" or "1:02:03" form, with any dashes and brackets around them.
The rules are a parser, not guidance
- The first timestamp must be exactly 00:00.
- There must be at least three chapters.
- Each must run at least ten seconds, measured to the next one.
- They must be in ascending order, one per line.
Break one and YouTube draws no chapters at all — not the valid ones, none of them — with no error anywhere on the page. That is why almost every "my chapters are not showing" question has one of these four answers.
Questions
Frequently asked
Why are my YouTube chapters not showing?
Almost always one of four things: the first timestamp is not 00:00, there are fewer than three, one runs under ten seconds, or they are out of order. Breaking one rule removes all of them, with no error displayed.
Does the first chapter have to be 00:00?
Yes, exactly. 00:01 does not count, and neither does a title line above it. This is the most common single cause.
How short can a YouTube chapter be?
Ten seconds, measured to the next timestamp. One short chapter invalidates the whole list rather than just itself.
Do timestamps in a comment create chapters?
No. Comment timestamps become clickable seeks, which is useful, but only the description creates chapters on the progress bar.
Stay sharp
One email a month, when a tool worth your time ships.
No drip sequence, no launch countdowns. Unsubscribe in one click.