Part of Upload Kit · paid plans from $19/month
YouTube Chapters Generator
This YouTube chapters generator is part of Upload Kit inside the WhatToUpload app, not one of the no-signup tools on this site. It needs a paid plan, from $19 a month for 500 credits, and an Upload Kit run costs 3. One more thing said plainly: it drafts chapter titles in order and proposes timestamps from the structure you describe. It does not read your video file, so you confirm the times against your edit before publishing.
What it does well is the part people skip: naming each section so the chapter bar reads like a table of contents, starting at 00:00 the way YouTube requires, and writing the chapters into a description that also carries the hook and hashtags, together with three titles, the tag set and a pinned comment.
Plans from $19/month. 3 credits a run.
What the youtube chapters generator produces
- A chapter list inside the description, starting at 00:00, with one descriptive title per section
- Proposed timestamps you confirm against the edit; the generator works from what you describe or from the transcript, not from the file
- The rest of the kit in the same run: three titles, the description's hook and paragraph, 15 to 30 tags, a pinned comment
- Three ways in: describe the content, pick a synced video from your channel, or paste any YouTube URL to work from its transcript
- Output in any of 12 languages
How it works inside Upload Kit
Describe the video section by section
List what happens in order, roughly how long each part runs, and the total length. The more structure you give, the closer the proposed times land.
Build the kit for 3 credits
The chapters arrive inside the description, with the hook above them and the hashtags below, alongside the titles, tags and pinned comment.
Check every timestamp against your edit
Scrub to each proposed time and move it to where the section actually starts. YouTube needs 00:00 first, at least three chapters, ascending order and at least ten seconds each.
Paste the description and check the chapter bar
Once the description is saved, the progress bar on the watch page shows the segments. If it does not, one of the four rules above was broken.
A real example
Generated on 2026-09-22 from a five-sentence description of a 12-minute video with three cooking segments and a verdict, 3 credits. Verbatim; the times are the generator's proposal, to be checked against the cut.
The chapter list it wrote into the description
00:00 Intro: one pan, three meals 00:45 Meal 1: Garlic butter pasta ($3.80) 04:20 Meal 2: Chickpea curry ($3.50) 08:10 Meal 3: Leftover fried rice ($2.90) 10:40 Monday night verdict 11:15 The pan I actually use
How to add timestamps to a YouTube video
Chapters are just lines in the description that follow four rules: the first timestamp is 00:00, there are at least three, they are in ascending order, and each chapter is at least ten seconds long. Put a space and a title after each timestamp. YouTube can also generate chapters automatically, and an explicit list in the description overrides that.
Name chapters the way a viewer scans them. 'Meal 2: Chickpea curry ($3.50)' tells someone what they get by jumping there; 'Part 2' does not.
00:00 What this video is 01:10 First section, named for what the viewer gets 04:30 Second section 08:00 The turn or the result 10:45 Verdict and what to do next
Common YouTube chapter mistakes
- Not starting at 00:00. The chapter bar does not appear at all without it.
- Fewer than three chapters or one under ten seconds. Same result: no chapters.
- Publishing proposed timestamps unchecked. A generator that has not seen the file is guessing the times; the titles are the reliable part.
- Vague chapter names. 'Intro', 'Part 1', 'Outro' waste the one place a viewer decides where to jump.
- Chapters on a video with no sections. A single-take answer does not need a table of contents, and forced chapters read as filler.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add timestamps to a YouTube video?
Write them in the description, one per line: the timestamp, a space, then the chapter title. The first must be 00:00, you need at least three, in ascending order, each at least ten seconds long. Save the description and the chapter bar appears on the watch page. The generator writes that block for you; the times still need checking against your edit.
Is this a YouTube timestamps generator that reads my video?
No, and this page will not pretend it does. It proposes timestamps from the structure you describe or from the transcript of a YouTube URL you paste, and names each chapter from the content. Confirm every time against the cut before you publish.
Is there a free video chapter generator here?
Chapters come from Upload Kit, part of the paid app from $19 a month, at 3 credits a kit. The template on this page is free to use by hand.
How many chapters does a YouTube video need?
At least three, starting at 00:00, each ten seconds or longer. Beyond that, one per genuine section: a viewer scanning the bar should be able to find the part they came for in one look.
Can I add chapters to a YouTube Short?
No. Chapters are a long-form feature shown on the watch page progress bar; Shorts do not display them. The kit still writes a description for a Short, without a chapter list.
Does YouTube add chapters automatically?
It can, from the video's content, when automatic chapters are on for the video. A chapter list you write in the description takes precedence, which is the point: your names and your times, not guessed ones.