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YouTube chapters validator and formatter

To check your YouTube chapters, paste the list and select Check chapters. The tool tests it against YouTube's rules: the first timestamp is 0:00, there are at least three timestamps in ascending order, and each chapter is at least ten seconds long. It names the problem on each line and gives you a cleaned list.

Don't have chapters yet? Generate them from a video.

Don't have the file yet? Get subtitles from a YouTube link, or get the transcript as text.

Embed this tool

Paste this HTML into your page. The tool runs in your visitors' browsers; nothing they paste is uploaded.

How to validate YouTube chapters in 3 steps

  1. Paste your chapter list, one chapter per line, or choose a text file.
  2. Select Check chapters and read the problem listed for each line.
  3. Copy the formatted list into your video description, or download it as text or CSV.

Example output

A short sample written by TubeTranscript (not a real video), run through this tool when the page was built.

Input

- 0:00 Intro
- 1:30 Setup
- 1:35 Install
12:05 Wrap up

Output

1 problem:
Line 2: This chapter is 5 seconds long; the minimum is 10.

Formatted:
0:00 Intro
1:30 Setup
1:35 Install
12:05 Wrap up

The rules this tool checks

YouTube's Help page on video chapters says the first timestamp must start at 00:00, a video needs at least three timestamps in ascending order, and the minimum length of a chapter is 10 seconds. This tool checks exactly those, and also reports lines without a timestamp, titles that are empty and times past the end of a video you give. The formatter removes bullets and numbering, writes times as 0:00 or 1:02:03, and sorts the list. It can also turn a CSV of time and title back into a list.

Limits you should know

  • Everything runs in your browser. Text you paste and files you choose are not uploaded to TubeTranscript or anywhere else.
  • The rules are those of YouTube's Help page when this page was updated. YouTube may change them.
  • The tool checks the list, not the video: it does not know whether a time falls where your topic changes.
  • Lines are read from the start: write the time first, then the title.

FAQ

Why are my chapters not showing on YouTube?

The most common causes are a first timestamp that is not 0:00, fewer than three timestamps, or two timestamps less than ten seconds apart. This tool reports each of these.

Which time formats are accepted?

m:ss, mm:ss and h:mm:ss, with or without brackets, and after a bullet or a number. The formatted list uses 0:00 and 1:02:03.

Can I convert chapters to CSV?

Yes. The result includes a CSV with a time column and a title column, and you can paste a CSV back to turn it into a list.

Does it fix problems for me?

It fixes formatting: bullets, number formats and order. A missing 0:00 or chapters that are too close are shown as problems, because only you know the right times.

How do I write chapters without doing it by hand?

Use the chapter generator, which proposes chapters from the video's transcript.

By Kenji Saito · Updated