Why aren't my chapters showing up on YouTube?

YouTube has three strict rules: the first timestamp must be exactly 0:00, you need at least 3 chapters, and each chapter must be at least 10 seconds long. ChapterGen formats everything correctly by default, so this never happens with our output.

Can ChatGPT or Claude generate YouTube chapters from my video?

Not reliably. Chat assistants can't listen to a long video file: uploads are rejected or too large, and without a real transcript the timestamps they return are guesses. ChapterGen transcribes the audio first, so every timestamp matches what is actually said.

Do I need a YouTube URL to use this?

No — that's the whole point. You upload the video or audio file directly, so it works with unpublished, private, and unlisted videos.

Can I generate chapters from audio only?

Yes. MP3, WAV, M4A and other audio formats are fully supported. Perfect for podcasts.

What file formats and sizes are supported?

MP4, MOV, AVI, WebM, MKV, MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, and FLAC — up to 500 MB per file.

You get 2 videos free (up to 20 minutes each) when you confirm your email. No password, no card. After that, buy a credit pack — Starter is $5 for 5 videos, Creator is $12 for 15. No subscription.

Can I edit the chapters before using them?

Yes — every title and timestamp is editable before you copy the final result.

Does it work in languages other than English?

Yes. Our AI uses Whisper, which auto-detects language and works with 90+ languages.

Works on private and unpublished videos

AI YouTube Chapter Generator — Get Timestamps in Seconds

Upload a video or audio file and get clean, SEO-ready timestamps in YouTube's exact format. No public URL needed.

Drop your video or audio here

Generate chapters

Audio languageMP4, MOV, WebM, MP3, WAV, M4A — up to 500 MB

2 free videos, no card needed
Files deleted after processing
90+ languages

Built for long-form creators

Tutorials
Podcasts
Interviews
Webinars & courses
Reviews & vlogs

What you get

Chapters you can paste straight into YouTube

Every chapter comes from the real audio, with a title that describes what is actually said.

Starts at 0:00 and follows YouTube's chapter rules
Descriptive titles you can edit or refine with AI
One click to copy into your description

episode-42-final.mp4Example output

14:08 · Color grading on a budget48:12

0:00Intro: why chapters matter
1:42Setting up the recording
6:15Editing the rough cut
14:08Color grading on a budget
22:37Exporting for YouTube
31:50Q&A and wrap-up

How it works

How to generate YouTube chapters with AI

No need to upload to YouTube first. ChapterGen works with drafts, private videos and plain audio files.

01
Upload your file
Drag in a video or audio file. Raw exports, drafts, private recordings and podcast audio all work.
02
AI finds the topics
We transcribe the audio, detect where the topic changes and write a clear, descriptive title for each section.
03
Copy and paste
Paste the list into your description in YouTube Studio. It's already in YouTube's required format, starting at 0:00.

Why ChapterGen

Better than YouTube's automatic chapters

YouTube's auto-chapters often cut mid-sentence, miss topic transitions and produce generic titles like "Section 1". ChapterGen follows what is actually said, and you can edit every chapter before the video goes live.

Unpublished videos
Your description is ready from minute one.
Private & unlisted
You never need a public URL.
Audio only
Podcasts, interviews and voice recordings.
Any language
Detected automatically, 90+ languages supported.

	YouTube auto	ChapterGen
Chapter titles	Generic	From your content
Edit before publishing	No
Unpublished videos	No
Audio & podcasts	No
Your own keywords	No

Tip: turn off automatic chapters in YouTube Studio (Advanced settings → Allow automatic chapters) so YouTube doesn't replace yours.

Why chapters

One of the most underused SEO levers on YouTube

Chapters aren't just convenient for viewers. They help your video get found and watched.

Key Moments in Google

Videos with chapters can show clickable sections in Google results and take up more space on the page.

Higher engagement

Large-scale analyses of YouTube videos show that videos with chapters get better like and comment ratios.

Better retention

Viewers who can jump to what they need stay longer, rewatch and come back — signals the algorithm rewards.

Searchable metadata

Every chapter title is text YouTube indexes, so descriptive titles help your video rank for more searches.

Use cases

Built for every kind of long-form content

Tutorials & how-tos

Let viewers jump straight to the step they need, and come back to your video as a reference.

Podcasts & interviews

One chapter per question or topic, from the audio file alone.

Podcast chapter generator →

Webinars & courses

Turn a two-hour recording into a lesson people can navigate.

Reviews & vlogs

Highlight each product or moment so nobody scrolls away.

Pricing

Pay per video. No subscription.

home.pricing.subtitle

2 videos free to try it · no credit cardStart free →

Starter

$55 videos

$1.00 per video
Any length, up to 500 MB
Chapters, transcript and subtitles

Buy Starter

Creator

Studio

Best value

$3560 videos

$0.58 per video
Any length, up to 500 MB
Chapters, transcript and subtitles

Buy Studio

FAQ

Questions, answered

Something else? Email us

Copy the generated chapter list and paste it into your video description in YouTube Studio. YouTube automatically detects the format and turns it into clickable chapters on the progress bar.

Your next upload deserves chapters.

Try it on 2 videos for free. No password, no card.