YouTube Timestamps Generator, Formatter & Validator
Paste your chapter list below. We'll check it againstYouTube's official chapter rules— at least 3 timestamps, the first one at 00:00, ascending order, and 10 seconds minimum per chapter — fix what can be fixed, and give you a clean list ready to paste into your description.
Input
Processed locally. Your data never leaves your browser.
Validation
Paste your chapters to see validation results here.
Timeline
Your chapter timeline will appear here once you add at least one timestamp.
Output
Your formatted, YouTube-ready chapter list will appear here.
Related guides
What "valid" means here
Every issue below is labeled by type. "YouTube requirement" means the rule comes directly from YouTube's own published chapter guidelines (linked above) — break one of these and YouTube won't build a chapter bar at all. "Potential issue" and "Best practice" are suggestions from this tool to make your list clearer or less error-prone, not YouTube rules — your chapters will still work even if you ignore them. Passing every check here confirms your list is correctly formatted; it isn't a live connection to your video, so it can't catch things outside the list itself, like a video that's too short for the chapters you've written or a temporary delay while YouTube reprocesses your description.
Common questions
If Kelvido says my timestamps pass, will YouTube definitely show chapters?
Passing here means your list is correctly formatted and meets every rule YouTube has published — the same rules this tool is checked against. It doesn't mean this tool is connected to YouTube or your actual video in any way, so it can't detect things outside the timestamp list itself, like YouTube taking a few minutes to reprocess your description after you save it. Think of it as "this list is valid" rather than "I've confirmed your live video is showing chapters right now."
What does "Total video length" actually affect?
Only the visual timeline below it — entering your real video length stretches the marker spacing to roughly match it. It has no effect on validation; leaving it blank never causes or hides an issue.
What's the difference between a duplicated timestamp and a duplicated title?
A repeated time value (two chapters both starting at 4:30, for example) is flagged as a potential issue and can be fixed automatically — the later duplicate is removed. A repeated title (two chapters both called "Highlights") is only a best-practice suggestion, since YouTube does not reject a chapter list over a reused title — it is just something a viewer might find confusing.
"Fix automatically" — what does it actually change, and what can't it fix?
It can sort out-of-order entries, remove exact duplicate timestamps, and add a "00:00 Intro" chapter if the list is missing one. It can't fix having too few chapters, a chapter shorter than 10 seconds, or a missing title — those all need a judgment call only you can make, like which existing chapter to shorten or what to actually call an untitled one.