Guide, updated October 25, 2026
How to add chapters to a YouTube video, and mark them while you record
Chapters split a long video into parts on YouTube's progress bar, so a viewer jumps to the step they came for. Adding them takes a minute in YouTube Studio, as long as the list follows three rules. Here are the rules, the steps, and a way to have the list written for you while you record a tutorial on Windows.
In one glance
- Where: the video description, one line per chapter, timestamp then title.
- The rules: first line at 00:00, at least three chapters, each 10 seconds or longer.
- Automatic chapters: YouTube can propose them; your own list replaces them.
- While recording: Ctrl+Shift+M in Ciakko marks a chapter and titles it from your words.
The three rules YouTube checks
According to YouTube's help on video chapters, the first timestamp must be 00:00, the video needs at least three timestamps in ascending order, and every chapter must last at least 10 seconds. Break one of them and the chapters do not appear, which is the usual answer to "my chapters are not showing".
Step by step in YouTube Studio
- Sign in to YouTube Studio and open Content.
- Click the video you want to edit.
- In the Description, add the list: one line per chapter, the time then the title, for example
0:00 Intro,1:25 Install,4:10 First project. - Press Save. The progress bar splits into the chapters within a short while.
The same list works when you upload a new video: paste it in the description before you publish.
Past one hour of video the times are written with hours, as in 1:02:15.
Automatic chapters, and when to write your own
In the video's details, under Show more, Automatic chapters lets YouTube propose chapters on its own. It is a good start for a talk. For a tutorial you usually want your own titles, the ones a viewer searches for, and a list in the description replaces the automatic one.
Mark the chapters while you record
Writing timestamps after the fact means scrubbing through your own video to find where each part starts. The person who knows where the parts start is you, while you record. In Ciakko:
- Press Ctrl+Shift+M, or Chapter on the recording bar, each time you start a new part.
- Each chapter takes its title from the first words you say after it. Rename it on the timeline when the words are not the title you want.
- Missed one? Double-click the chapter lane of the timeline, or Add chapter at the playhead.
- Cut the pauses and the retakes as usual. The chapters move with the cuts, and the first one stays at 0:00.
The list, checked against the rules
In Export, the YouTube chapters section shows the list in the format YouTube wants and says whether it is ready. When it is not, it names the problem: fewer than three chapters, or a chapter shorter than 10 seconds. Copy puts the list on the clipboard for the description, and the same list is saved as a text file next to the exported video. When you export a project of several takes as one video, each take adds its own chapters, and a take without chapters becomes one chapter named after it.
What Ciakko does not do
It does not upload to YouTube or write in your description: you paste the list in YouTube Studio. It makes chapters for its own screen recordings, not for videos already on your channel, and it runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. For a video that is already published, the steps in YouTube Studio above are all you need.
Questions about YouTube chapters
How do I add chapters to a YouTube video?
In YouTube Studio open Content, click the video, and write a list of timestamps and titles in the description, one per line, starting with 00:00. Save. YouTube turns the list into chapters on the progress bar.
Why are my YouTube chapters not showing?
One of YouTube's rules is broken: the first timestamp is not 00:00, there are fewer than three, they are not in ascending order, or one chapter is shorter than 10 seconds. Fix the list and save again. If your channel does not have chapters yet, YouTube asks you to apply for access to its advanced features.
How many chapters does a YouTube video need?
At least three, each 10 seconds or longer, the first at 00:00. There is no maximum, but a chapter every few minutes is easier to use than one every few seconds.
Does YouTube add chapters automatically?
It can. In the video's details, Show more, Automatic chapters lets YouTube propose them. Timestamps you write in the description replace the automatic ones.
Can I write the chapters while recording?
In Ciakko, yes: press Ctrl+Shift+M or Chapter on the recording bar when you start a new part. Each chapter takes its title from the first words you say after it, and you rename it on the timeline.
Do cuts break the timestamps?
Not in Ciakko. Chapters stay attached to the moment you marked, so cutting a pause before them moves their timestamp in the exported list. The first chapter stays at 0:00 whatever you cut at the start.