Free browser tool
YouTube Timestamp Link and Chapter Generator
Turn a video link and a list of times into share links that open at the right moment, and a chapter list ready for your description.
Free · Runs in your browser · No sign-upNothing is uploaded. Your files and text stay on this device.
Example: 0:00 Intro. Times can be M:SS, H:MM:SS, plain seconds (90) or 1m30s.
Timestamp links
Chapters for your description
0:00 Intro 1:25 The setup 4:10 First test 9:45 Results 12:30 What I would change
✓ These meet YouTube's chapter rules.
Want the clips made automatically?
ClipX finds the best moments in a long video, cuts them to 9:16, follows faces and adds captions. One video a day is free, up to 3 hours long. Pro is $4.99 for the first month, then $20/month.
A timestamp link opens a YouTube video at an exact second. It is the quickest way to point a friend, a client or a comment thread at one moment in a long video. Chapters do the same job inside the video: they split the progress bar into named parts, and YouTube can show them in search.
Paste the video link, then write one time and title per line. The tool builds a link for each line and a chapter block you can paste into the description, and it tells you if YouTube would refuse the chapters.
How it works
Paste the video link
Any YouTube link works: a watch page, a youtu.be share link, a Short or a live replay.
List the moments
Write one line per moment, like 0:00 Intro or 12:05 Q&A. Times can be M:SS, H:MM:SS, plain seconds or 1m30s.
Copy what you need
Copy one link, all the links, or the chapter block. Paste the chapters into the description of your own video.
What you get
- One youtu.be link per line that starts at that second
- A chapter block in the format YouTube reads
- Checks for a first chapter at 0:00, at least three chapters, and ten seconds per chapter
- Accepts watch, youtu.be, Shorts, embed and live links
- Works offline once the page has loaded
How YouTube timestamp links work
A YouTube link with ?t= and a number of seconds starts the video at that point, so a youtu.be link ending in ?t=83 opens at 1:23. You can also right-click a playing video and choose Copy video URL at current time, but that works one moment at a time and only while you watch.
Times typed in a comment or a description, such as 4:15, become clickable by themselves. A full link is what you need everywhere else: chat, email, social posts or show notes.
YouTube's chapter rules
YouTube turns a list of times into chapters only when the list meets a few rules. The first time must be 0:00. There must be at least three times, in order. Each chapter must be at least ten seconds long. The checker above tests all of these.
Chapters can also be off for some videos and channels, whatever the list says. Short, clear titles work best, because the title shows on the progress bar while viewers scrub.
From timestamps to clips
If you mark timestamps to send people to the good parts, those parts often deserve to be clips of their own. ClipX reads the whole video, picks the moments with the strongest hooks and cuts them into vertical clips with captions. Paste a link to your own video into ClipX to see what it picks.
Frequently asked questions
Is this generator free?
Yes. It is free with no sign-up and runs in your browser. It does not contact YouTube, so it also works for private and unlisted links.
Do timestamp links work on Shorts?
A Short plays from the start in the Shorts player, so a start time is usually ignored there. Timestamp links are for normal videos and live replays.
Why do my chapters not show up?
Check the rules: a first chapter at 0:00, at least three chapters in order, each ten seconds or longer. Save the description and give YouTube a few minutes. Some videos cannot have chapters.
Which time formats can I use?
M:SS (4:15), H:MM:SS (1:02:03), plain seconds (255) and short forms like 4m15s or 1h2m. A time in square brackets also works.
Can an embedded video start at a time?
Yes. In the embed code, add ?start= and the number of seconds to the video address, for example youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID?start=83. It is the same number of seconds this tool puts in each link.
Related guides
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