Timestamp link
Paste a video URL and a time; get a share link that starts the video at that exact second.
Chapters formatter
Paste an outline with times in any shape; get a valid, sorted YouTube chapter list for the description, with the chapter rules checked.
Formatted chapters
How it works
The timestamp link panel extracts the video id from any YouTube URL shape (watch, youtu.be, Shorts, live, embed) in your browser and builds the two canonical share forms with the time converted to seconds: the short youtu.be/ID?t= link for chat and social posts, and the full watch?v=ID&t= link. If the pasted URL already carries a ?t=, the time field is prefilled from it. Test opens the link in a new tab so you can confirm the cue point.
The chapters formatter reads one chapter per line, finds the time token wherever it sits, and rewrites the list into the 0:00 Title shape YouTube parses, sorted by time. It then checks the three chapter rules (first chapter at 0:00, at least three chapters, every chapter at least 10 seconds long) plus duplicates, and reports exactly which rule fails, since a silent rule failure is the usual reason chapters never appear on the progress bar.
Everything runs locally with no network requests. To start an iframe embed at a time instead of a link, use the YouTube Embed Code Generator; the YouTube Video Data Viewer shows a video's public metadata including its exact length.
What you will see
- Short link
- The youtu.be form with ?t= in plain seconds; shortest to share.
- Full link
- The watch?v= form with &t=; identical behaviour, familiar shape.
- Test
- Opens the generated link in a new tab so you can confirm where the video starts.
- Rule checklist
- Pass or fail for each of YouTube's chapter rules, with the failing chapters named.
- Formatted chapters
- The normalised, ascending list ready to paste into the video description.
- Skipped lines
- Lines where no time could be found; they are left out of the output and listed so nothing disappears silently.
Frequently asked questions
How do I link to a specific time in a YouTube video?
Paste the video URL, enter the time (seconds like 90 or a clock time like 1:30), and copy either generated link. Both carry a time parameter: the short form youtu.be/ID?t=90 and the full form watch?v=ID&t=90s. Anyone opening the link lands on the video already cued to that second.
What is the ?t= parameter, exactly?
The start time in seconds. t=90 and t=90s both mean "start 90 seconds in", and the longer t=1h2m3s spelling also works. It cues the main watch page and shared links; inside an iframe embed the equivalent parameter is start=, which the YouTube Embed Code Generator writes for you.
Why does my timestamp link not work on a Shorts URL?
The Shorts player ignores start times, so a youtube.com/shorts/ID?t=30 link starts at the beginning. This tool converts a pasted Shorts URL to its normal watch?v=ID form first, where the timestamp works; the viewer just sees the Short in the standard player.
How do YouTube chapters work?
Chapters come from the video description: a list of timestamps with titles, one per line. YouTube turns them into named segments on the progress bar when the list follows three rules: the first chapter starts at 0:00, there are at least three chapters, and every chapter is at least 10 seconds long. The formatter below checks all three and normalises your list into the accepted 0:00 Title shape to paste into the description.
Why are my chapters not showing on YouTube?
Almost always one of the three rules: the list does not begin at exactly 0:00, has fewer than three entries, or has a chapter shorter than 10 seconds. Other causes: the list lives in a comment instead of the description, an "(Auto)" chapters setting overriding manual ones, or timestamps out of order. Paste your list into the formatter and it names which rule fails.
What format do chapter timestamps need?
M:SS or H:MM:SS at the start of the line, followed by the title, like 0:00 Intro and 1:02:30 Q&A. The formatter accepts looser input (times at the end of the line, dashes and dots as separators, missing leading zeros) and rewrites everything into that canonical shape, sorted in ascending order.
Can chapters and timestamp links be combined?
Yes, they are the same mechanism. A chapter list in the description gives viewers named sections in the player, and a timestamp link takes someone straight to one of those moments from anywhere: chat, an email, show notes, or a blog post. A common workflow is to format the chapters here, paste them into the description, then generate share links for the one or two moments you promote.
Is anything uploaded or stored?
No. Links and chapters are built entirely in your browser; the page makes no network requests with your text, stores nothing, and needs no signup. Reload and it is blank again.