What are YouTube chapters?
Chapters divide a video into named sections, each beginning at a timestamp. They appear as segments on the progress bar and let viewers jump straight to the part they care about. Creators add them by writing a list of timestamps in the description; YouTube can also generate them automatically.
A chapters extractor pulls that list out as text. Paste a link into Clip Converter and, if the video has chapters, they are shown with their start times. One click copies the full list in the familiar “0:00 Introduction” layout.
How to use the Chapters Extractor
- Paste the video link. Paste the URL on the Clip Converter homepage and press Get Clip.
- Open Chapters. If the video has chapters, a Chapters section appears under the video details.
- Copy the list. Press Copy chapters to get every timestamp and title as text, one per line.
Key features
- Timestamps and titles. Each chapter is listed with its start time in the familiar 0:00 format.
- Ready to paste. The copied list uses the exact “0:00 Title” layout YouTube expects in a description.
- Pairs with the trimmer. Use a chapter’s start and end times to download just that chapter as a clip.
- Included in JSON export. Need structured data? The JSON export contains all chapters with their start times in seconds.
What a chapter list is good for
- An instant outline of a lecture, tutorial or documentary for your notes.
- Show notes for a podcast page or a newsletter.
- A table of contents when you embed or reference a video in an article.
- Recovering the chapters of your own video when you need them elsewhere.
Downloading a single chapter
Chapters pair naturally with the trimmer. Note the start time of the chapter you want and the start time of the one after it, press Trim, enter the two times and download. You get that chapter alone, as video or as audio, without fetching the rest of the video.
Adding chapters to your own videos
YouTube recognises chapters when the description contains a list of timestamps that starts at 0:00, has at least three entries in ascending order, and leaves at least ten seconds between them. The list copied from Clip Converter already follows this format, so a recovered list can be pasted directly into a description.
If a video shows no Chapters section, it simply has none. They exist only when the creator wrote them or YouTube generated them.
What chapters are useful for
- Notes and study
- Outline a lecture or tutorial in seconds.
- Show notes
- Reuse the list for a podcast page or newsletter.
- Clipping
- Find the exact section worth cutting and sharing.
- Your own uploads
- Recover the chapter list from a published video.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no Chapters section for my video?
The video has no chapters. They only exist when the creator adds timestamps to the description or when YouTube generates them automatically.
Can I download a single chapter?
Yes. Note the chapter’s start time and the next chapter’s start time, press Trim, enter both, and download the clip.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it is free, and there is no account, email or app to install. Paste a link and the tool works in your browser on any device.
Do you keep a copy of my files?
No. Files are held on our server only while they are being prepared and are deleted automatically about twenty minutes later. We do not keep a record of what you download.