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You can add timestamp text to a YouTube playlist description by editing the playlist in YouTube Studio or the YouTube app. But playlist-description timestamps are not the same as YouTube video chapters: to create chapter navigation in the player, add timestamps to the individual video’s description instead.
Add timestamp text to a playlist description
On desktop in YouTube Studio
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Select Content in the left menu, then open the Playlists tab.
- Hover over the playlist you want to edit and select Details.
- Enter or edit the description. You can format timestamp text on separate lines, for example:
00:00 Introduction
02:15 First topic
05:40 Next topic - Select Save. YouTube Studio’s documented playlist-description limit is 5,000 characters.
In the YouTube app
- Open the playlist from Library.
- Select Edit, then change or add the description.
- Confirm or save the edit. The exact controls can vary by app version.
You can also edit playlist settings in the YouTube Studio app from Content > Playlists. YouTube documents editing playlist descriptions in its playlist management instructions.
Playlist timestamps and video chapters are different
Putting timestamp-like text in a playlist description adds text to the playlist. YouTube’s official instructions do not say that this creates chapters in the videos, and they do not establish that those playlist timestamps will be clickable across desktop, mobile, and TV interfaces. After saving, check the playlist in the client your viewers use if clickable behavior matters; don’t rely on it for video-player chapter navigation.
| Playlist-description timestamps | Video chapters | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you add them | The playlist’s description in playlist details | The individual video’s description |
| What they are for | Descriptive text accompanying the playlist | Chapter navigation for that video |
| Timestamp rules | No chapter-specific rules are documented for playlist descriptions | First timestamp at 00:00; at least three timestamps in ascending order; each chapter at least 10 seconds |
Add chapters to an individual video instead
- In YouTube Studio, select Content and open the video you want to chapter.
- Add timestamp-and-title entries to that video’s Description, with one entry per line. Start at
00:00, include at least three timestamps in ascending order, and make each chapter at least 10 seconds long. - Save the video. YouTube says manual chapters override automatic chapters.
If chapters are unavailable for your account, YouTube says to apply for access to advanced features. Its video chapters instructions describe the manual requirements. Chapters divide a video into sections that can be found in its description or selected in the player, as explained in YouTube’s overview of video chapters.
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Why your chapters may not be showing
- You added the timestamps to the playlist, not the video. Edit the individual video’s description to create chapters.
- The list does not meet the chapter rules. Check that it begins at
00:00, has at least three ascending timestamps, and that each chapter is at least 10 seconds long. - Chapters are not available for the account. YouTube directs creators to apply for access to advanced features if chapters are unavailable.
- You expected playlist timestamps to be clickable. YouTube’s official documentation does not confirm that behavior across interfaces. Check the saved playlist in the specific app or device rather than treating it as chapter navigation.
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