YouTube rules (R1): chapters split a video into sections with individual previews and may appear in transcripts. Manual chapters: in the description list timestamps and titles, first must be 00:00, at least three in ascending order, minimum chapter length 10 seconds; manual chapters override...

YouTube rules (R1): chapters split a video into sections with individual previews and may appear in transcripts. Manual chapters: in the description list timestamps and titles, first must be 00:00, at least three in ascending order, minimum chapter length 10 seconds; manual chapters override automatic ones. Automatic chapters are on by default for new uploads ("Allow automatic chapters", per video, in bulk, or via Upload defaults > Advanced settings) but not all videos are eligible; chapters are unavailable if the channel has active strikes or the content may be inappropriate for some viewers; channels without access must apply for Advanced features. Google Search (R2): key moments let searchers jump to segments; Google tries to detect segments automatically but "will prioritize key moments set by you, either through structured data or the YouTube description". For YouTube-hosted video, the description timestamps are the mechanism (all Search languages). For self-hosted or embedded players: Clip structured data (explicit start/end/label per segment, all languages) or SeekToAction (tell Google the URL timestamp pattern; auto-detection limited to 12 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, French, Japanese, German, Turkish, Korean, Dutch, Russian). Opt out entirely with the nosnippet meta tag. Live streams on the web can get a LIVE badge via BroadcastEvent markup plus the Indexing API. Production implication: plan edit structure so sections start on clean, labelled beats of at least 10 s; chapter titles double as search-facing labels. Effects of chapters on retention or views are not stated by either source. Curator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources. Undated YouTube Help page as served 2026-10-23; availability changes frequently. No measured effect of chapters on watch time in these sources. Limitations: Help page undated; no measured effect of chapters on watch time is published in these sources (creator claims either way remain unverified). Clip/SeekToAction property requirements not transcribed here. Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9884579?hl=en",
      "note": "How to Add Chapters; automatic chapters note; Key moments"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/video?hl=en",
      "note": "How to Add Chapters; automatic chapters note; Key moments"
    }
  ]
}