How long can a YouTube description be?

A description can be up to 5,000 characters. A video title can be up to 100.

How much of the description do viewers see first?

Only the first lines show before viewers select Show more. YouTube does not publish a character count, and the cut moves with screen width, so put the point in the first sentence.

How do I add chapters to a YouTube video?

List timestamps with titles in the description, starting with 00:00. You need at least three, in order, and each chapter must run at least 10 seconds.

What should I put in the topic field?

Paste your video idea, outline, script, or a transcript. Say what the video covers and what viewers get from it.

Does this work for Shorts?

Yes. Choose short-form video in the format list. Hashtags work on Shorts too.

Should I add hashtags to the description?

A few relevant ones are fine. YouTube shows up to three by the title, and ignores every hashtag on a video that has more than 60.

Will a good description make my video rank?

It can help people find the video, but nothing guarantees ranking. YouTube says a unique description helps a video stand out from similar ones and be found in search.

Can I use the same description on every video?

No. Write a new description for each video. Put shared channel details, like your social links, in YouTube's default description so they fill in on every upload.

Can I publish the draft as it is?

No. Check facts, links, and timestamps against your video before you publish.

YouTube description generator

Turn your video topic or script into a draft YouTube description. Choose long-form or short-form, then edit it and paste it into YouTube Studio.

Input: Video format and topic or script
Output: A draft description
YouTube limit: 5,000 characters
Price: Free, no account

How to write a YouTube description

01
Pick the format
Choose long-form or short-form to match the video.
02
Add your topic and generate
Paste your topic, outline, or script, complete the security check, then select Generate description.
03
Edit and paste it
Copy the draft, check its timestamps and links against your video, then paste it into the Description box in YouTube Studio.

What viewers see before "Show more"

A YouTube description has two parts. The first lines show under the video. The rest appears after viewers select Show more on desktop, or more on mobile.

YouTube says to put a summary of the video at the top. It does not say how many characters fit, and the cut changes with screen width. Write the first sentence as if it were the whole description: what the video covers and what viewers get.

How to add chapters

Chapters let viewers jump to a part of the video. You make them with timestamps in the description.

Start the list with 00:00.
Add at least three timestamps, from earliest to latest.
Make each chapter at least 10 seconds long.
Put a short title after each timestamp.

00:00 Intro
01:12 What you need
03:45 Set up the project
08:30 Common mistakes
11:05 Final result

Timestamps you write replace the automatic chapters. If a draft from this tool includes timestamps, swap them for the real times in your video.

A description layout that works

Most descriptions work in this order, from the top of the box down.

One sentence on what the video covers and what viewers get, with your main keyword in it.
Two or three sentences of context, like who the video is for.
The chapters.
The links viewers need: the next video, a playlist, anything you mention on screen.
Up to three hashtags at the end. The YouTube hashtag generator makes a set for the video.

YouTube also suggests picking one or two main words and using them in both the title and the description. To make a bullet list, start a line with -, *, or + and a space.

YouTube title and description limits

Item	Limit
Video title	100 characters
Description	5,000 characters
Hashtags	Three show by the title. Over 60 and YouTube ignores them all

These come from YouTube Help: uploading videos and hashtags.

What to paste into the topic field

Paste your script or outline so the draft can include the points in your video.

If your own video is already on YouTube, the YouTube to transcript tool turns it into text you can paste in. The YouTube summary tool boils a long video down to its key points first.