YouTube description template
Fill in what the video is about, your links, chapters and socials, and copy a finished description laid out the way YouTube shows it, checked against YouTube's limits as you type.
- Free, no sign-up
- Nothing you type leaves your browser
- Rules checked October 28, 2026
Your description
0 / 5,000
What shows before “Show more”
Approximations of YouTube's desktop layouts, the same ones the description checker uses.
Checks
The description checker's rules, as read on October 28, 2026.
How a YouTube description is laid out
- Opening
- 1–2 sentencesWhat viewers see before “Show more”
- Length
- 5,000 characters5,000 bytes through the YouTube Data API
- Chapters
- First at 0:00, 3 or moreIn order, each at least 10 seconds
- Hashtags
- Up to 3 by the titleMore than 60 and YouTube ignores them all
Lead with the video, not the links
The first lines are all most viewers read, on the watch page before “Show more” and in search results. Say what the video gives them there, in plain words people would search for, and keep links, credits and socials below. A sponsor line goes right after the opening so it is easy to see.
Chapters and hashtags
Chapters come from timestamps in the description: the first at 0:00, at least three, each 10 seconds or longer. Of the hashtags in the description, YouTube shows up to three by the title, the ones it considers most engaging, so keep to a few that describe the video. Already have a description? Paste it into the description checker, and test the title with the title checker.
Sources: YouTube Help: Tips for video descriptions · YouTube Help: Edit video settings · YouTube Data API: Videos resource · YouTube Help: Find playlists & videos using hashtags · YouTube Help: Video chapters, read on October 28, 2026.
Embed this template
Teachers, bloggers and course creators can put this YouTube description template on their own page for free. Paste the code below into your page's HTML. It loads from markstudios.com, so it stays current when we update the numbers.
Questions, answered.
Anything else? Message Mark and you'll get a written reply within one business day.
What should a YouTube description include?
Open with a sentence or two about the video: that is what viewers see before “Show more”, and YouTube’s own tips treat the description as two parts, the opening and everything after it. Then add the links you mention, chapter timestamps starting at 0:00, where to follow you and a few hashtags. The template puts them in that order.
How long can a YouTube description be?
5,000 characters in YouTube Studio. Scheduling and upload tools that use the YouTube Data API count 5,000 bytes instead, and emoji take two to four bytes each, so a template with emoji headings uses up the limit faster through those tools.
Where do hashtags go in a YouTube description?
Anywhere in the description, though most creators put them at the end. Up to three of the ones YouTube considers most engaging can show by the title, and with more than 60 hashtags YouTube ignores all of them.
How do I add chapters to a YouTube description?
List timestamps one per line with a title, like “0:00 Intro”. YouTube needs the first at 0:00, at least three in ascending order and each chapter at least 10 seconds long. Add the video length and the template checks the last chapter too.
Can I copy and paste the template into YouTube?
Yes. Copy the finished description and paste it into the description box in YouTube Studio. Nothing you type is sent anywhere; it stays in your browser.
Rather have every upload written for you?
Mark writes the title, description and tags around what people search, sets the thumbnail and schedules each video, and you work directly with Mark.
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