How to Add Chapters to MP4?

FFmpeg is a powerful open-source command-line tool for editing and converting videos. Here are the steps to use FFmpeg for adding chapters:

Step 1. Download and install FFmpeg from its Official Website. Ensure you get the version compatible with your operating system.

Step 2. Create a text file containing the chapter information. Each chapter should be formatted as follows:

;FFMETADATA1
title=StreetFighter
artist=StreetFighter

[CHAPTER]
TIMEBASE=1/1000
# Chapter 1 starts at 00:00
START=0
# Chapter 1 ends at 00:15 (minus 1 millisecond)
END=14999
title=1.Start

[CHAPTER]
TIMEBASE=1/1000
# Chapter 2 starts at 00:15
START=15000
# Chapter 2 ends at 00:38 (minus 1 millisecond)
END=37999
title=2.Ken vs Ryu

Step 3. Once your chapter file is ready, use the following FFmpeg command to add chapters to your MP4 file:

ffmpeg -i INPUT.mp4 -i Chapter.txt -map_metadata 1 -codec copy OUTPUT.mp4

Replace "INPUT.mp4" with the name of your original video file and "Chapter.txt" with the name of your chapter file.

MKVToolNix-GUI provides a graphical interface for MKVToolNix, which is a set of tools to create, alter, and inspect Matroska files. But it can also work with MP4s.

Step 1. Download and install it from its Official Website.

Step 2. Create a text file, customize chapter titles and durations in the following format:

CHAPTER01=00:00:00.000
CHAPTER01NAME=Enter Chapter 1 Name Here
CHAPTER02=00:00:00.000
CHAPTER02NAME=Enter Chapter 2 Name Here
CHAPTER03=00:00:00.000
CHAPTER03NAME=Enter Chapter 3 Name Here

Step 3. Run MKVToolNix-GUI and add your MP4 file in "Input" area.

Step 4. Switch to "Output" tab, navigate to "Chapters".

Step 5. Add your TXT file to "Chapter file" section.

Step 6. Choose a destination folder, and change the extension from .mkv to .mp4.

Step 7. Finally, click "Start multiplexing" button.

Drax is a lightweight Windows-based utility designed specifically for editing chapter markers in MP4/M4V files. It's user-friendly and perfect for those who prefer a simple graphical interface.

Step 1. Download and install it from GitHub Page.

Step 2. Run Drax and add your MP4 file. Choose "All Files (*.*)" if there is no available video.

Step 3. Switch to "Chapters" tab, click the "+" icon to create a new chapter marker here. Enter the desired timestamps and chapter title.

Step 4. Repeat the process to create multiple chapter markers with titles.

Step 5. Finally, click the "Save" icon to write chapters into the MP4 video.

XMedia Recode is a free video and audio converter that also an easy workflow to chapterize MP4 file on Windows.

Step 1. Download and install it from Official Website.

Step 2. Launch XMedia Recode, click on the "Open File" button to add your MP4 file.

Step 3. Choose "MP4" as output format.

Step 4. Navigate to "Chapter Editor" tab, specify chapter positions and names accordingly.

Step 5. Specify an output folder at the bottom and click "Add to queue" button.

Step 6. Finally, hit "Encode" button to start processing.