- Chord Detector
- YouTube to chords
YouTube to chords
YouTube to chords: get chords from any video link
Try it on any public video: paste the link and Chord Detector puts the chords above the lyrics, with the key and tempo of the song. No extension, no app, and the first 60 seconds work without an account.
MP3, WAV, OGG, M4A or FLAC · up to 50 MB · 15 minutes
First full song free with an account No card required First 60 seconds without signing up
- Any public video
- Chords above lyrics
- Key and BPM
- File upload as backup
Key facts about chords from a YouTube link
- 15 minlongest video, counted from the link you paste
- About 20 sis the usual wait for the chords, lyrics follow
- 60 sof chords without an account, key and BPM for the whole song
- 0 installsit runs in the browser tab you are already in
The short answer
In short
YouTube to chords means pasting a video link and getting a chord chart back. Put a public YouTube link into the box above, press Get chords, and Chord Detector fetches the audio, recognizes the chords and opens a song page with chords above the lyrics, plus the key and tempo. The video can be up to 15 minutes long, and the chords usually show up within about twenty seconds.
How it works
How to get chords from a YouTube video
Four steps, one browser tab. You never download the video yourself and you never leave the page until the chart is ready.
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Copy the link from YouTube
Use the address bar or the Share button on the video. A normal watch link, a youtu.be link and a YouTube Music link all work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=… -
Paste it and press Get chords
When the link is recognized the line under the field changes to “Looks like a YouTube link. We will fetch the audio and work out the chords.” We then check that YouTube can provide the video, and if it cannot, the reason appears under the field right away.
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Watch the song page fill in
You land on the song page with the video title and cover from YouTube while the analysis runs. Expect the chords after about twenty seconds. The lyrics are transcribed from the vocal and appear a couple of minutes later.
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Read the chart and play along
Chords sit above the lyrics, with the key, tempo, time signature and chord diagrams for guitar and ukulele. Press play and the line being sung is highlighted.
Links
Which YouTube links and videos work
Any link that points to one public video works, in the forms below. The video then has to be available to us and no longer than 15 minutes.
| Link type | What it looks like | Accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Watch page | youtube.com/watch?v=<id>, also on www. and m. | Yes |
| Short link | youtu.be/<id> | Yes |
| YouTube Music | music.youtube.com/watch?v=<id> | Yes |
| Shorts | youtube.com/shorts/<id> | Yes |
| Live and embed forms | youtube.com/live/<id>, youtube.com/embed/<id> | Yes |
| Watch link with extras | A link ending in a start time, a playlist tag or a share tag | Yes, extras ignored |
| Playlist, channel, search | Any page that is not one video | No |
| Other hosts and bare ids | youtube-nocookie.com, an 11-character id on its own, an address without https:// | No |
These videos work
- Public videos of 15 minutes or less, such as an official audio upload, a lyric video or a music video.
- Songs on YouTube Music, which share the same video ids.
- Live and cover videos, with the chords of that particular recording.
- A video that was already analyzed: the finished result is reused and the video is not downloaded again.
These need another route
- Private, age-restricted or region-blocked videos. YouTube does not hand them over, so upload the audio file instead.
- Videos longer than 15 minutes. Split the recording and use a shorter part.
- A video where YouTube refuses the download from our server. Upload the audio file: the chords come out the same.
- Videos with no music in them. A track with no harmonic content returns a message instead of a chart.
Link or file
What a YouTube link gives you compared with a file
The chart is the same either way. Both routes go through the same analysis, and the difference is only where the audio comes from.
| YouTube link | Uploaded file | |
|---|---|---|
| Input | A public video, pasted as a link | MP3, WAV, OGG, M4A or FLAC, up to 50 MB |
| Longest track | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
| What you get | Chords above lyrics, key, BPM, time signature, guitar and ukulele diagrams | The same |
| Title and cover | Taken from YouTube while the analysis runs | The title comes from the file name |
| Playback on the song page | YouTube’s embedded player | An audio player built into the page |
| Can fail at the fetch step | Yes: private, age-restricted, region-blocked or blocked downloads | No fetch step, so no YouTube refusals |
| Guest allowance | Counts as one of 5 new analyses a day | Counts as one of 5 new analyses a day |
| Audio kept | Deleted within 24 hours | Deleted within 24 hours |
Troubleshooting
If your YouTube link does not work
Every message below is one you can see in the product. The quoted text is what the page says; the last column is the quickest fix.
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “That does not look like a YouTube video link.” | The link is a playlist, channel or search page, has no https://, is a bare id, or is on another host such as youtube-nocookie.com. | Open the video itself, copy its address or use Share, and paste the whole link. |
| “That video is private, age-restricted or blocked.” | YouTube reports the video as unavailable when we look it up. | Try a public upload of the same song, or upload the audio file instead. |
| “YouTube blocked the download” on the song page | The video exists, but YouTube refused the download from our server. | Upload the audio file: the chords come out the same. |
| “This track is longer than 15 minutes” | The video is over the length limit. No credit is used. | Split the recording or use a shorter part. |
| “We couldn’t find chords in this track” | The analysis heard no harmonic content it could name, as in a talk or a drum-only clip. No credit is used. | Check that the video has music, or try another upload of the song. |
| “Daily limit reached — sign up to continue.” | Without an account you can start 5 new analyses a day. | Use the Sign up free button that appears: your link stays in the field. Your first full song is free, no card. |
| “You have reached today’s limit. Try again tomorrow.” | Signed-in accounts have a daily cap on new analyses too. | Try again the next day. |
| “We could not start the analysis. Please try again.” | The analysis did not start on our side. | Press Get chords again. |
| “The video owner does not allow playback outside YouTube.” | The chords are ready, but the owner has switched off embedded playback, so the video cannot play inside the song page. | Open the video on YouTube in another tab and follow the chart. |
Speed
How long it takes to get chords from YouTube
Plan on about twenty seconds for the chords and a couple of minutes more for the lyrics. The song page opens at once and fills in as each part finishes.
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Link check
The moment you press the button we ask YouTube whether the video exists. If it does not, you see the reason under the field instead of the song page.
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Chords
Usually about twenty seconds. The key and tempo come with them, and a video that was already analyzed is reused instead of being downloaded again.
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Lyrics
Usually a couple of minutes later. They are transcribed from the separated vocal with word timings, so the chords line up with the words.
Worked example
Example: from a YouTube link to a chord chart
Say you paste the link of a pop song called Evening Lights. The song page shows the key as C major, the tempo as 96 BPM and the time signature as 4/4. The chords of the opening bars read Am, F, C, G, one chord to a bar.
Read against the key, those four chords are vi, IV, I and V of C major, a loop you will meet in hundreds of songs. Paste the chords into the chord progression finder to see the numerals for any key, or learn what makes C major the key in the song key finder.
If the melody sits too low for your voice, press the plus control twice on the song page. Every chord moves up two semitones, and the same loop reads Bm, G, D, A in D major.
Opening chords from the link
Transposed up 2 semitones, key of D major
Better results
Tips for better chords from a YouTube video
The video you pick decides the chart. These are practical habits, not measured promises.
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Studio version first
A live video can run faster, change key or stretch a section. Pick the official audio when you want the chart most players know, and a live video when you want that exact arrangement.
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Where the music starts
Talking, a countdown or applause carry no chords. If the first line of the chart looks odd, check whether the music had begun yet.
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One song per video
A medley or mashup gets one key, the one the chords support most. The chart still lists every chord in order, so you can see where the song moves.
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Covers show the cover
The chords describe the recording you paste, not the original release. A cover in a lower key gives you chords in that lower key, which may suit you better.
Check the first verse by ear. Detection is automatic, and it can still prefer major or minor where a recording is ambiguous. Play the first verse with the chart before you trust the rest. Tracks that are not tuned to A4 = 440 Hz are corrected for.
Song page
Play along with the video on the song page
A YouTube song page carries the video in a small player next to the chart. Four controls matter once you start playing.
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Player
The video plays in YouTube’s embedded player, and the line being sung is highlighted in the chart. Click any line to jump the video to it.
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Transpose
Plus and minus shift every chord by a semitone, up to 11 steps either way. Use it when the original sits too high or low for you.
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Diagrams
Chord diagrams for guitar and ukulele appear on the song page, so an unfamiliar sus4 or maj7 is one glance away.
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ChordPro and print
Download the chart as a ChordPro file or print it, so it is ready for a stand or a setlist folder.
Without an account the player stops at the 60-second preview mark. The key, tempo and time signature still describe the whole song. A free account unlocks your first full song with lyrics, and after that you can buy a $5 pack of 10 credits or start Pro; see pricing.
Rights and privacy
Rights, privacy and what happens to the audio
Use the chart for practice and learning, and only with material you are allowed to use. You are responsible for the links you submit. Nothing on this page says that YouTube’s terms or copyright law permit any particular use, and it is not legal advice. If you are unsure, read YouTube’s terms and the rules where you live, or upload a recording you own. Our own rules are in the terms and the privacy policy.
Audio is deleted within 24 hours. The result stays in your library under a private link, and lyrics are shown only to the account that started the analysis. They are never published or indexed.
Without an account the song page is tied to the browser that created it, so sign up before you close the tab if you want to come back to the chart.
More tools
Related tools for chords and keys
FAQ
Questions about chords from YouTube
How do I get chords from a YouTube video?
Copy the link of a public YouTube video, paste it into the box at the top of this page and press Get chords. Chord Detector fetches the audio and opens a song page with the chords above the lyrics, plus the key, tempo and time signature. The chords usually arrive in about twenty seconds.
Is this the same as a YouTube chord extension?
No. Chord Detector is a website, not a browser extension or an app. You paste the link on the page and the chords open on a song page in the same browser tab, so there is nothing to install.
Which YouTube links does it accept?
Links to one video on youtube.com, www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com or music.youtube.com in the watch, shorts, live, embed or v form, plus youtu.be short links. Playlist pages, channel pages, search results, youtube-nocookie.com links and bare video ids are not accepted. Extra parts such as a start time or a playlist tag are ignored.
Can I get chords from a YouTube link without an account?
Yes. Without an account you get the chords of the first 60 seconds, plus the key, BPM and time signature of the whole song. Guests can start 5 new analyses a day. A free account unlocks your first full song with lyrics, with no card.
Why does my YouTube video say it is private, age-restricted or blocked?
YouTube told us it cannot provide that video. Private, age-restricted and region-blocked videos cannot be fetched. Try a public upload of the same song, or upload the audio file yourself: the chords come out the same from a file.
How long can the video be?
Up to 15 minutes. A longer video is refused and no credit is used. A credit unlocks one full song of up to 10 minutes; a longer track costs two credits.
Do YouTube Music and Shorts links work?
Yes. Links on music.youtube.com and youtube.com/shorts are accepted in the same way as a normal watch link, as long as the link points to one video within the 15 minute limit.
Will the chords match what the artist plays?
Chords are detected automatically from the audio of the video, so treat them as a strong first draft and check the first verse by ear. The detector can still prefer major or minor where a recording is ambiguous, and a live or cover video gives the chords of that recording.
Are the lyrics public?
No. Lyrics are transcribed from the separated vocal and shown only to the account that started the analysis. They are never published or indexed.
Paste a link and get your chords
Run YouTube to chords on your own song: paste a public link and read the chords, key and tempo on one page. The first 60 seconds of chords come free without an account, and a file upload is there if a video is blocked.
Detection is automatic. Check the chart by ear before you perform.