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YouTube requires 2-Step Verification on the Google Account of every channel in the YouTube Partner Program (to use YouTube Studio since Nov 1, 2021) and of every channel applying for the verification badge; YouTube recommends a passkey as the second step because it resists phishing best.

To recover a hacked YouTube channel, first recover the Google Account that owns it (password reset and Google's account recovery), then undo the hacker's changes with YouTube Studio's cleanup tool, then secure the account with 2-Step Verification; YouTube's hacked channel assistant helps in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Only eligible creators, such as channels in the YouTube Partner Program, can chat with or email YouTube Creator Support, from the Chat button in YouTube Studio or the Help Center; everyone else gets the Help Center, the YouTube Help Community and @TeamYouTube on X.

Content ID is YouTube's automatic copyright system, which scans every upload against reference files from rights holders and places a claim on a match that blocks, monetizes or tracks the video. A claim is not a strike, and only owners of exclusive rights to a large body of often-uploaded material qualify to use it.

A YouTube copyright strike comes when a video is removed after a legal takedown request. It expires after 90 days once you complete Copyright School, and three active strikes put the channel up for termination.

A YouTube counter notification is the legal request to restore a video removed for copyright by mistake or misidentification. The claimant gets 10 US business days to show they have sued; if not, YouTube puts the video back.

To dispute a Content ID claim on YouTube, open YouTube Studio > Content, hover over Claims, click See details, then Take action > Dispute. Dispute within 5 days of the claim and the video's revenue is held for whoever wins.

Fair use is a US legal defense judged on four factors: purpose, the nature of the work, how much is used and the effect on its market. YouTube says it cannot decide fair use; only courts can, and no disclaimer makes a video fair use.

The music YouTube itself calls copyright-safe is in the Audio Library in YouTube Studio, free to use and monetize. Creator Music lets Partner Program creators share a video's revenue with a song's rights holders, and an artist's permission alone does not make a channel eligible to earn.

YouTube channel permissions let an owner give other Google Accounts the Manager, Editor, Editor (limited), Subtitle editor, Viewer or Viewer (limited) role in YouTube Studio under Settings > Permissions, without sharing a password. Transferring a channel to a new primary owner needs a Brand Account and a 7-day wait.

YouTube Creator Awards are the Play Buttons YouTube sends channels that pass a review at 100,000 subscribers (Silver), 1 million (Gold), 10 million (Diamond) and 100 million (Red Diamond). Subscribers alone are not enough: the channel must be active, original and free of recent strikes.

YouTube recommends custom thumbnails of 3840 x 2160 for videos (2160 x 3840 for Shorts), at least 640 pixels wide, in JPG or PNG, up to 50 MB on a computer or 2 MB on a phone. Uploading one needs a verified account; Shorts thumbnails are set only in YouTube Studio on a computer.

YouTube unlocks channel features in three tiers: standard features for everyone, intermediate features after phone verification, and advanced features after phone verification plus channel history or an ID or video check. All three are checked in YouTube Studio under Settings > Channel > Feature eligibility.

A YouTube handle is a channel's unique @name, 3 to 30 characters long. Change it in YouTube Studio under Customization > Profile > Handle, or at youtube.com/handle, up to twice in 14 days.

Hype is a YouTube button that lets viewers push a video they love up a weekly leaderboard during its first 7 days. Each viewer gets 3 free hypes a week, smaller channels earn more points per hype, and it is open to Partner Program channels with 500 to 500,000 subscribers.

To live stream on YouTube a channel must be verified, have no live streaming restrictions in the past 90 days and belong to someone at least 16; streaming from a phone also needs 50 subscribers. The first time can take up to 24 hours to switch on; then go live from a webcam, a phone or an encoder like OBS.

A YouTube Premiere plays a prerecorded video as a live event: a public watch page with a countdown, live chat and a set start time, after which the video stays on the channel as a normal upload. Set it in YouTube Studio with "Set as instant Premiere" or Schedule > "Set as Premiere".

YouTube's Test and compare (A/B testing) shows up to three thumbnails, titles, or pairs of both to viewers of one video and picks the winner by watch time share, in a few days to two weeks. It runs in YouTube Studio on a computer and needs advanced features.

A YouTube title can be 100 characters, a description 5,000 and the tags 500 in total, and none may contain < or >. Over 60 hashtags and YouTube ignores them all. Misleading titles, ALL CAPS and stuffed tags can cost a channel its monetization.

A YouTube channel can apply for the gray check mark verification badge once it has 100,000 subscribers, 2-Step Verification and a complete profile, in YouTube Studio under Settings > Channel > Verified badge. The badge cannot be bought, and renaming the channel removes it.

To embed a YouTube video, click Share under it, then Embed, and paste the HTML code into your site; swap youtube.com for youtube-nocookie.com for privacy-enhanced mode, add ?start= to begin at a second, and creators can stop others embedding by unticking Allow embedding in YouTube Studio.

YouTube Analytics lives in YouTube Studio under Analytics, with tabs for Overview, Content, Audience, Revenue and Trends, and per video Reach and Engagement, where the audience retention graph shows which moments held viewers. Since Aug 24, 2026, YouTube counts a view the moment a video starts playing.

YouTube says its recommendations follow what satisfies viewers, not upload frequency, publish time, tags or monetization, so channels grow by making videos their audience chooses and finishes. This page sets out what YouTube itself says, then what experienced creators report, labeled as their opinion.

The most useful YouTube tips and hidden features in one list, each saying exactly what to press or type, from stepping one frame with the comma and period keys to the 5-day window for disputing a copyright claim. Every tip links to a page with the full steps.

Find any YouTube channel's ID on its channel page by opening the description (the About panel), then Share channel > Copy channel ID; your own is also under Settings > Advanced settings, or at youtube.com/account_advanced.

On YouTube on a computer, pause the video, then press the period key to step one frame forward and the comma key to step one frame back.

Any YouTube video's thumbnail opens at img.youtube.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/maxresdefault.jpg, 1280 by 720 pixels when the video has one, with hqdefault.jpg (480 by 360) as the size every video has.

YouTube Studio pages can be opened directly by address, studio.youtube.com/channel/YOUR_CHANNEL_ID/ followed by a path such as content/inspiration (saved ideas), copyright/history (copyright removal requests) or monetization/affiliate_hub (Shopping affiliate offers).

YouTube's main keyboard shortcuts on a computer are k to play or pause, j and l to jump 10 seconds, f for full screen, m to mute, c for captions, and comma and period to step frames; Shift + ? shows the full list in the player.

To share a YouTube video from a set time, click Share under the video, tick Start at, enter the time and copy the link, or add &t=90 (seconds) to the address yourself; embeds use start= and end= instead.

To loop a YouTube video on a computer, right-click the player and click Loop; in the app, tap Settings, Additional settings, Loop video; a playlist loops with the Loop button in its playlist box.

To open a YouTube video's transcript on a computer, click "...more" under the video to expand the description, scroll to the Transcript section and click Show transcript; it works on any video that has captions.

Change YouTube's speed in the player's Settings gear under Playback speed, from 0.25x to 2x for everyone (up to 4x with YouTube Premium), press and hold the video for 2x, or use Shift + > and Shift + < on a keyboard.

On YouTube in Chrome on a computer, pause the video, right-click it once for YouTube's menu, then right-click again for the browser's own menu, which offers Copy video frame and Save video frame as.

YouTube hides a video's tags from viewers, but on a computer anyone can read them in the page source: open view-source: before the watch address and search for name="keywords".

The address youtube.com/source/VIDEO_ID/shorts lists the YouTube Shorts made from a video, such as remixes that used its sound or a cut of it; creators can also see remix traffic in YouTube Studio.

Share youtube.com/@yourhandle/live instead of one stream's watch link: while the channel is live, YouTube opens the current stream, and when it is not, the channel page.

youtu.be/VIDEO_ID is YouTube's short link for any video and accepts ?t= for a start time; yt.be is a second YouTube domain used only for named campaign links that YouTube itself creates, so yt.be/VIDEO_ID and yt.be/@handle do not work.

To hear a YouTube video in another language, open the player's Settings gear, choose Audio track, and pick a language; "original" marks the creator's own voice, and dubbed tracks may be uploaded by the creator or generated by automatic dubbing.

To watch a YouTube Short in the ordinary player, replace "shorts/" in its address with "watch?v=", so youtube.com/shorts/ID becomes youtube.com/watch?v=ID, with a seek bar, speed, quality and keyboard shortcuts.

YouTube videos start muted when they play by themselves in the Home feed or search results (the inline player), and browsers such as Chrome block sound on autoplay until you have interacted with the site or have played sound there before.

YouTube was founded in February 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim; its first video, "Me at the zoo", went up on Apr 23, 2005, and Google bought it for $1.65 billion in stock in November 2006. This timeline runs from those beginnings through the Partner Program, Shorts and the 20th anniversary in 2025.

YouTube has removed many features over the years, including annotations (gone Jan 15, 2019), private messages (2018 and 2019), poll cards (2020), community captions (2020), old unlisted links (made private Jul 23, 2021), public dislike counts (2021) and Stories (Jun 26, 2023). This page dates each one and says what replaced it.

YouTube is Google's video sharing platform, founded in 2005, where anyone can watch, upload and earn from videos, Shorts and live streams. This guide documents its features for viewers and creators, the little-known tricks, and the rules on monetization, copyright and safety, as of Nov 6, 2026.

AdSense for YouTube is the Google account that pays YouTube creators. Earnings are credited between the 7th and 12th of each month and paid between the 21st and 26th once the balance reaches the $100 payment threshold, after the address is verified with a mailed PIN at $10.

YouTube's advertiser-friendly guidelines decide whether a monetized video can earn full ads (green dollar icon), limited ads (yellow) or none. They cover 14 topics, from language and violence to controversial issues, and partners rate their own videos through self-certification and can ask for a human review.

YouTube channel memberships let viewers pay a creator monthly through the Join button for perks like badges, emoji and members-only videos. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program (500 subscribers), can offer up to 6 levels priced from $0.99 to $499.99 in the US, and keep 70% of net revenue.

YouTube Creator Partnerships, called BrandConnect until March 2026, is YouTube's marketplace where brands find creators for paid deals. Creators 18 or older in the YouTube Partner Program set a suggested price in YouTube Studio; the brand pays the creator directly, and the video must be marked as a paid promotion.

On YouTube live streams, viewers buy Jewels and spend them on animated gifts; the creator earns Rubies, worth one cent each at launch. Gifts started on vertical live streams in the US in November 2024 and now work on vertical and horizontal streams in many countries, for channels in the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program.

YouTube does not pay for mass-produced, templated or repetitive videos (inauthentic content, called repetitious content before Jul 15, 2025) or for other people's material reposted without meaningful changes (reused content). Both are judged across the whole channel, even with the owner's permission.

From Feb 1, 2027, new YouTube Partner Program applicants need 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 watch hours in a year or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days, Shorts revenue needs 10 million Shorts views every 90 days, and every partner must accept new terms in YouTube Studio by Jan 31, 2027.

YouTube monetizes reaction videos when you comment on the original, and compilations when you add a storyline and commentary. Mostly silent reactions, unnarrated clip compilations, social media clip roundups and mixes of different artists' songs are not eligible, even with permission.

Super Chat lets YouTube viewers pay to highlight a message in a live stream or Premiere chat, and Super Stickers to post an animated sticker there. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program (500 subscribers) and get 70% of net revenue.

Super Thanks lets YouTube viewers tip a creator on an ordinary video or Short; the buyer sees a one-time animation and posts a highlighted comment. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program and keep 70% of net revenue.

Every YouTube Partner Program creator must give Google US tax info in AdSense for YouTube. Creators outside the US who do are taxed 0 to 30% on earnings from US viewers only, depending on their country's tax treaty; individuals who do not can lose 24% of all their YouTube earnings worldwide.

The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is how creators earn from YouTube. Ads need 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days; fan funding and Shopping open earlier, at 500 subscribers. New applicants need 8,000 hours or 20 million Shorts views from Feb 1, 2027.

YouTube Shopping lets creators show products in their videos, Shorts, live streams and channel store. Partners can sell their own merch, and in 18 countries join the Shopping affiliate program (500 subscribers since Mar 25, 2026) to tag other brands' products and earn a commission set by the brand.

To appeal a YouTube Partner Program suspension or rejection, upload an unlisted video under 5 minutes that explains how your channel follows the monetization policies, then submit its link from YouTube Studio's Earn page within 21 days. YouTube decides within 14 days; if it refuses, you can reapply after 90 days.

An age-restricted YouTube video can only be watched by viewers who are signed in and 18 or older, mostly not on other websites, and it may earn limited or no ads. Creators can restrict their own videos or appeal YouTube's restriction in YouTube Studio.

YouTube's third-party training setting, in YouTube Studio's channel settings, lets a creator allow outside companies to train AI models on their public videos. It is off by default, you pick companies or allow all, and it does not cover Google's own training.

YouTube requires creators to disclose realistic AI-generated or meaningfully altered content by setting "AI use" to Yes under Attributes when uploading. The label does not limit reach or monetization, but repeatedly hiding AI use can.

YouTube terminates a channel for three strikes in 90 days, repeated violations, one case of severe abuse or a channel dedicated to breaking a policy. You can appeal in YouTube Studio within a year, twice, and a pilot lets some terminated creators ask for a new channel after a year.

A first YouTube Community Guidelines violation is usually only a warning, which expires 90 days after you finish a short policy training. After that, strikes freeze posting for one week, then two, and a third strike in 90 days can remove the channel.

YouTube allows links in video descriptions and comments, but links to porn, malware, phishing, pirated content, regulated goods such as online casinos, or other content that breaks its rules can bring a warning, a strike or removal. Links in long video descriptions are clickable; in Shorts descriptions they have not been since Aug 31, 2023.

Every YouTube creator must say whether each video is made for kids, children under 13 in the US, in YouTube Studio under Settings > Channel > Advanced settings or per video. Made for kids videos lose comments, personalized ads, the notification bell, end screens and more, a rule that came from YouTube's $170 million COPPA settlement with the FTC in 2019.

YouTube requires creators to declare any sponsorship, product placement, endorsement or other branded content by ticking the paid promotion box in YouTube Studio, which shows viewers a disclosure at the start of the video; some products may never be promoted and burned-in video ads are not allowed.

YouTube Player for Education is an ad-free YouTube player built into classroom and learning apps, which schools' education partners pay YouTube to license. Since June 2025 creators earn a share of those fees by watch time, opting in at YouTube Studio > Earn > Player for Education.

YouTube Premium is YouTube's paid plan: videos without ads, background play, downloads, YouTube Music Premium, an enhanced-bitrate 1080p, Jump ahead and more. In the US it costs $15.99 a month for one person and $26.99 for a family as of Nov 6, 2026; Premium Lite is a cheaper, mostly ad-free plan without music.

YouTube has shared Shorts ad revenue with creators since Feb 1, 2023: ads between Shorts fill a monthly Creator Pool, shared by engaged views, and creators keep 45% of their part. From Feb 1, 2027 a channel needs 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days to earn it.

YouTube's Remix turns part of another video into your own Short, as Sound, Green Screen, Cut (1 to 5 seconds), Collab, a template or an AI remix. On a Short tap Remix; on a long video tap Share > Remix. Creators control it per video in YouTube Studio under "Shorts remixing".

YouTube Shorts are vertical or square videos of up to three minutes, watched by swiping in the Shorts feed. Since Oct 15, 2024 any square or vertical upload of three minutes or less becomes a Short; before that the limit was 60 seconds.

Ambient mode is the soft glow of a video's colors that YouTube casts around the player in dark theme. Turn it off from the player's Settings gear, Ambient mode, on a computer, or Settings, Additional settings, Ambient mode on a phone.

YouTube automatic dubbing uses AI to add translated audio tracks to eligible creators' videos, labeled "auto-dubbed". Viewers switch back to the original audio in the player's settings; creators turn it off in the YouTube Studio app under Settings, Automatic dubbing.

Turn YouTube captions on with the CC button or the C key, translate them with Settings, Subtitles/CC, Auto-translate, and restyle them under Options. Creators add captions in YouTube Studio's Subtitles page; automatic captions cover 67 languages.

YouTube chapters split a video into titled sections on the progress bar. Creators add them by typing timestamps in the description, starting at 0:00, with at least three chapters of at least 10 seconds each, or let YouTube make automatic chapters.

A YouTube clip is a 5 to 60 second piece of someone's video or live stream, with its own link, that plays on a loop. Make one with Clip under the video; creators turn Clips off in YouTube Studio under Settings, Channel, Advanced settings.

YouTube Premium members download videos with the Download button under the video, on phones and in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Opera on a computer, and watch them offline for up to 29 days before reconnecting. In some countries free downloads last 48 hours.

In the YouTube app, double tap the right or left side of a video to skip 10 seconds forward or back. With YouTube Premium, a Jump ahead button then appears that skips to the next point most viewers fast forward to.

Most Replayed is the gray graph YouTube draws above the progress bar while you seek; its peaks are the parts of a video viewers rewatch most. It does not show on new or low-view videos or on channels with active strikes.

YouTube picture in picture keeps a video playing in a small window when you leave the app on Android or iPhone; it is free for most videos, but music videos need YouTube Premium. On a computer, the Miniplayer (press i) keeps the video in a corner while you browse YouTube.

YouTube's queue lines up videos to play next without stopping the current one. On a computer, choose More, Add to queue, free; on phones and tablets, More, Play next in queue or Play last in queue needs YouTube Premium. The queue disappears when the browser closes unless saved to a playlist.

YouTube recommends videos from your watch and search history, likes and feedback. Use More, Not interested or Don't recommend channel to steer it, and pause or delete watch history at myactivity.google.com; with history off and empty, YouTube removes Home recommendations.

YouTube Restricted Mode hides potentially mature videos and all comments. Turn it off from your profile photo, Restricted Mode, then the Activate Restricted Mode switch; if it is locked, a network administrator, school, Family Link or your mobile provider has turned it on.

YouTube's sleep timer pauses a video automatically after a set time. Open the player's Settings gear and choose Sleep timer, then 10, 15, 20, 30 or 45 minutes, 1 hour or end of video. It is free for everyone since Oct 15, 2024.

Stable volume evens out the quiet and loud parts of a YouTube video, and Voice boost lowers background sound so speech is clearer; both are switches in the player's settings. Super resolution upscales low-resolution videos. Creators can opt out in YouTube Studio.

YouTube Playables are free games you play inside YouTube itself, on the website and in the YouTube app, found on the Playables shelf on Home, at youtube.com/playables or under Explore > Playables. Nothing to install and no Premium needed.