Policies and guidelines
As a YouTube Creator you're part of a community, working together to protect the community and keep YouTube a positive place for creating, sharing and watching. Everyone has a part to play in making YouTube what it is.
Why Policies and Guidelines exist
Our Policies and Guidelines are designed to keep our community of creators, viewers and advertisers protected, and to encourage creators to take responsibility for their part in this effort. They set out what is and is not allowed on YouTube, and apply to all content across the platform.
We believe that a broad range of perspectives is key to a diverse, informed and engaged society. That's why we have policies and guidelines, ranging from content to behaviour to copyright, to help build a safer community for creators, viewers and advertisers.
We want you to have the opportunity to create, share and connect on YouTube. And we want to create a platform where creators and viewers feel protected.
Our Policies and Guidelines are designed to create a space that supports creators, protects creative ownership, and enables them to realise their potential.
Simply put, without policies there's no way to maintain a system that allows creators to make money through their channels. All monetising creators who are publishing content on YouTube must already be part of the YouTube Partner Programme, and abide by our Community Guidelines and Monetisation Policies.
If creators want to monetise their content by running advertisements, you need to follow our Advertiser-Friendly Content Guidelines, in addition to our broader Monetisation Policies.
However, you can use non-ad monetisation tools such as Channel Memberships and Super Chat on videos with ads turned off, as long as they adhere to YouTube Partner Programme Guidelines.
What policies do you need to know when you're creating content?
YouTube policies are all about what content creators can, and cannot, post on their channel. Let's take a look at some of these key areas, so that you know what you need to know.
Community Guidelines help make YouTube a welcoming community for viewers, creators and advertisers. Content that violates these guidelines is not eligible for monetisation, and will be removed from YouTube.
Copyright is a form of intellectual property law that protects original works of creative expression.
Creators should only upload videos that they have made or that they have permission to use. That means that no one should upload videos that they didn't make, or use content in their videos that someone else owns the copyright to, such as music tracks, snippets of copyrighted programmes or videos made by other creators without permission.
Get Creator Tips for copyright
Tools
If your own content is being used without your permission, YouTube has several tools that you can use to help protect your content from being misused.
Everyone with a YouTube channel has access to our copyright takedown webform. For most copyright owners, the webform is the fastest and easiest way to request a copyright takedown.
The Copyright Match Tool finds full re-uploads of your original videos on other YouTube channels. Once a match has been identified, you can review it in YouTube Studio and choose which action you'd like to take (archive, request removal or contact the channel).
Just because we've found an upload that matches your video doesn't guarantee that it's a copyright infringement. It's your responsibility to review each video and consider whether fair use, fair dealing or a similar exception to copyright applies. After review, you can submit a takedown request if desired.
Fair use
Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows the reuse of copyright-protected material under certain circumstances, without getting permission from the copyright owner.
However, fair use is determined on a case-by-case basis, and different countries have different rules about when it's ok to use material without the copyright owner's permission.
In the US, works of commentary, criticism, research, teaching or news reporting might be considered fair use, but it can depend on the situation.
What is a copyright strike?
When a copyright owner formally notifies us with a complete and valid takedown notice that their work is being used without permission, we take down your upload to comply with copyright law.
If your video was removed through a copyright takedown notice, then a copyright strike has been applied to your account. There are three ways to resolve a copyright strike:
Let it expire: Copyright strikes expire after 90 days. If it's your first strike, you'll need to complete Copyright School.
Get a retraction: Reach out to the person who claimed your video and ask them to retract their claim.
File a counter notification: If you think that your video was removed by mistake or qualifies as fair use, you can submit a counter notification.
We remain committed to our openness as a platform, and to ensuring that spirited debate and a vigorous exchange of ideas continue to thrive here. However, content that threatens individuals or uses hate speech is not allowed on YouTube. We believe that our hate and harassment policies contribute to our mission by making YouTube a better place for anyone to share their story or opinion.
Our hate and harassment policies have been developed with input from creators, a wide range of external industry and policy experts from all sides of the political spectrum, and in consultation with numerous experts in subjects like violent extremism, civil rights and free speech.
We have several policies in our Community Guidelines that are directly focused on how we treat misinformation on YouTube.
Protecting children and their privacy is a number one priority for us at YouTube, and we have a number of policies, products and practices in place to help us and our creators to do this.
Read our child safety policies
Learn about supervised experiences
Read about what we're doing to protect children on YouTube
Made for Kids
We ask creators publishing content where children are the primary audience or where the video is directed at children to mark their content as 'Made for Kids', in order to ensure that it complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other applicable laws.
This is important because if you don't set your content appropriately, there can be consequences on YouTube or legal consequences under COPPA and other laws.
To start earning money on YouTube, you first need to apply and be approved for the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP). Every creator who meets our threshold can apply for the YPP, but you do need to meet some of our guidelines to be considered.
If you're already a creator making money on YouTube, it's important that your channel follows all of YouTube's monetisation policies. These include YouTube's Advertiser-friendly content guidelines, Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, copyright and Google AdSense programme policies. They apply to anyone in, or looking to apply to, the YouTube Partner Programme – the programme that creators must enrol in to earn money on YouTube.
Advertiser-friendly content guidelines
Want to make money on your videos with ads? Then your content must also meet certain criteria. These are the specific rules regarding what content can run ads, run limited ads or should have monetisation turned off.
Our policies apply to all portions of a creator's content (video or live stream, thumbnail, title, description and tags). Examples of content that may not be suitable for ads are violence, adult content, harmful or dangerous acts, hateful and derogatory content or sensitive events etc.
AdSense
The AdSense programme is how YouTube partners get paid for monetising their videos. Make sure that you follow the AdSense policies and YouTube's Terms of Service, which contain the terms and conditions that all users and creators agree to when using YouTube.
Community Guidelines help make YouTube a welcoming community for viewers, creators and advertisers. Content that violates these guidelines is not eligible for monetisation, and will be removed from YouTube.
Copyright is a form of intellectual property law that protects original works of creative expression.
Creators should only upload videos that they have made or that they have permission to use. That means that no one should upload videos that they didn't make, or use content in their videos that someone else owns the copyright to, such as music tracks, snippets of copyrighted programmes or videos made by other creators without permission.
Get Creator Tips for copyright
Tools
If your own content is being used without your permission, YouTube has several tools that you can use to help protect your content from being misused.
Everyone with a YouTube channel has access to our copyright takedown webform. For most copyright owners, the webform is the fastest and easiest way to request a copyright takedown.
The Copyright Match Tool finds full re-uploads of your original videos on other YouTube channels. Once a match has been identified, you can review it in YouTube Studio and choose which action you'd like to take (archive, request removal or contact the channel).
Just because we've found an upload that matches your video doesn't guarantee that it's a copyright infringement. It's your responsibility to review each video and consider whether fair use, fair dealing or a similar exception to copyright applies. After review, you can submit a takedown request if desired.
Fair use
Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows the reuse of copyright-protected material under certain circumstances, without getting permission from the copyright owner.
However, fair use is determined on a case-by-case basis, and different countries have different rules about when it's ok to use material without the copyright owner's permission.
In the US, works of commentary, criticism, research, teaching or news reporting might be considered fair use, but it can depend on the situation.
What is a copyright strike?
When a copyright owner formally notifies us with a complete and valid takedown notice that their work is being used without permission, we take down your upload to comply with copyright law.
If your video was removed through a copyright takedown notice, then a copyright strike has been applied to your account. There are three ways to resolve a copyright strike:
Let it expire: Copyright strikes expire after 90 days. If it's your first strike, you'll need to complete Copyright School.
Get a retraction: Reach out to the person who claimed your video and ask them to retract their claim.
File a counter notification: If you think that your video was removed by mistake or qualifies as fair use, you can submit a counter notification.
We remain committed to our openness as a platform, and to ensuring that spirited debate and a vigorous exchange of ideas continue to thrive here. However, content that threatens individuals or uses hate speech is not allowed on YouTube. We believe that our hate and harassment policies contribute to our mission by making YouTube a better place for anyone to share their story or opinion.
Our hate and harassment policies have been developed with input from creators, a wide range of external industry and policy experts from all sides of the political spectrum, and in consultation with numerous experts in subjects like violent extremism, civil rights and free speech.
We have several policies in our Community Guidelines that are directly focused on how we treat misinformation on YouTube.
Protecting children and their privacy is a number one priority for us at YouTube, and we have a number of policies, products and practices in place to help us and our creators to do this.
Read our child safety policies
Learn about supervised experiences
Read about what we're doing to protect children on YouTube
Made for Kids
We ask creators publishing content where children are the primary audience or where the video is directed at children to mark their content as 'Made for Kids', in order to ensure that it complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other applicable laws.
This is important because if you don't set your content appropriately, there can be consequences on YouTube or legal consequences under COPPA and other laws.
To start earning money on YouTube, you first need to apply and be approved for the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP). Every creator who meets our threshold can apply for the YPP, but you do need to meet some of our guidelines to be considered.
If you're already a creator making money on YouTube, it's important that your channel follows all of YouTube's monetisation policies. These include YouTube's Advertiser-friendly content guidelines, Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, copyright and Google AdSense programme policies. They apply to anyone in, or looking to apply to, the YouTube Partner Programme – the programme that creators must enrol in to earn money on YouTube.
Advertiser-friendly content guidelines
Want to make money on your videos with ads? Then your content must also meet certain criteria. These are the specific rules regarding what content can run ads, run limited ads or should have monetisation turned off.
Our policies apply to all portions of a creator's content (video or live stream, thumbnail, title, description and tags). Examples of content that may not be suitable for ads are violence, adult content, harmful or dangerous acts, hateful and derogatory content or sensitive events etc.
AdSense
The AdSense programme is how YouTube partners get paid for monetising their videos. Make sure that you follow the AdSense policies and YouTube's Terms of Service, which contain the terms and conditions that all users and creators agree to when using YouTube.
