Do you want to share the video with your friends, family and other people? Uploading videos to YouTube can be done quickly, easily, and of course for free! This wikiHow teaches you how to upload videos to YouTube using your computer, phone, or tablet.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Via YouTube Mobile App
Step 1. Open the YouTube app
The app has a red and white icon, a sideways rectangle and triangle, and the words "YouTube". Usually, this icon is displayed on either the home screen or the device's application menu.
- The YouTube app comes pre-installed on all phones or tablets. However, if the app is not available, you can download it first from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or Google Play Store (Android).
- Connect your device to a WiFi network before you upload a video to avoid additional mobile data charges.
- If you're not automatically logged into your account, select a Google account or sign in using the email address and password associated with your YouTube account.
Notes:
You can also share videos directly through the Photos app or your phone or tablet's gallery. Open the video, touch the “Sharing” icon, and select “ YouTube if available. After that, you can move on to step six.
Step 2. Choose a profile photo
The photo appears in the upper right corner of the screen. After that, the menu will be opened.
Step 3. Select Your channel
This option appears at the top of the menu.
Step 4. Select the camera icon
This icon is to the right of the bar that appears at the top of the screen.
If this is your first time uploading a video from your device, you may need to allow YouTube to access your device's photo gallery, camera, and/or microphone before you can proceed
Step 5. Select videos
All videos stored in the “Camera Roll” folder or device gallery will be displayed. Touch the video you want to upload.
According to YouTube's default rules, you can upload videos that are up to 15 minutes long. If you want to upload a longer video (maximum 12 hours), verify your account first
Step 6. Add fixes to the video (optional)
If you need to make a final fix, you have several editing options:
- To shorten the length of a video, drag the slider at one end of the video timeline at the bottom of the screen to the desired start and end points of playback.
- Select the wand icon if you want to apply an artistic filter. It's in the top-right corner of the screen (Android) or the bottom of the screen (iPhone and iPad).
- Select the musical note icon to add royalty-free music as a video sound track (on iPhone and iPad only).
Step 7. Select Next to continue (iPhone and iPad only)
If you are using an iPhone or iPad, touch “ Next ” in the upper right corner of the screen to move to the next step.
Step 8. Add video title
The title has a maximum length of 100 characters and must reflect the content of the video.
Step 9. Add a description
Adding a description is optional, but recommended. The information in this segment is displayed below the video window while the video is playing. You can use this column to add unique information about the video, its creator, or other projects. Insert keywords in this field so that the video is displayed in relevant search results.
Step 10. Determine the level of video visibility via the "Privacy" menu
There are three options to choose from from the menu. The options are:
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” Public:
With this option, your videos will be made public content, and can be searched and watched by anyone on YouTube.
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” Unlisted:
The video will not be publicly available, but anyone with the video link can watch your video.
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” Private:
With this option, only you will be able to watch the video once you've logged in to your account.
Step 11. Select Location to set a location (optional)
If you want to categorize videos by geographic location, you can do so in the section under the "Privacy" heading. Select "Location" and touch one of the closest locations. You can also enter an address or place name in the search bar and select the desired location from the search results.
The first time you add a location to a video, you'll be asked to allow YouTube to access your device's location on your phone or tablet. Touch " Allow while using app " to continue.
Step 12. Touch UPLOAD
It's in the upper-right corner of the screen. The video will be uploaded to YouTube. After the upload process is complete, the video will be loaded in the “Videos” list.
To add a bookmark to the video so that it can be easily searched by people, select the three-dot icon on the video, tap “ Edit ”, and put a marker in the " Tags " column. Separate each added marker with a comma.
Method 2 of 2: Via Youtube.com Site on Computer
Step 1. Visit https://www.youtube.com in a browser
You can upload videos directly from the Youtube webpage.
If you are not logged into your account, click " SIGN IN ” in the top right corner of the page. Select a YouTube account and enter a password, or click “ Use another account ” and log in to your account using the appropriate email address and password.
Step 2. Click the camera icon with a plus sign (“+”) and select Upload Video
It's in the top-right corner of the screen, next to your profile photo. You will be taken to the YouTube Studio web page with the " Upload Video " window in the middle.
Step 3. Drag the video file and drop it onto the arrow icon in the window
As an alternative option, you can click the “ SELECT FILE ” in blue, browses for video files on the computer, and clicks “ Open After following one of the options above, the video will be prepared for upload.
- According to YouTube's default rules, you can upload videos that are up to 15 minutes long. To upload longer videos (maximum 12 hours), you need to verify your account first.
- If you want to upload a DVD video to YouTube, first save the movie to your computer.
- YouTube supports videos in the following formats: MOV, MPEG4, MP4, AVI, WMV, MPEGPS, FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, and HEVC (h265).
Step 4. Enter the title and description of the video
You must enter a video title, but it is not required to include a description (though it is recommended). The title added must have a maximum of 100 characters. Use these fields to create catchy titles that accurately reflect the content of the video. Use the large field labeled " Description " to add a video description. The information in this segment is displayed below the video window while the video is playing. You can use this column to add unique information about the video, its creator, or other projects. Insert keywords in this field so that the video is displayed in relevant search results.
Step 5. Click the inset (thumbnail) you want to use
This inset is a photo that represents your video on channels and search results. Select one of the suggested inset options to use it.
Alternatively, you can click “ Upload Thumbnail ” and handpick an image from the computer to use as an inset. Click the image you want to use and select " Open ”.
Step 6. Add videos to playlist (optional)
If you want to add a video to a playlist, click the " Playlist " drop-down menu and select a playlist that has been created. You can select more than one list.
Step 7. Determine if the video content is made for children
YouTube now requires you to tag videos made for children 13 and under. If your video is made for kids, click the radio button next to " Yes, it's made for kids ". If the video isn't made for kids, click the radio button next to " No, it's not made for kids ".
- The United States Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires you to tag videos made for children. Otherwise, YouTube will take action against your account and there is a possibility that you will be fined by the FTC (US Federal Trade Commission). Search and read articles on how to follow COPPA rules on YouTube for more information.
- Also, if your video is specifically made for viewers who are over the age of 18, you can set an age limit on the video. To do so, click “ Age Restriction (advanced) " After that, click the checkbox next to "Yes, restrict my video to viewers over the age of 18".
Step 8. Click More Options (optional) and select Next.
This blue "More Options" text is at the bottom of the "Details" window. Some additional options that can be added to the video will be displayed. When finished, click " Next ” in the lower right corner of the screen. These additional options include:
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” Paid Promotions:
” If your video contains a paid promotion, check the box " My video contains paid promotion like a product placement or endorsement ". You can also check the box "Add a message to my video to inform viewers of paid promotion".
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” Tags:
” Bookmarks or tags are keywords that allow YouTube users to easily search for your videos. Type the marker you want to use in the " Add Tags " field. Use words that relate to the content of the video (e.g. if your video shows elephant dancing, use the words "elephant", "jog" and "funny"). Videos with a similar tag are usually listed in the " Recommended " sidebar.
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” Language, Subtitles, and Closed Captions:
” To select a video language, use the drop-down menu labeled "Video language". To add closed captions or subtitles, select closed caption certification in the " Caption certification " drop-down menu. To upload closed captions, click the blue link “ Upload Subtitles/CC ” and determine if the caption file has timestamps. After that, select the subtitle file and click “ Open " Try reading and searching articles on how to add captions to videos for more information on how to create captions and upload them to YouTube or feature them on videos.
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” Recording Date and Location:
” If you added recording date information, click “ Recording date ” to specify the creation date of the video on the pop-up calendar. To add video location information, click “ Video location ” and type in the address or name where the video was taken. Select the desired location from the search results.
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” Licenses and distributions:
"Click" License ” to determine the copyright license of the recording. Check the "Allow Embedding" option so others can upload your video to other platforms or websites. Select " Publish to subscriptions feed and notify subscribers " if you want to notify subscribers of your channel about uploaded videos.
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“ Category:
"To select a category, click " Category ” and select a category for the video. Some categories contain additional boxes that you can fill in.
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“ Comments and ratings:
” Use the drop-down menu labeled " Comments visibility " to define comment management. You can allow all comments to be added to the video, suspend comments that may be indecent for review, withhold all comments (including positive or neutral comments), or turn off the comments field. Use the drop-down menu labeled "Sort By" to specify whether comments are sorted by highest rating or most recent comment. Check the "Show how many viewers like and dislike this video" option if you want to display that information at the bottom of the window videos.
Step 9. Add an end screen or card to the video (optional) and click Next
The closing page or end screen is the page that appears at the end of the video to promote similar content on your channel. Meanwhile, the card feature allows you to promote materials or videos in the middle of a video playback. To add a final page or card to the video, click “ Add ” to the right of " Add an End Screen " or " Add Cards " on the video elements page. Follow the instructions shown to add a final page.
You need to wait until the standard definition video quality options are finished processing before you can add final pages or cards
Step 10. Determine the level of video visibility
There are three options to choose from. Click the radio button next to the option you want. These options include:
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” Public:
With this option, your videos will be made public content, and can be searched and watched by anyone on YouTube.
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” Unlisted:
The video will not be publicly available, but anyone with the video link can watch your video.
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” Private:
With this option, only you will be able to watch the video once you've logged in to your account.
Step 11. Schedule video publishing (optional)
If you don't want to publish the video right away, you can schedule publishing. To create a schedule, click the radio button next to " Schedule ". After that, click the date drop-down menu and select a publishing date. Click the time drop-down menu and select the desired publishing time or time.
Step 12. Click the Save button or Schedule.
This button appears in the lower right side of the window. Your video will be published to the YouTube channel on the specified date and time, or after the video has finished processing.
- If you ever need to edit the title or description, visit https://studio.youtube.com/ and select “ Videos ” on the left pane. Hover over the video you want to edit on the page, select the three-dot icon (“ ⋮"), and click " Edit title and description ”.
- You can also change the visibility level of videos on this page by clicking on the currently active setting (eg. Private ”) and choose a different option.
- Once the video is finished uploading, you can post it on a website or share it on other platforms.
Tips
- Watch and pay attention to the most popular videos to get an idea of how to use titles, bookmarks and descriptions well.
- Try to accept and do interesting challenges that are very popular to attract the attention of a large audience. Creative videos like quick drawings also usually get a lot of views.
- Avoid spamming activities! On YouTube, spamming occurs when you upload too many videos in a short period of time. Spamming also refers to the number of low-quality comments that are uploaded. Such actions can irritate other YouTube users. Access to your account is also at risk of being suspended.
Warning
- Do not upload commercial or copyrighted DVD videos to YouTube without the permission of the copyright owner. Illegal uploading of commercial videos can get you into trouble and even lawsuits.
- Always follow the community guidelines and YouTube's terms of use to prevent your account from being deleted.
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Do not upload videos containing copyrighted material/content without the permission of the owner.
This action violates the Youtube user agreement and the video will be immediately removed by YouTube as a form of warning (copyright infringement). If you continue to upload videos with copyrighted content to YouTube without the permission of the respective content owner, your account may be deleted. You could even be fined or jailed. Therefore, avoid copyright infringement, especially the property rights of film studios, independent film creators (even creators who are not well-known are very strict about copyright infringement), singers, film players, and other figures. fight for and enforce copyright. However, you may upload videos with copyrighted content as long as you comply with fair use laws.
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Don't upload too many videos in a day.
The viewer counter will stop or the video will only be seen by a small number of viewers. You can upload videos at any time, but it's a good idea not to upload it every day.
