Community Guidelines strike basics on YouTube

This article is about Community Guidelines strikes. To find info about copyright strikes, which are different from Community Guidelines strikes, go to our copyright strike basics.

• This page covers Community Guidelines strikes only; copyright strikes are different Content & IP Rights

Community Guidelines are the rules of the road for how to behave on YouTube. These policies apply to all types of content on our platform, including unlisted and private content, comments, links, posts, and thumbnails. This list isn’t complete. If your content violates our Community Guidelines, your channel may get a strike.

• Violating the Community Guidelines can get your channel a strike, whatever kind of content it is Account & Service Control

Note: We may remove content for reasons other than Community Guidelines violations. For example, a first-party privacy complaint or a court order. In these cases, your channel won't get a strike.

• Content removed for other reasons, like a privacy complaint or court order, does not earn a strike Account & Service Control

Creating with Common Sense: YouTube Community Guidelines

What happens when you get a strike

When you get a strike, you're told via email. You can also choose to have notifications sent to you through your mobile and computer notifications, and in your channel settings. We’ll also tell you:

• YouTube emails you when you get a strike and says what was removed, which policy, the effect and what to do next Account & Service Control

• What content was removed
• • YouTube emails you when you get a strike and says what was removed, which policy, the effect and what to do next Account & Service Control
• Which policies it violated (for example harassment or violence)
• • YouTube emails you when you get a strike and says what was removed, which policy, the effect and what to do next Account & Service Control
• How it affects your channel
• • YouTube emails you when you get a strike and says what was removed, which policy, the effect and what to do next Account & Service Control
• What you can do next
• • YouTube emails you when you get a strike and says what was removed, which policy, the effect and what to do next Account & Service Control

If your content violates our Community Guidelines, here’s how it affects your channel:

• The first violation is typically only a warning, which may not expire if you break the same policy again within 90 days Account & Service Control

Warning

We understand mistakes happen and you don’t mean to violate our policies — that’s why the first violation is typically only a warning. To have this warning expire after 90 days, you can take an optional policy training. However, if your content violates the same policy within that 90 day window, the warning may not expire and your channel may be given a strike.

• Violating the Community Guidelines can get your channel a strike, whatever kind of content it is Account & Service Control
• The first violation is typically only a warning, which may not expire if you break the same policy again within 90 days Account & Service Control

Sometimes a single case of severe abuse will result in channel termination without warning. If you think we made a mistake, you can submit an appeal.

• One case of severe abuse can end in channel termination with no warning; you can appeal if you think it was a mistake Account & Service Control

Optional policy trainings

Policy trainings are short in-product educational experiences based on the specific Community Guidelines policy you’ve violated.

• An optional policy training makes a warning expire 90 days after you complete it, but not every warning is eligible Account & Service Control

If you receive a Community Guidelines warning, you can access the policy training from the YouTube app and your Studio account anywhere you typically check your policy violations. This includes the Studio dashboard and the Content tab. You’ll also see a link to open the training from the email and banner notifications. Note: Not all Community Guidelines warnings are eligible for policy trainings.

• An optional policy training makes a warning expire 90 days after you complete it, but not every warning is eligible Account & Service Control

If you complete an optional policy training, your warning will expire after 90 days. The 90-day period starts from when the training is completed, not when the warning is issued. If you violate a different policy after completing the training, you will get another warning.

• An optional policy training makes a warning expire 90 days after you complete it, but not every warning is eligible Account & Service Control

Repeated violations of our policies– or a single case of severe abuse– may still result in the termination of your account. We may prevent repeat offenders from taking trainings in the future.

• Repeated violations may still lead to account termination, and repeat offenders may be barred from trainings Account & Service Control

First Strike

If we find your content doesn’t follow our policies for a second time, you'll get a strike.

• At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control

This strike means you will not be allowed to do the following for 1 week:

• At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control

• Upload videos or live streams
• • At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control
• Start a scheduled live stream
• • At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control
• Schedule a video to become public
• • At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control
• Create a Premiere
• • At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control
• Add a trailer to an upcoming Premiere or live stream
• • At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control
• Create custom thumbnails or posts
• • At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control
• Create, edit, or add collaborators to playlists
• • At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control
• Add or remove playlists from the watch page using the “Save” button
• • At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control

Your scheduled public content is set to “private” for the penalty period duration. You have to reschedule it when the freeze period ends.

• At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control

Note: Penalty starts from the date of acknowledgement.

• The penalty period starts from the date of acknowledgement Account & Service Control

After the 1-week period, we restore full privileges automatically, but the strike remains on your channel for 90 days.

• At your first strike you can't upload, go live, schedule or create posts, thumbnails or playlists for 1 week Account & Service Control
• A strike stays on your channel for 90 days from the date it was issued, even after your privileges return Account & Service Control

A strike may also result in losing access to advanced features. Learn more about how to regain access.

• A strike may also cost you access to advanced features Account & Service Control

Second Strike

If you get a second strike within the same 90-day period as your first strike, you will not be allowed to post content for 2 weeks. If there are no further issues, after the 2-week period, we restore full privileges automatically. Each strike will not expire until 90 days from the time it was issued.

• A strike stays on your channel for 90 days from the date it was issued, even after your privileges return Account & Service Control
• A second strike within 90 days of the first means no posting content for 2 weeks Account & Service Control

Third Strike

3 strikes in the same 90-day period may result in your channel being permanently removed from YouTube. Each strike will not expire until 90 days from the time it was issued.

• A strike stays on your channel for 90 days from the date it was issued, even after your privileges return Account & Service Control
• Three strikes in the same 90-day period may get your channel permanently removed Account & Service Control

Note: Deleting your content doesn't remove a strike. We may also issue a Community Guidelines strike on deleted content. You can learn more about when we retain deleted content in our Privacy policy.

• Deleting your content doesn't remove a strike, and a strike can be issued on content you deleted Retention & Deletion

If your Official Artist Channel gets a Community Guidelines strike, the channel will be suspended and become a standard channel. Learn more.

• An Official Artist Channel that gets a strike is suspended and becomes a standard channel Account & Service Control

Get tips about community guidelines.

What to do when you get a strike

We want to help you stay on YouTube, so remember to do the following:

• To stay on YouTube, learn the Community Guidelines; if you think a strike was a mistake, you can appeal Account & Service Control

• Learn about our Community Guidelines to make sure your content follows our policies.
• • To stay on YouTube, learn the Community Guidelines; if you think a strike was a mistake, you can appeal Account & Service Control
• If your channel got a strike, and you think we've made a mistake, let us know. You can appeal the decision here.
• • To stay on YouTube, learn the Community Guidelines; if you think a strike was a mistake, you can appeal Account & Service Control

YouTube also reserves the right to restrict a creator's ability to create content at its discretion. Your channel may be turned off or restricted from using any YouTube features.

• YouTube reserves the right to restrict your ability to create content, or turn off your channel, at its discretion Account & Service Control

If this happens, you're prohibited from using, creating, or acquiring another channel to get around these restrictions. This prohibition applies as long as the restriction remains active on your YouTube channel. Violation of this restriction is considered circumvention under our Terms of Service, and may result in termination of all your existing YouTube channels, any new channels that you create or acquire, and channels in which you are repeatedly or prominently featured.

• If your channel is restricted, you can't use, create or acquire another channel to get around it Account & Service Control