Community Guidelines: YouTube’s Rules of the Road (Part 1)

Hey, I'm Kelly from YouTube. Ever scratch your head about all the various guidelines YouTube has? Ever wonder what’s the difference between Community Guidelines, copyright policies, YouTube Partner Program (YPP) rules, and advertiser-friendly guidelines? Have you ever had a video removed by YouTube and you weren't sure why? Well, stick around because in this series of three short articles, we'll sort it all out for you.

As a YouTube creator, there are a few different sets of guidelines and policies that are important to understand. If you just want to post videos, it’s important to know about our YouTube Community Guidelines and basic copyright law. If you want to make money on YouTube, there are a few more things you should understand like our YouTube Partner Program policies and our advertiser-friendly guidelines.

YouTube's Community Guidelines

Let's start with YouTube’s Community Guidelines, a set of common-sense rules for what is and isn't allowed on our platform. These are mostly rules you'd expect, like don’t harass others or post ultraviolent videos, but they also include some YouTube-specific rules you might not have thought of, like not posting a bunch of repetitive comments. So definitely take time to review them.

Remember, the Community Guidelines apply to everything you do on YouTube—posting videos, comments, thumbnails—you name it. If you violate our Community Guidelines, you'll get a warning the first time it happens. After that, if it happens again, you'll receive a Community Guidelines strike. But don’t worry, strikes expire after 90 days, and over 90% of creators never get more than one strike.

That said, if you get three strikes in a 90-day period, you're out, and your account will be terminated. If you do post something that crosses the line, we’ll send you an email letting you know and also give you information on how to appeal if you think a mistake was made.

But what about using someone else’s music in your video? Would that give you a Community Guidelines strike? No, but it could get you a copyright strike. So, they’re different from Community Guidelines. Yeah.

Are you ready to learn more about copyright? Hey, I’m Matt, and in part two of this three-part series, I’ll give you an overview of copyright. Click the end screen to come on over.

Keywords

YouTube Community Guidelines
YouTube policies
Video posting rules
Creator strikes
Content violation
Appeal process
Termination of account
Copyright on YouTube

FAQ

What are YouTube's Community Guidelines? Community Guidelines are a set of common-sense rules and policies on what is and isn't allowed on YouTube's platform, covering videos, comments, thumbnails, etc.
What happens if I violate YouTube's Community Guidelines? The first violation will result in a warning. Subsequent violations will earn you a Community Guidelines strike, and accumulating three strikes within 90 days could lead to account termination.
Do Community Guidelines apply to everything on YouTube? Yes, they apply to everything you do on YouTube, including posting videos, comments, and thumbnails.
What is the consequence of getting three Community Guidelines strikes in 90 days? Your account will be terminated.
How long do Community Guidelines strikes last? Strikes expire after 90 days.
How is a Community Guidelines strike different from a Copyright strike? A Community Guidelines strike is related to breaking YouTube's platform rules, while a Copyright strike is related to using someone else's content without permission.
Can I appeal a Community Guidelines strike? Yes, if you think a mistake was made, YouTube will provide information on how to appeal the strike.