Rules and policies

Policies overview

Viewers and Creators around the world use YouTube to express their ideas and opinions freely, and we believe that a broad range of perspectives ultimately makes us a stronger and more informed society, even if we disagree with some of those views. That's why we have policies to help build a safer community.

Policies overview

community-guidelines

Community Guidelines

Our Community Guidelines define what we do and don’t allow on YouTube. They exist so that we can protect the community from things such as harmful content, harassment, and spam. They apply to everyone, and to all types of content on YouTube - such as videos, comments, links, and thumbnails.

Copyright Illustration

Copyright

We have developed a set of resources to help Creators understand copyright, protect their own copyrighted content, and avoid violating copyright laws.

Monetization policies

Monetization policies

The YouTube Partner Program empowers Creators to make money through their channels. To become a YouTube Partner, Creators must follow our monetization policies. These policies are intended to reward Creators who contribute positively to the community with original content. Eligible Creators who want to monetize their content by running advertisements need to follow our Advertiser-Friendly Content Guidelines in addition to our broader Monetization Policies.

Legal Removals

Legal removals

Since YouTube is available across the world, we have processes in place to comply with local law.