How to Upload a Video to YouTube (Computer and Phone, 2026)
To upload a video to YouTube from a computer, sign in at studio.youtube.com, click Create in the top right, then Upload videos, and pick your file. Fill in the Details, Checks, and Visibility pages, then click Save or Publish. On a phone, open the YouTube app, tap Create, choose Video, pick the file, and tap Next. These steps come from YouTube's Upload YouTube videos help page, which we checked on November 5, 2026.
That's the short version. The rest of this guide walks through each screen, the limits that trip up new channels, and the settings worth a second look before you hit publish.
How to upload a video to YouTube from a computer
YouTube Studio gives you the most control, so use it for anything you care about. From the upload help page:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Click Create, then Upload videos.
- Select your file. You can upload up to 15 videos at a time, and click Edit on each one to add its details.
- Work through the Details, Checks, and Visibility pages.
- On Visibility, choose Private, Unlisted, or Public, or schedule a publish date.
- Click Save.
If you close the upload window before you pick a visibility setting, YouTube saves the video as private. So nothing goes public by accident if your browser crashes halfway through.
What goes on the Details page
- Title. Up to 100 characters, per the same help page. Put the words people would search for near the start.
- Description. Up to 5,000 characters. Use the opening lines to say plainly what the video is about. This is also where chapters go (more on that below).
- Thumbnail. You can pick one of the auto-generated frames, or upload your own once your account is verified. YouTube's thumbnail help page recommends 3840 x 2160 pixels, a 16:9 ratio, JPG or PNG, and caps desktop uploads at 50 MB (2 MB from mobile). Our YouTube thumbnail size guide has the details.
- Audience. You have to say whether the video is made for kids. More on this below.
- Show more. This opens tags, language, captions, category, comments settings, and the Altered content question.
The Checks page
YouTube runs copyright checks in the background while you fill in the rest. The upload page says checks "can take some time, but they run in the background," and you can publish while they're still running. If a claim shows up, you'll see it here and in your Content list.
How to upload a video to YouTube from your phone
The YouTube app is fine for quick uploads. The help page lists these steps for the Android app:
- Open the YouTube app.
- Tap Create, then Video.
- Pick the file and tap Next.
- Add a title, description, and visibility, and finish the upload.
One thing to watch: if your clip is 3 minutes or less and square or vertical, the app uploads it as a Short. A normal 16:9 video uploads as a regular video. If you close the app before finishing, YouTube saves it as a draft on your Content page.
Custom thumbnails from mobile are capped at 2 MB, so you may want to add the thumbnail in Studio on a computer.
Why can't I upload videos longer than 15 minutes?
This is the most common snag for new channels. YouTube's upload length help page says: "By default, you can upload videos that are up to 15 minutes long." To go longer, verify your account with a phone number by text or voice call. You can do that at youtube.com/verify.
After that, the cap is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. If your file is bigger than 256 GB, the page suggests compressing it with the H.264 codec. If you could upload long videos before and suddenly can't, check your account for copyright claims and strikes.
There's also a daily upload limit across desktop, mobile, and the API. If you see "Upload limit reached," the upload page says to try again in 24 hours.
File format and export settings
You can't upload an audio file on its own. Add an image to make it a video first. For the video itself, YouTube's recommended upload encoding settings are:
| Setting | YouTube's recommendation |
|---|---|
| Container | MP4 (moov atom at the front, no edit lists) |
| Video codec | H.264, High Profile, progressive scan |
| Audio codec | AAC-LC or Opus, stereo or stereo + 5.1, 48 kHz |
| Frame rate | Same as you recorded (24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60) |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 standard on computers |
| 1080p bitrate (SDR) | 8 Mbps at 24 to 30 fps, 12 Mbps at 48 to 60 fps |
| 4K bitrate (SDR) | 35 to 45 Mbps at 24 to 30 fps, 53 to 68 Mbps at 48 to 60 fps |
If you'd rather make videos than read about it, VidPuff turns a title into a faceless video. No waitlist, cancel anytime.
Most editors have a "YouTube" export preset that lands close to this. Don't add black bars to vertical videos; the upload page says YouTube fits them to the screen.
After upload, YouTube processes the video and converts it to the highest resolution available. The upload page says processing time depends on quality, length, format, and traffic, and that verifying your account helps.
Settings that matter before you publish
Visibility: public, unlisted, or private
From YouTube's visibility settings page:
- Public: anyone can see it, and it can show up in search and recommendations.
- Unlisted: anyone with the link can watch, and they don't need a Google Account. It stays off your channel page and out of search.
- Private: only you and the people you invite by email. No comments.
If you're unsure about audio levels or the thumbnail, upload as unlisted first, watch it on your phone and TV, then switch to public. If you want to pick a release time, scheduling is on the same screen. We looked at what studies say about timing in best time to post on YouTube.
Made for kids
YouTube requires every creator to say whether each video is made for kids, because of its FTC settlement and COPPA. Answer it truthfully. Marking a video as made for kids turns off a long list of features, according to YouTube's made for kids page, including comments, the notification bell, end screens, cards, personalized ads, and saving to Watch Later. Setting it wrong in either direction can bring consequences on YouTube and, YouTube warns, legal ones.
AI disclosure (altered or synthetic content)
Under Show more, YouTube asks about AI use. Its disclosure page says you must disclose AI-generated or altered content "that seems realistic": a real person saying or doing something they didn't, changed footage of a real event or place, a lifelike scene that never happened, or AI music that's the main focus.
You don't need to disclose content that's clearly not realistic, or AI help with scripts, titles, thumbnails, ideas, or captions. Cloning your own voice for narration is also on YouTube's exempt list. If you're running a faceless channel, read the page once and decide video by video.
Chapters
Chapters split a long video into sections on the progress bar. To add them, put timestamps in the description. YouTube's chapters help page sets three rules: the first timestamp must be 00:00, you need at least three timestamps in ascending order, and each chapter must be at least 10 seconds long. A list like this works:
`` 00:00 Intro 01:45 Where the story starts 06:30 What happened next ``
After you upload
Uploading is the easy part. Getting views is the slow part, and we covered what actually moves the numbers in how to get more views on YouTube. If you want to earn from your uploads later, the thresholds are in YouTube monetization requirements.
If the bottleneck is making the videos in the first place, VidPuff can help with long-form faceless videos: you type a title, and it writes the script, generates narration, creates a visual for each scene, adds music and captions, and renders a 16:9 video. You review and change each stage, then upload to YouTube from the app, where you still set visibility and the other options above.
FAQ
How do I upload a video to YouTube for the first time?
Sign in with a Google Account, create a channel if you don't have one, then go to YouTube Studio and click Create, then Upload videos. Verify your phone number at the same time so you can upload videos longer than 15 minutes and add custom thumbnails.
Can I upload a video to YouTube without making it public?
Yes. Choose Unlisted so only people with the link can watch, or Private so only people you invite by email can see it. If you close the upload before choosing, YouTube saves it as private.
Why is my YouTube video stuck processing?
YouTube's upload help page says processing time depends on the video's quality, length, format, and upload traffic, and recommends verifying your account for the best processing time. Exporting as MP4 with H.264 video, using YouTube's recommended settings, avoids most problems.
How long does a video have to be to not count as a Short?
According to YouTube's upload help page, a square or vertical video of 3 minutes or less uploads as a Short. A horizontal 16:9 video uploads as a regular video at any length.
See how it works →