YouTube Upload Checklist: everything to set before you publish
Tick through every step of a YouTube upload, from file and thumbnail to audience, captions and end screen.
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About the YouTube Upload Checklist
A checklist for every video you upload, in the order you meet the steps in YouTube Studio: the file, title and description, thumbnail, chapters and hashtags, the audience setting, the AI disclosure, captions, and the end screen and cards. Each step gives YouTube's own rule and links to our checkers where they help. Your ticks are kept in this browser, so you can come back to them.
How it works
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Step 1
Open the checklist when you start an upload.
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Step 2
Tick each step as you do it in YouTube Studio; open a step to see YouTube's rule.
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Step 3
Copy the list, or reset it for the next video.
Settings YouTube requires
Every upload needs an audience setting, whether it is made for kids, and complying with COPPA is your legal responsibility. Realistic content made or changed with AI, such as a real person appearing to say something they did not, must be disclosed in YouTube Studio. Videos longer than 15 minutes need a verified account.
After the upload
End screens can appear in the last 5 to 20 seconds of a video at least 25 seconds long, with up to 4 elements, and a video can have up to 5 cards; neither is available on videos made for kids. Captions can be uploaded as SRT, SBV or VTT files saved in UTF-8.
What this tool cannot do
It is a checklist, not a connection to your channel: it cannot see your settings or tick anything for you. YouTube changes Studio from time to time, so a menu name may differ; the rules come from YouTube Help.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do before uploading a video to YouTube?
Export the video as MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio, as YouTube recommends, and prepare a title of up to 100 characters, a description of up to 5,000, a 16:9 thumbnail and your chapter timestamps. Decide the audience setting and whether the video needs an AI disclosure. Files can be up to 256 GB or 12 hours.
Do I have to mark my video as made for kids?
Yes, you must choose for every video whether it is made for kids. You can set a default for the channel and change it for each video. Complying with COPPA and other laws is your legal responsibility, and videos made for kids lose some features, such as end screens and cards.
When do I need to disclose AI in a YouTube video?
When realistic content is made or meaningfully changed with AI or other tools: a real person appearing to say or do something they did not, altered footage of a real event or place, a realistic scene that did not happen, or generated music that is the main focus. Clearly unrealistic content, small edits and AI used for scripts or captions do not need it.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to 3 minutes, in a square or vertical shape, for Shorts uploaded from 15 October 2024; earlier uploads keep their old limit. A video in the 16:9 shape stays a regular long-form video, whatever its length.
How do I add an end screen?
In YouTube Studio, open the video, choose Editor and add an end screen in the last 5 to 20 seconds. The video must be at least 25 seconds long, and you can show up to 4 elements, such as another video, a playlist, a subscribe button or your channel. End screens are not available on videos made for kids.
Sources and checks
Rules last checked
The YouTube Upload Checklist follows these official pages:
- Edit video settings (support.google.com)
- Set your channel or video's audience (support.google.com)
- Disclosing use of GenAI content (support.google.com)
- Add end screens to videos (support.google.com)
Scores, limits and suggestions marked "our checklist", "our measure" or "our suggestion" are ours, not Google's or the platform's. How our tools work
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