Video sharing & messaging on YouTube

Video sharing and messaging on YouTube is in experiment in Ireland and Poland and is not available to everyone at this time. By messaging on YouTube, you accept that messages may be scanned for content that is against our Community Guidelines, such as content that could cause real-world harm, and we may review flagged content.

This feature lets you share videos, Shorts, and live streams and have conversations about them, directly on YouTube.

Feature availability

Channels that meet the following requirements can share and discuss videos directly on YouTube:

Get started with video sharing & messaging on YouTube

Invite others to share content & accept invites

  1. Tap the Notification bell and then Invite others to share videos.
  2. Share the invite link with who you want to invite.
  3. The person who gets the message will have the option to Allow or Decline the messages.
  4. If the message invite is accepted, you can share content and messages with that person directly on YouTube. If you have notifications turned on for YouTube, you’ll get a notification that your invite has been accepted.

Each time you get an invite from a new channel, you’ll be asked whether to allow messages from them.

  • If you tap Allow messaging, you'll be taken to the conversation.
  • If you tap Not now, your channel info won’t be shared with the sender, but you can choose to allow messages from the sender later by replying to shared content from them.
Note: Invite links are valid for 7 days after creation. To get notifications from YouTube when someone shares content with you directly on YouTube, turn on your YouTube notifications within your device settings. Learn more about notifications on YouTube.

Turn on your notifications for video sharing & messages

  1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
  2. Tap You .
  3. Tap Settings .
  4. Tap Notifications .
  5. Next to Video sharing and messages, toggle the bar on or off to turn notifications on.

Share when watching content

  1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
  2. Find the content you want to share.
  3. Tap the Share button.
  4. Tap the contact you want to message the video to, or tap Invite to share on YouTube to send an invite.

Manage video sharing & messaging

Send a new message & manage conversations

  1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
  2. Tap the Notification bell .
  3. Under Messages tap on a conversation to view it or tap View all to see all of your conversations.
  4. Select the conversation you would like to view.

Unsend a message

  1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
  2. Tap the Notification bell .
  3. Under Messages tap on a conversation to view it or tap View all to see all of your conversations.
  4. Tap the conversation you would like to view.
  5. Long press on a message you'd like to unsend.
  6. Tap Unsend.
  7. Confirm by tapping Unsend again.

When you unsend a message, it will no longer be visible to both people in the chat. Keep in mind that the person you sent it to may have already seen your message and will be able to see that a message was unsent.

Delete your conversation

Follow these steps to delete your entire conversation:

  1. Long press on a conversation.
  2. Tap the Menu .
  3. Tap Delete.
Important: When you delete an entire conversation, the other channel will continue to see the conversation.

Error messages & what they mean

  • “Can’t access link” - You must be located in Poland or Ireland and be logged in to a YouTube Channel with a Google Account 18 years of age or older to access video sharing and messaging. Learn more about how to create a YouTube Channel.
  • “This feature isn’t available” - This feature is still in experiment and not yet supported for all users.

Privacy & safety

Share content without sharing your channel details
Eligible users who open the links you share can reply to you directly on YouTube. You can change this anytime by adjusting your privacy settings or by sharing using the “copy link” feature.

To share without connecting on all videos, modify your "channel visibility for shared links" settings within your account.

From your account settings :

  1. Open your privacy settings.
  2. Turn off channel visibility for shared links.
Tip: To share without connecting on a single video, you can use the "copy link" feature available after selecting the share button.
  1. Tap Share .
  2. Tap Copy link.
  3. Share the link with someone.
Note: On the share panel, you will see your channel name shown at the top when your channel visibility is turned on.
Block a user

When you block someone, you also will no longer see their live chats and comments, or get their mentions. The channel you blocked also will no longer see your conversations on live chat, in comments, or receive your mentions.

As a creator, you’ll no longer see blocked users’ comments and live chats on your channel but they will still exist and be seen publicly. If you hide a channel then their comments won’t show on your channel, including on your Comments page in YouTube Studio. It also prevents them from creating clips from your videos or live streams.

Creators and moderators can hide viewers from their channel in YouTube Studio, from a comment a viewer left, or by moderating live chat.

The recipient will not be notified that you blocked them, but will see they can no longer message you. After you block someone, your conversation with them will remain in your inbox, but you won't be able to message them. If you no longer want to see the conversation in your Messages, you can delete the conversation.

Block someone from sharing videos & messaging

You can block a user from sharing videos and messaging you in two ways:

From your inbox

  1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
  2. Tap the Notification bell .
  3. Under Messages, tap View all and then tap the conversation with the person you want to block.
  4. In the top right corner, tap the Menu and then tap Block messages .

From the panel

  1. Long press the profile picture of an existing channel you want to block.
  2. Tap Block messages .

Unblock someone

There are three ways to unblock someone:

From your conversation

  1. In the top right corner of the conversation, tap More .
  2. Tap Unblock .

From your Google Account

  1. Go to myaccount.google.com/blocklist.
  2. Tap the remove button next to the person you want to unblock.

From your Settings

  1. Tap your profile picture and then Settings.
  2. Tap Privacy.
  3. Tap Blocked contacts and then the remove button next to the user you want to unblock.

Report a conversation

You can report a conversation that violates our Community Guidelines.
  1. Open the YouTube app.
  2. Go to the conversation that you want to report.
  3. Tap More and then Report conversation .
  4. Select the reason why you want to report the conversation.
  5. Tap Report.

Report a channel

You can report users, inappropriate background images, or inappropriate profile avatars.
  1. Sign in to YouTube.
  2. Go to the channel page that you want to report.
  3. Tap More in the channel description.
  4. Tap Report user .
  5. Select the option that best fits why you want to report the channel:
  • Hide user from my channel
  • Report channel art
  • Report profile picture
  • Report user
  1. Select the reason to report and then Next.
  • Optional: The window that opens may ask you to enter more details. Enter any other details that you want to share.
  1. Tap Next and then Submit.
Note: When you report a channel, we don’t review the channel’s videos. We use the videos that you may attach to your report to understand more about the channel, but we don’t check the videos for violations.
Channel features that we review include, but aren't limited to, the channel’s profile photo, handle, and description. If you think that a channel’s specific videos violate our policies, you should report the specific videos.

Encryption for sharing videos & messages on YouTube

By messaging on YouTube, you accept that messages may be reviewed to ensure they follow our Community Guidelines. In line with our platform’s policies, Community Guidelines apply to all content on YouTube, including video shares and messages. Our systems may scan for content that is against these policies, such as content that could cause real-world harm, and we may review flagged content. To keep conversations secure, video shares and messages are encrypted as they are sent and stored. This layered approach helps us create a safer environment while protecting user privacy.
Note: The content of your messages will not be used for ads targeting.

Common questions about sharing videos & messages on YouTube

Why can’t you access the video sharing & messaging feature on YouTube?

If you can’t access video sharing and messaging on YouTube, it may be due to one or more of the following reasons:

  • You do not meet the minimum age requirement of 18+. Learn more about age estimation on YouTube.
  • You are located outside of the eligible regions (Ireland, Poland).
  • You are not signed-in to a YouTube Channel. Learn how to create an account on YouTube.
  • This feature is currently in experiment and is not yet available to all users.
  • You are a delegate on a Brand account. Learn more to check if you have a Brand account.
What will people see on my channel once we connect?

When you share content, the recipient can view your channel. The following info is visible on your channel by default:

  • Your channel name and handle
  • Your public videos and public playlists (Note: Playlists are set to private by default.)
  • Your public subscriptions (Note: Subscriptions are set to private by default.)

You can change this anytime by adjusting your privacy settings or by sharing using the “copy link” feature.

To share videos without sharing your channel information, follow these steps.

Learn more about how to adjust the visibility of your playlists and subscriptions.
Why was my message not sent?

If your message didn't send, it could be for one of the following reasons:

  • Poor connection: A weak or unstable internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular data) can prevent messages from being sent. Please try again when you have a stronger signal.
  • Sending too many messages at once: To help prevent spam, there are limits on how many messages can be sent in a short period. If you’ve sent a lot of messages recently, please wait a while before trying again.
  • Potential Community Guidelines violation(s): Community Guidelines apply to all content on YouTube, including on-platform video shares and messages. Your message may not be sent if it contains content that could be considered spam or in potential violation of YouTube’s Community Guidelines.
  • Your app or device needs to be updated: For the best performance, please make sure you're using the latest version of the YouTube app and that your device's operating system is also up to date.
Why was my message removed by YouTube?

Community Guidelines apply to all content on YouTube, including on-platform video shares and messages. By messaging on YouTube, you accept that your messages may be reviewed against Community Guidelines. Your message may be removed if it contains content that violates the Community Guidelines, such as spam.

Why can I no longer access the feature to share videos & messages?
Access to features that are in experiment is limited and subject to change. As we refine the feature, access may be removed or granted based on the evolving requirements of the experiment.
Note: You can still delete your messages at any time.

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