How to verify a YouTube channel

YouTube opens features in stages, and the verified badge is a separate thing again. You can see which features your channel has in YouTube Studio under Settings, then Channel, then Feature eligibility, where available features show as Enabled.

Sources: YouTube Help: Learn about feature access for YouTube Creators, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Verify your YouTube account, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels, checked 15 October 2026

On a Brand Account, the owner and managers can phone-verify the channel. On other channels, only the owner can. YouTube links a phone number to no more than 2 channels per year.

1. On a computer, sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. Click Settings, then Channel.
3. Click Feature eligibility, then Intermediate features, then Verify phone number.
4. Enter a phone number and choose to get the code by text or voice call.
5. Enter the code to finish.

Sources: YouTube Help: Get access to intermediate and advanced features, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: See & unlock features with phone verification, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Verify your YouTube account, checked 15 October 2026

After phone verification there are two routes. Most active channels already have enough channel history, which YouTube judges from your uploads, live streams and audience engagement, and from your Google Account's age and use. If yours doesn't, you can verify with a valid ID or a short video of your face. Only primary channel owners can do this, and ID and video verification isn't offered to every creator.

1. In YouTube Studio, click Settings, then Channel, then Feature eligibility.
2. Under Advanced features, click Access features.
3. Choose Use your ID or Use video verification, then Get email (or scan the QR code).
4. On your phone, open the email and tap Start verification.
5. Follow the prompts: photograph your ID, making sure the birthdate matches your Google Account, or record the short video.
6. Submit. Review usually takes 24 hours, and you'll get an email when it's done.

Sources: YouTube Help: Get access to intermediate and advanced features, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Learn about feature access for YouTube Creators, checked 15 October 2026

The badge shows that a channel is the official one for a creator, brand or public figure. It adds no features. To apply you need 100,000 subscribers, 2-Step Verification on your Google Account, and a complete profile with a banner image, profile picture, description and at least one public video. Only owners and managers can apply.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer.
2. Click Settings, then Channel, then Verified badge. If that tab isn't there, the channel isn't eligible yet.
3. If prompted, turn on 2-Step Verification or complete your profile.
4. Click Apply.

• Changing your channel name removes the badge, and you'd need to reapply. Changing your handle doesn't.
• YouTube may also verify smaller channels that are well known outside YouTube.

Source: YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels, checked 15 October 2026

The common problems, with YouTube's own fixes:

• No code arrived: request a new one, try the voice call option, or use a number on another carrier. Some carriers don't support texts or calls from Google.
• This phone number has already created the maximum number of accounts: a number can be used for only 2 channels per year, so use a different one.
• Advanced YouTube features aren't available for this account: you're not the primary owner, for example on a Brand Account or a supervised account.
• A feature is still missing: check Feature eligibility. Strikes, spam or reused content can delay or restrict access; channels that follow the guidelines can usually rebuild enough history within 2 months.
• No Verified badge tab: the channel is under 100,000 subscribers, or YouTube's systems haven't updated yet. Check back in a few days.

Sources: YouTube Help: Verify your YouTube account, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Get access to intermediate and advanced features, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels, checked 15 October 2026

Phone verification is worth doing before you plan a publishing schedule, because custom thumbnails depend on it. Zolyp, which publishes this guide, publishes to YouTube as one of 9 platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads). It creates video uploads and Shorts with titles and descriptions written for search, can set a custom thumbnail on a standard video, and schedules them with the posts on your other networks. You approve the week before anything goes live.