YouTube copyright claims and strikes: what they mean and how to fix them

They're separate systems, and separate again from Community Guidelines strikes:

• Shorts of 1 to 3 minutes with an active claim are blocked, whatever the owner's policy.
• A video can carry only one copyright strike at a time, but more than one claim.

Sources: YouTube Help: Learn about copyright claims, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Understand copyright strikes, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Dispute a copyright claim, checked 15 October 2026

The Checks step of every upload scans for copyright issues before you publish, though YouTube says those results aren't final. To see claims on published videos:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. In the left menu, select Content. For Shorts, use the Shorts tab.
3. Click the filter bar and select Claims.
4. In the Restrictions column, hover over Claims and click See details.
5. Under Content used, click See details to see the claimant.
6. Pick a fix: mute the claimed song, trim out the claimed part, or replace the song with a track from the YouTube Audio Library. Removing the claimed content clears the claim.

• You can also leave the claim in place and change your mind later.
• Partner Program members with claimed music may be able to share revenue with the music publisher.

Sources: YouTube Help: Learn about copyright claims, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Upload YouTube videos, checked 15 October 2026

Dispute only if you have all the rights you need, your use qualifies for an exception such as fair use, or the match is wrong. Giving credit, owning a copy or not monetising aren't valid reasons.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio and select Content.
2. Find the video, using the Claims filter if needed.
3. In the Restrictions column, hover over Claims and click See details.
4. Under Content used, find the claim, click Take action and select Dispute.
5. Follow the prompts to give your reason and submit. A dispute can't be cancelled once sent.

• The claimant has 30 days to respond. If they don't, the claim expires.
• They can release it, reinstate it (you may then be able to appeal) or send a removal request. A valid removal request takes the video down and gives the channel a copyright strike.
• Some blocking claims offer Escalate to Appeal, which skips the first dispute stage; the claimant then has 7 days to respond.
• Repeated or malicious disputes can lead to penalties.

Sources: YouTube Help: Dispute a copyright claim, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Understand copyright strikes, checked 15 October 2026

Three active strikes make the account and any linked channels subject to termination: uploads become inaccessible and you can't create new channels. A copyright removal of an active live stream also restricts live streaming for 7 days, and another strike extends that to 14. There are three ways to resolve one:

1. Complete Copyright School (four questions, done once) and wait 90 days. The strike then expires, as long as the channel has fewer than three.
2. Ask the person who filed the removal request to retract it.
3. If the removal was a mistake or your use qualifies for an exception such as fair use, submit a counter notification.

Source: YouTube Help: Understand copyright strikes, checked 15 October 2026

Common reasons, and what to do:

• A Short of 1 to 3 minutes is blocked: it has an active claim. Remove the claimed audio or dispute.
• Deleting the video didn't clear the strike: deletion only helps when the removal is scheduled, in which case you have 7 days to delete it. The strike email from no-reply@youtube.com says if this applies.
• A dispute turned into a strike: the claimant sent a removal request that YouTube found valid.
• You can no longer upload long videos: check the channel for copyright claims and strikes.
• A video was removed for another reason: content can be taken down for reasons other than copyright.

Sources: YouTube Help: Understand copyright strikes, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Learn about copyright claims, checked 15 October 2026; YouTube Help: Upload videos longer than 15 minutes, checked 15 October 2026

Claims are easiest to avoid at the editing stage, before a video goes up. 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.