How-To

How to Get Verified on YouTube (the Checkmark)

Updated 10 min read
Illustration of a channel profile card with an empty round seal under a magnifying glass, a ribbon rosette, a filmstrip and a video frame, with the title 'How to Get Verified on YouTube (the Checkmark)'

The checkmark takes 100,000 subscribers, 2-Step Verification on the channel’s Google Account and a complete profile: a banner image, profile picture, description and at least one public video. An owner or manager then applies in YouTube Studio on a computer, and YouTube reviews the channel before it grants anything. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels

Those rules are how to get verified on YouTube for the badge: the verification check mark next to a channel’s name. If you came for youtube.com/verify, the phone check that unlocks longer videos and custom thumbnails, you want how to verify your YouTube account instead. Both are steps in our YouTube channel growth plan.

Table of Contents

How many subscribers do you need to get verified on YouTube?

100,000. Below that, there’s nothing to apply for: YouTube Help says that if the Verified badge tab doesn’t appear in YouTube Studio, the channel isn’t eligible under the 100,000-subscriber requirement. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels The one exception runs the other way: YouTube may proactively verify channels with fewer than 100,000 subscribers that are well known outside YouTube. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels

Only real subscribers count. Closed accounts and subscribers YouTube identifies as spam, purchased ones included, don’t count toward your total, Checked against YouTube Help: Check your recent subscribers and YouTube’s Terms of Service forbid paying or incentivising people to increase a channel’s subscribers. Checked against YouTube Terms of Service (effective 15 Dec 2023) To see where you stand, check your subscriber count in YouTube Studio.

What do you need before you apply?

100,000 subscribers, 2-Step Verification on the channel’s Google Account, a complete profile, and an owner or manager to submit the application. YouTube’s badge page lists all four:

  • 100,000 subscribers.
  • 2-Step Verification turned on for the channel’s Google Account.
  • A complete profile: a banner image, a profile picture, a description and at least one public video.
  • The right role: only channel owners or managers can apply.

Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels.

How to get verified on YouTube in YouTube Studio

Apply from YouTube Studio on a computer; YouTube Help gives no app steps for it. If you have the subscribers but not 2-Step Verification or a complete profile, Studio offers to fix those first. YouTube’s steps:

On a computer:

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio on your computer.
  2. Click Settings, then Channel, then Verified badge.
  3. If the verified badge tab does not appear, then you are not eligible to apply for channel verification based upon the 100,000 subscriber requirement.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. If you have 100,000 subscribers but are missing 2-step verification or a complete profile, you will see the option to Turn on 2-step verification or Edit your profile. Once these requirements are met, you will see the option to Apply.

Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels.

If you’ve only just reached 100,000 subscribers or turned on 2-Step Verification and can’t open the application form, YouTube says to check back in a few days, signed in with the eligible channel’s email address. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels

What does YouTube check after you apply?

Whether the channel is authentic and complete. Authentic means it represents the real creator, brand or entity it claims to be; YouTube may check factors such as the channel’s age and ask for more information or documentation. Complete means public, with a banner, description, profile picture and content, and active on YouTube. YouTube won’t verify channels that try to impersonate another creator or brand. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels

YouTube Help doesn’t say how long a review takes or when you can reapply after a denial. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels It describes only two ways to the checkmark, applying at 100,000 subscribers or being verified proactively by YouTube, so a service offering to sell one is offering something outside YouTube’s process.

Can you lose the verification badge?

Yes: renaming the channel removes it, and YouTube can revoke it. A verified channel stays verified unless it changes its channel name; the renamed channel loses the badge and has to reapply. Changing the handle doesn’t remove it. YouTube can also revoke verification or terminate channels that violate the Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels

Moving channels has a catch too. If you move a channel onto your Google Account or a Brand Account that already has a channel, the replaced channel is permanently deleted, verification badge included. Checked against YouTube Help: Move your YouTube channel from one Brand Account to another

The badge itself carries no extra features, and YouTube says it isn’t an award or an endorsement. What it does is mark the official channel of a creator, artist, company or public figure, so viewers can tell it apart from channels with similar names; YouTube adds that verification has changed over time, which is why you may see many types of verified channels. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels

What if your channel isn’t eligible yet?

Make the channel easy to recognise without the badge. YouTube’s own suggestions: a unique channel name or handle, a high-quality profile picture, and a customised layout and branding. If someone is impersonating you, report it to YouTube. Checked against YouTube Help: Verification badges on channels Stuck on the name? Our YouTube name generator suggests options to check.

What is an Official Artist Channel?

A separate YouTube program for musicians, requested through a label, distributor or Music Service Partner rather than the badge application. An Official Artist Channel merges an artist’s topic channel, Vevo channel and existing channel subscribers into one.

To qualify, an artist needs a single-artist channel focused on their music, at least one official release delivered by a distributor or label, and a channel that follows YouTube’s policies, plus one of these: a YouTube Partner Manager, YouTube Partner Program membership, a label network that works with a Partner Manager, or a music partner listed by YouTube. Checked against YouTube Help: Introduction to Official Artist Channels

Can Outfeed get a channel verified?

Open Outfeed AI

Getting verified on YouTube: FAQ

How many subscribers do you need to get verified on YouTube?

100,000. A channel also needs 2-Step Verification on its Google Account and a complete profile (banner image, profile picture, description and at least one public video) to apply. YouTube says it may also proactively verify channels with fewer than 100,000 subscribers that are well known outside YouTube.

How do I apply for the YouTube verification badge?

Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer, click Settings, then Channel, then Verified badge, and click Apply. Only channel owners or managers can apply. If the Verified badge tab doesn’t appear, the channel isn’t eligible under the 100,000-subscriber requirement.

Can you get verified on YouTube without 100k subscribers?

You can’t apply below 100,000 subscribers. The only route YouTube describes for smaller channels is proactive verification: YouTube itself may verify a channel with fewer than 100,000 subscribers that is well known outside YouTube.

Can you lose your YouTube verification badge?

Yes. Changing your channel name removes the badge, and the renamed channel has to reapply; changing your handle doesn’t remove it. YouTube can also revoke verification or terminate channels that violate its Community Guidelines or Terms of Service.

How long does YouTube verification take?

YouTube Help gives no review time for badge applications. During the review, YouTube checks that the channel is authentic and complete, and it may ask for more information or documentation.

youtube youtube verification badge youtube checkmark youtube studio