Report inappropriate videos, channels, and other content on YouTube

We rely on YouTube community members to report or flag content that they find inappropriate. Reporting content is anonymous, so other users can't tell who made the report.

What happens after I report content?

When content is reported, it’s not automatically taken down. Reported content is reviewed along these guidelines:

Content that violates our Community Guidelines is removed from YouTube.
Content that may not be appropriate for younger audiences may be age-restricted.

To check if a video that you reported has been removed, you can view your Report history.

The Life of a Flag

Subscribe to the YouTube Viewers channel for the latest news, updates, and tips.

How to report content

Report a video

YouTube reviews reported videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A video can be reported anytime after it’s uploaded to YouTube. If our review team doesn’t find any violations, no amount of reporting will change that, and the video will remain on our site.

Open the YouTube app.
Go to the video that you want to report.
Under the video, tap Report .
Select the reason that best fits the violation in the video.
Tap REPORT.

Note: To check the status of a video you report, on a computer, visit your Report history. Learn more about your Report history.

Report a Short

You can report YouTube Shorts from the Shorts Player.

Sign in to YouTube.
Go to the Short that you want to report.
In the bottom-right corner, tap More Report .
Select the reason that best fits the violation in the video.
Tap Report.

Note: To check the status of a video you report, on a computer, visit your Report history. Learn more about your Report history.

Report a channel

You can report users, inappropriate background images, or inappropriate profile avatars.

Open the YouTube app.
Go to the channel page that you want to report.
At the top right, tap More Report user .
Optional: Select specific videos that violate YouTube’s policies.
Tap Next.
Optional: The window that opens may ask you to enter more details. Enter any other details that you want to share.
Tap 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.

Report a playlist

You can report a playlist if its content, title, description, or tags violate our Community Guidelines.

Open the YouTube app.
Go to the playlist that you want to report.
At the top right, tap More Report playlist REPORT.

Report a thumbnail

You can report a video thumbnail that violates our Community Guidelines.

Open the YouTube app.
Go to the video that you want to report on your home page, in suggested videos, or in search results. You can't report a thumbnail from a video's watch page.
Below the thumbnail, tap More Report .
Select the reason that best fits why you want to report the thumbnail.
Tap REPORT.

Report a comment

You can report a comment that violates our Community Guidelines.

Open the YouTube app.
Go to the comment that you want to report.
Tap More Report .
Select the reason why you want to report the content.
Tap REPORT.
Optional: As a Creator, after you report a comment, you can prevent that individual’s comments from showing on your channel. Check the box next to Hide user on my channel click OK.

My comment was marked as spam incorrectly

If you believe that your comment was incorrectly marked as spam, you can get in touch with the uploader and ask them to reinstate your comment.

Report a live chat message

Community members can report inappropriate messages left on live streams.

Open the YouTube app.
Go to the live stream with the message that you want to report.
Tap the message Report.
Select the reason that best fits why you want to report the message.
Tap REPORT.

Report an ad

If you find an ad that’s inappropriate or violates Google Ads policies, you can report it. Fill out and submit this form.

To report an ad from a video:

Select More or Info on the ad.
Select Report ad .
Fill out and submit the form. Our team will review your ad report and act if appropriate.

Note: You can only report ads on YouTube mobile or on a computer.

Report content on YouTube from your TV

You can report a video directly from the YouTube TV app.

Open the YouTube app.
Go to the video that you want to report.
Go to Settings Report.
Select the reason that you want to report the video.
After you select the reason, a confirmation message shows.

Report content on YouTube from your VR device

If you’re using a VR device, you can follow the instructions here to report inappropriate content directly from the YouTube VR app.

Other reporting options

If the reporting process doesn’t accurately capture your issue, we have other reporting mechanisms you can use.

Privacy reporting

To file a privacy complaint, start the privacy complaint process. Your privacy is always respected during the process.

Legal reporting

To report a legal issue on behalf of yourself or your client:

Go to the content or channel that you want to report.
Under the content or channel, click More Report .
On the list that appears, click Legal issue.
Select the relevant issue. If your issue isn't captured, click Other legal issue.
At the bottom, click NEXT.
Fill out the form, and submit it.

To expedite our ability to investigate your claim, we encourage you to submit your claim through our webform rather than by fax or post.

Note that abuse of our legal forms may result in the termination of your Google Account.

For California users: Report content while signed out

If you’re in California and want to report content without signing into a YouTube account, you can do so here.

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