Use a different name on YouTube than your Google Account

If you want to use a name or photo on YouTube that's different from what you have for your Google Account, connect your channel to a Brand Account. You can do this to support your business or brand identity on YouTube without showing a connection with your personal Google Account.

When you connect a YouTube channel to a Brand Account:

  • Your Google Account is an owner/manager of the Brand Account connected with the YouTube channel. This lets you access the YouTube channel from your Google Account.
  • There's no public association between your Google Account and the Brand Account, so viewers won't see your name or email address (unless you publicly link them yourself).
  • You can manage multiple channels from one Google Account. This helps if you have more than one YouTube channel.
  • You can add other managers and owners to your Brand Account. You and any teammates or collaborators can manage the channel without having to share passwords. Learn more about managing channels connected to Brand Accounts.

Connect channel to a Brand Account

You can connect a new or existing channel to a Brand Account.

Create a new channel

Follow the instructions to create a new channel that's connected to a Brand Account.

Connect an existing channel
  1. Sign in to your YouTube account.
  2. Click your account icon > settings Settings.
  3. Next to your profile picture, click Advanced. 
  4. If you already have any Brand Accounts, you'll see them listed under "Account information." When you choose one of these, your YouTube channel will be renamed to match the page. If the Brand Account has any other managers, they'll also be able to manage the channel from now on.
     

    If you don't see your Brand Account

    If your Brand Account isn't listed, your YouTube channel's Google Account is not a manager of that Brand Account. You have to first add your Google Account as a manager of the page.

Note that some content can't be moved: All comments made by the channel, sent and received messages, verification badges, and automated filter community settings. You'll see a warning if your channel has this content.

If you have a custom URL, it will not be moved to your new channel.

 

Note: When you're using the Brand Account, you may also see an unusual email address in some places, such as channel-name-1234@pages.plusgoogle.com. This isn't a real email address — it's just an identifier for the Brand Account. You can have a Brand Account even though Google+ is no longer available.
Email notifications for the YouTube channel go to the notification address that you can set for the Brand Account. 

Switch between accounts

It's easy to switch between your Google Account identity and Brand Account identities to manage any of your YouTube channels — whether it's your business channel(s) or personal channel.

When you sign in to your Google Account on YouTube, choose to use YouTube with the identity of your Google Account or any Brand Accounts that you manage.

  1. On you computer, click on your channel icon in the top right corner.
  2. Choose the account you want to use YouTube as from the list.
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