Remove copyright-claimed content from videos

If your video has a copyright claim (generated by the Content ID system), there may be restrictions on where the video is viewable or whether it can be monetised. To remove the claim and the associated restrictions, you can edit out the copyright-claimed content without having to upload a new video.

If done successfully, any of these options will automatically clear a copyright claim:

• Trim out segment: You can edit out just the claimed segment from your video.
• Replace song: If the audio in your video is claimed, you may be able to replace the claimed audio with other audio from the YouTube Audio Library.
• Erase song: If the audio in your video is claimed, you may be able to mute the claimed audio. You can choose to mute just the song or the video's entire audio.

Note: Starting in June 2025, once you've saved your edited video, you will not be able to revert the changes. When editing the video content using the YouTube Studio Editor, make sure that you are happy with the result before saving.

Trim, replace or erase copyright-claimed content in YouTube Studio

To remove copyright-claimed content from a video:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. Tap Content .
3. Find the video that you're interested in.
4. Click on the notice  Click on View details.
5. Find the relevant claim and click Take action Trim out segment, Replace song or Erase song.

Trim out segment

This option lets you edit out the segment of your video that has the copyright claim.

1. (Optional) Edit the start time and end time of the section that you're removing.
   • Bear in mind that if some copyright-claimed content stays in your video, the claim won't be removed.
2. Preview the edit in the video player.
3. Click Save Trim.

While the changes are processing, you will be able to see the badge 'Video editing is in progress'. On the Videos list, you can see an estimate of how much time is left until the changes are processed. Once all copyright-claimed content has been trimmed out, the copyright claim will be removed from your video.

Replace song (audio claims only)

This option lets you swap claimed audio with other audio from the YouTube Audio Library.

1. Browse through recommended tracks on the Suggestions tab or use the search filters on the All tracks tab to find a new audio track. Click Play to preview tracks.
2. When you find a song that you like, click Add . The song will appear in the editor below in a dark grey box.
   • Click and drag the box to change when the song should start. Bear in mind that if some claimed audio stays in your video, the claim won't be removed.
   • Drag the edges of the box to change the amount of the song that plays.
   • Use the zoom options for more precise edits.
3. (Optional) Add more tracks. You can select the same track multiple times.
4. (Optional) Click on the Menu at the end of your selected track and make it louder or quieter.
5. (Optional) Click on the Menu at the end of your original track and find Mute all sounds in the claimed segment:
   • Toggle off (default): We'll only remove music from your original soundtrack on the whole claim and add the selected Audio Library track(s) on a segment that you choose. The copyright claim will be removed.
   • Toggle on: We'll only remove music from your original soundtrack on the segment(s) covered by the selected Audio Library track. If the selected Audio Library track doesn't cover the whole claimed segment, it will become red and the copyright claim won't be released. You can see more details by hovering over the track.
6. Preview the edit in the video player.
7. Click Save Save.

While the changes are processing, you will be able to see the badge 'Video editing is in progress'. On the Videos list, you can see an estimate of how much time is left until the changes are processed. Once all claimed audio has been fully replaced, the copyright claim will be removed from your video.

Erase song (audio claims only)

This option lets you erase the claimed audio in your video. You can choose to erase just the song or mute all the video's audio in the claimed segments.

1. Choose how you'd like to proceed:
   • Erase song
     • Mutes just the claimed song. Other audio, like dialogue or sound effects, won't be muted.
     • This edit might not work if the song is hard to remove. If this tool doesn't successfully remove the claim on a video, you can try other editing options, such as muting all sound in the claimed segments or trimming out the claimed segments.
   • Mute all sound in the claimed segments
     • Mutes all audio during the part of the video with claimed audio.
     • This option is usually faster and more likely to automatically remove the claim.
2. (Optional) Edit the start time and end time of the audio mute.
   • Bear in mind that if some claimed audio stays in your video, the claim won't be removed.
3. Preview the edit in the video player.
4. Click Save Mute. The edit will start processing.

If all claimed audio can be muted, the copyright claim will be removed from your video.

Bear in mind:

• Once you've made an edit, processing times can vary. You can see the estimated time left on the Videos list.
• You can't make other edits while the video is processing, but you can close the window. The video will stay in its current state (before edits) until processing has finished.
• If your channel is not in the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP), you may not be able to save changes if your video has over 100,000 views.

Tip: When processing has finished, reload the page to confirm that the edits were made and the claim is gone.

Erase song in the YouTube Studio app

To erase a song in a video:

1. Open the YouTube Studio app .
2. Tap Content .
3. Select the video that you're interested in.
4. Tap the notice  Tap View details.
5. Tap to the right of the relevant claim.
6. Choose between Erase song or Mute all sound in the claimed segments.
7. Tap Save.

Trim content in the YouTube Studio app

To trim content in a video:

1. Open the YouTube Studio app .
2. Tap Content .
3. Select the video that you're interested in.
4. Tap the notice  Tap View details.
5. Tap to the right of the relevant claim.
6. Tap Trim out segment.
7. Tap Save.

Undo edits

As of June 2025, you are not able to undo changes made with the YouTube Studio Editor after saving by using the revert to original feature. Before making the edits, you can download your YouTube video or use Google Takeout to download all the videos that you've uploaded.