Use the Copyright Match Tool

The Copyright Match Tool can automatically identify videos that are matches or potential matches of other videos on YouTube. This article describes how to review and act on matches. Learn more about how the Copyright Match Tool works.

Note: Bear in mind that just because we've found a matching video, it doesn't mean that it's infringing on your copyright. It's your responsibility to review each match and consider whether fair use, fair dealing or a similar copyright exception applies.

How to use the Copyright Match Tool

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Review and act on matches

1. On a computer or mobile browser, sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. From the left menu, select Content detection .
3. Select the Matches tab.
4. Review the matching videos. You can select a filter to find videos by number of views (Total views) or channels by number of subscribers (Subscribers).
5. Tick the box next to the video that you want to take action on.
6. Choose an action to take:

• ARCHIVE: This option will remove the match from your Matches tab. The matching video itself isn't deleted or affected. Archived matches appear in your Archive tab.
• REQUEST REMOVAL: This option will open our copyright removal request form so that you can submit a copyright removal request for the matching video. After submitting, you can view the videos that you requested the removal of in the Removal requests tab.
• CONTACT CHANNEL: This option lets you send a pre-written email to the uploader of the matching video. You can find past emails that you've sent in your Messages tab.

Review and act on potential matches

1. On a computer or mobile browser, sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. From the left menu, select Content detection .
3. Select the Removal requests tab.
4. In the Find matches column, you can find potential matches that weren't eligible to be automatically prevented from upload because they weren't copies.
5. Expand a row to show more details about the video that you've requested for removal.
6. Select VIEW MATCHES. The Matches tab will open and will be filtered to show the potential matches.
7. Tick the box next to the video that you want to take action on.
8. Choose an action to take:

• ARCHIVE: This option will remove the match from your Matches tab. The matching video itself isn't deleted or affected. Archived matches appear in your Archive tab.
• REQUEST REMOVAL: This option will open our copyright removal request form so that you can submit a copyright removal request for the matching video. After submitting, you can view the videos that you requested the removal of in the Removal requests tab.
• CONTACT CHANNEL: This option lets you send a pre-written email to the uploader of the matching video. You can find past emails that you've sent in your Messages tab.

Find song matches

If you use the copyright removal request form to successfully remove someone's video that has used your song or audio content, the Copyright Match Tool will surface other videos with audio that could potentially match. The Copyright Match Tool can also find matches on which the audio may be replaced or dubbed.

If someone used a portion of your song or audio content in their video, it won't be surfaced by the Copyright Match Tool. If you find a video that uses your audio without permission, you can always report it using our copyright removal request form.

Troubleshoot issues with matches

There are a few reasons why we might not scan for matches to one of your uploads:

• You weren't the first to upload the video to YouTube
• The video is already protected by Content ID
• The video has a Content ID claim on it

To stay updated on new matches that the Copyright Match Tool has found, check your Matches tab often. You'll also get bell notifications  on your channel page to let you know when matches have been found. Learn more about how the Copyright Match Tool works.