A Brand Account is an account that is specifically for your brand. This account is different from your personal Google Account. If a channel is linked to a Brand Account, multiple people can manage it from their Google Accounts. You don't need a separate username or password to manage YouTube channels with a Brand Account.
Connect your YouTube Channel to a Brand Account if:
- You don't want viewers to see your name or email address. There's no public association between your Google Account and the Brand Account.
- You want to manage multiple channels from one account. Brand Accounts can be helpful if you have more than one YouTube channel. Learn more.
Ready to create a Brand Account?
- First, check to see if you already have a Brand Account.
- Sign in to YouTube.
- Go to your channel list.
- Click Create a new channel.
- Fill out the details to name the Brand Account and verify your account.
- Click Create.
I get an error when creating a Brand Account
You've probably given others access to manage your channel. We recommend you keep your non-Brand Account. If you still want a Brand Account, you must first remove access from others.
Use channel permissions in YouTube Studio with a Brand Account
Keep in mind before moving to channel permissions:
- Managers can do less with channel permissions than they can with a Brand Account. Find more info in the table below.
- Brand Account permissions will no longer apply to the channel and access will be managed exclusively through YouTube Studio.
- Existing Brand Account users will be copied into channel permissions. First, you must manually set the permissions level and send the invite.
- People you’ve invited to manage your channel can only manage your channel in YouTube Studio on computer and partially on mobile. They can’t manage on YouTube.com, or via YouTube APIs.
Opt into channel permissions
The primary owner of the Brand Account can decide to use channel permissions in YouTube Studio. We’re working to add more features to channel permissions.
Before switching, check the table below to see if features you need are available. You can also learn about the differences between roles in channel permissions and Brand Accounts.
Opt out of channel permissions
If you want to go back to a Brand Account after opting into channel permissions, you must invite everyone to the Brand Account again.
To opt out, select “Opt out of permissions in YouTube Studio” under YouTube Studio's Settings Permissions. You must be opted out of channel permissions to complete a channel transfer.
Supported features
Category | Access level / Public actions | Brand Accounts | Channel permissions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
YT Studio on a computer | YT Studio app | YouTube app | |||
Granular permission control | Manager role | Yes | |
|
|
Editor role | No | |
|
|
|
Editor (Limited) role | No | |
|
|
|
Viewer only role | No | |
|
— | |
Viewer (Limited) role | No | — | |||
Subtitle Editor role | No | — | — | ||
Video management | Upload videos / Shorts | Yes | |
— | |
Create Shorts | Yes | — | — | |
|
Understand video performance in YouTube Analytics or Artist Analytics | Yes | |
|
|
|
Manage videos (metadata, monetization, visibility) | Yes | ||||
Create a playlist | Yes | — | |
||
Add a video to an existing public playlist | Yes | |
|
|
|
Manage playlists | Yes | — | — | |
|
Live stream as the channel | Yes | — | — | ||
Captions, private video sharing | Yes | — | — | ||
Mobile uploads | Yes | |
|
— | |
Channel management | Customize / manage the channel homepage | Yes | |
|
|
Community engagement | Create a post | Yes | — | ||
Manage Community posts | Yes | — | |
||
Delete Community posts | Yes | [Manager only] | — | [Manager only] | |
Reply to comments as the channel from YouTube Studio | Yes | — | |||
Comment and interact with comments on another channel's videos as the channel | Yes | — | — | ||
Use Live Chat as the channel from Live Control Room | Yes | — | |||
Create a story | Yes | — | — | — | |
Artists specific | Official Artist Channel features (for example, concerts) | Yes | — | — |
Differences between roles in channel permissions and Brand Accounts
The main difference between channel permissions and Brand Account roles is the granular levels of access. We’re also working on adding even more roles to permissions over the course of the year.
Studio roles |
Brand Account roles |
||
Owner |
|
Primary owner |
Can do everything |
Manager |
|
Owner |
Can do everything |
Editor |
|
Manager |
Can do everything except:
|
Editor (Limited) |
|
|
|
Viewer |
|
Communications Manager |
Can’t do anything on YouTube |
Viewer (Limited) |
|