YouTube channel guidelines are up to three short house rules, plus a welcome message, that viewers see before they comment, post or chat on your channel. Set them in YouTube Studio under Settings, then Community moderation, then Channel guidelines. They don't remove anything on their own, so pair them with comment moderation.
Every busy comment section eventually needs ground rules. Channel guidelines let you put them right where people type, so newcomers know what kind of conversation you want before they hit send. They're especially useful if your videos attract debate, beginners asking questions, or people dropping links.
How to set your channel guidelines
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- In the left menu, click Settings.
- Choose Community moderation, then Channel guidelines.
- Write a welcome message and your first guideline.
- Click Add guideline to add up to two more, so three in total.
- Click Save.
Where viewers see them
| Where | Who sees your guidelines |
|---|---|
| Comments on your videos | Viewers on mobile |
| Community posts | Viewers on mobile |
| Live chat | Viewers on mobile and desktop |
That's the catch most creators don't spot. YouTube says guidelines for comments and Community posts can only be viewed on a mobile device. Someone commenting from a laptop won't see them, although live chat viewers on desktop will.
What channel guidelines don't do
Your guidelines are a sign on the door, not a bouncer. YouTube is clear that custom guidelines won't automatically hide or remove comments, posts or live chat messages. YouTube still enforces its own Community Guidelines, but your house rules are only enforced by you and your moderators. If you want comments that break your rules held back, you need to turn on the moderation tools below.
What to write
Keep each rule short enough to read at a glance. YouTube's own examples are a good starting point:
- Be civil and respectful
- Stick to the topic
- Questions welcome
- No self-promotion or spam
- Challenge the argument, not the person
For the welcome message, YouTube suggests something simple, along the lines of welcoming people to your channel and asking them to follow your guidelines. I'd make it sound like you. 'Glad you're here. Ask anything, keep it kind, and no links please' says the same thing and sounds like a person rather than a policy. If questions are welcome, say so: it encourages the comments that help your videos most.
Example guidelines by type of channel
Your three rules should fit the conversations your videos really attract. Here are some starting points you can adapt:
| Channel type | Welcome message | Three guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Tutorials and how-to | Stuck on a step? Ask below. | Questions welcome. Say which step you're on. No links please |
| Opinion and commentary | Disagree? Great, tell me why. | Challenge the argument, not the person. Stay on topic. No name-calling |
| Small business or brand | Thanks for watching, we read every comment. | Be kind. No self-promotion or spam. Support questions welcome |
| Gaming and live streams | Welcome to the chat! | No spoilers. No spam or links. Be respectful to other players |
Notice each set tells people what you do want, not just what you don't. A rule like 'say which step you're on' makes your comments section more useful for the next viewer, and it saves you from replying 'which part?' twenty times.
Changing your guidelines later
Your guidelines aren't fixed. Go back to Settings, then Community moderation, then Channel guidelines, edit the wording and save. It's worth revisiting them whenever a video brings in a new crowd, or when the same problem keeps turning up in your held comments.
Back your guidelines up with moderation
To make the rules stick, use the comment tools in YouTube Studio alongside them:
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Comment moderation | None, Basic, Strict or Hold all. Held comments stay private until you approve them, for up to 60 days |
| Blocked words | Holds comments containing words or phrases you list, and blocks matching live chat messages |
| Hold comments with links | Holds comments with URLs for review, handy against spam |
| Hidden users | Hides one person's comments across every video on your channel |
| Approved users | Lets trusted viewers' comments publish without filtering |
| Subscribers and members only | Limits commenting on a video, with a minimum time subscribed of 1 hour, 1 day or 1 week |
Two details to know. Blocked words, hidden users and link blocking apply to your whole channel, not one video. And the subscribers-only option works video by video, not across the channel, so use bulk edits if you want it on several videos at once.
A simple setup for a growing channel
- Write three guidelines that match the conversation you want, such as civil, on topic and no links.
- Set comment moderation to Basic, so obviously inappropriate comments are held.
- Add blocked words for the spam that keeps turning up on your channel.
- Turn on holding for comments with links if spammers keep posting URLs.
- Review held comments in YouTube Studio each week, because anything not approved stays hidden.
For a wider view of running your channel, see my YouTube Studio settings guide and how to find your own YouTube comments.
My verdict
Channel guidelines are worth five minutes of your time, especially for the first-time commenters who don't know your channel yet. Just don't expect them to moderate anything by themselves, because YouTube leaves that job to you. Write three clear rules, then let comment moderation, blocked words and link holding do the enforcing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add channel guidelines on YouTube?
In YouTube Studio, go to Settings, then Community moderation, then Channel guidelines. Add a welcome message and up to three rules, then save.
How many channel guidelines can I add?
Up to three, plus a welcome message.
Do YouTube channel guidelines remove comments?
No. They set expectations but don't hide or remove anything. Use comment moderation and blocked words to hold comments.
Can viewers on a computer see my channel guidelines?
Only in live chat. YouTube says guidelines for comments and Community posts can only be viewed on mobile.
