The YouTube Inspiration tab is an AI idea generator in YouTube Studio that suggests video ideas, titles, thumbnails and outlines from your channel's data. YouTube is now gradually retiring it, and points creators to Ask Studio instead. Your saved ideas carry over under Content, then Saved Ideas.
If you've gone looking for the Inspiration tab and it's vanished, you haven't lost access by accident. YouTube says it's gradually deprecating the tab and moving idea brainstorming into Ask Studio, the AI assistant in the top corner of YouTube Studio. Here's how both work, and how to keep the ideas you already saved.
Where to find the Inspiration tab (while it lasts)
- Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer. It's desktop only.
- In the left menu, choose Content.
- At the bottom, click Get Inspired.
You'll see nine suggested ideas based on your channel. Click More like this on a card for similar ideas, or Show more at the bottom to load another nine. Save anything you like with the bookmark icon. The suggestions are English only, and if you don't see the tab on your Content page, YouTube says you don't have access to it.
What the Inspiration tab gives you
| Card | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| Ideas | A name, a short summary and an image, plus audience interest signals and comment insights |
| Hooks | Ways to grab attention in the opening seconds of your video |
| Outlines | A running order you can turn into a script |
| Titles | Title options based on similar videos and trends |
| Thumbnails | AI-generated thumbnail concepts |
One detail creators miss: thumbnails generated here may carry a signed C2PA manifest, which is a label showing where the image came from. If you download one and upload it to another platform, that platform can read the label.
Why you can't see the Inspiration tab
- It's being retired. YouTube is removing it gradually, so some channels lose it before others.
- You're on a phone. It's desktop only, so it won't appear in the YouTube Studio app.
- Your account doesn't have access. YouTube says that if the tab isn't on your Content page, you don't have access to the feature.
- You're signed in to a different channel. Check the channel name in the top corner of YouTube Studio.
Whichever applies, the fix is the same: open Ask Studio and ask it for ideas in the same way. Nothing you'd saved disappears when the tab goes, because Saved Ideas is shared between the two tools.
What replaces it: Ask Studio
Ask Studio is the AI assistant built into YouTube Studio. Open YouTube Studio, then click Ask Studio at the top right and pick a suggested prompt or type your own. It does what the Inspiration tab did, and more:
- Brainstorm video ideas and save the good ones as Idea cards.
- Paste in a script and get feedback based on creative best practices.
- Get suggestions on draft, private or unlisted videos before you publish, using retention data from your channel.
- Dig into your numbers from the Analytics page with suggested prompts.
- Troubleshoot upload errors or policy strikes, and type 'speak to an agent' if you need a human.
That last point is the one I'd bookmark. It's one of the few routes in YouTube Studio to a real person rather than yet another help article.
Inspiration tab vs Ask Studio
| Inspiration tab | Ask Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Being gradually retired | The current tool |
| Where | Content, then Get Inspired | Top right of YouTube Studio, and the Analytics page |
| What it does | Ideas, hooks, outlines, titles, thumbnails | Ideas plus script feedback, video feedback, analytics questions and support |
| Saved ideas | Content, then Saved Ideas | Content, then Saved Ideas |
How to keep your saved ideas
Anything you saved in the Inspiration tab or in Ask Studio lives in the same place: YouTube Studio, then Content, then Saved Ideas. YouTube says ideas are saved permanently by default unless you delete them. If you saved ideas in an older version of Inspiration, you can export them with Google Takeout.
Use the ideas, but check them
YouTube warns that AI-generated ideas may be inaccurate or inappropriate, and says not to type personal information into the tool. In practice the ideas are a starting point, not a plan. The most useful approach is to ask for ten angles on a topic you already know your viewers want, then pick the one you could film with real experience behind it. A generic AI idea filmed with your own story beats a clever idea you can't speak to.
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For the bigger picture on growing a channel, see my YouTube marketing strategy guide, and for the rest of the dashboard, my walkthrough of the YouTube Studio dashboard.
Privacy note
Ask Studio saves your conversations for up to 30 days so you can look back at past answers. Human reviewers may read conversations after they're disconnected from your account, so keep anything confidential out of the chat.
My verdict
Don't build your workflow around the Inspiration tab now that it's being retired. Move to Ask Studio, which does the same brainstorming and adds script and pre-publish feedback. Check your Saved Ideas so nothing gets lost along the way, and treat every AI suggestion as a first draft that still needs your own angle and your own experience behind it.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Inspiration tab in YouTube Studio?
Under Content, then Get Inspired at the bottom, on a computer. YouTube is gradually retiring it, so it may already be gone from your account.
What replaced the YouTube Inspiration tab?
Ask Studio, the AI assistant at the top right of YouTube Studio. YouTube recommends it for brainstorming ideas.
Will I lose my saved Inspiration ideas?
No. Saved ideas sit under Content, then Saved Ideas, and stay there unless you delete them. Older saved ideas can be exported with Google Takeout.
Is the Inspiration tab available on the YouTube Studio app?
No. YouTube says it's only available on desktop, and its suggestions are in English only.
