Tags let YouTube and viewers find your video by topic
Tags are short words or phrases you add to a YouTube video that describe what it is about. When you upload a video, YouTube uses tags to understand the content and show it to people searching for related topics. Tags also help viewers browsing YouTube discover your video alongside similar ones.
You add tags during upload or by editing a video after it is live. YouTube allows up to 500 characters total across all tags, and you can add as many individual tags as you want within that limit. Tags work alongside the title and description — all three help YouTube's system match your video to the right audience.
Key Takeaways
- Tags are added in the Details section during video upload or in the video editor after upload.
- Each tag should be a single word or short phrase relevant to your video's content, separated by a comma.
- YouTube limits you to 500 characters total across all tags combined, not a limit per tag.
- Your first tag is weighted more heavily by YouTube's system, so put your most important topic first.
- Tags are less important than your title and description for helping viewers find your video.
Adding tags when you upload a video
When you upload a video to YouTube, the upload form shows a Details section where you enter the title, description, and tags. After you select your video file and it begins processing, scroll down on the Details tab until you see the "Tags" field.
Click in the Tags field and type your first tag — for example, if your video is about fixing a leaky kitchen faucet, you might type "kitchen faucet repair". Press Enter or the comma key, and YouTube will create a separate tag. Type your next tag and press Enter again. Continue until you have added all the tags you want. YouTube will show you how many characters you have used at the bottom of the field.
Common tags for the same video might include "plumbing", "DIY repair", "home maintenance", and "faucet fix". You do not need to add every possible related word — three to five focused tags are usually more useful than ten vague ones.
Editing tags on a video that is already uploaded
If you want to change tags on a video you have already published, go to YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com) and sign in with the account that owns the channel. Click "Videos" in the left menu to see your uploaded videos.
Find the video you want to edit and click on its title or thumbnail. This opens the video details page. Scroll down to the "Tags" field. You can add new tags by clicking in the field and typing them the same way as during upload — type the tag, then press Enter or comma to separate it from the next one. To remove a tag, click the X next to it.
After you make changes, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save". YouTube will update the video's tags, though it may take a few hours for the changes to affect search results.
How to choose tags that actually help viewers find your video
The most useful tags describe the main topic of your video in words people actually search for. If your video is about baking sourdough bread, tags like "sourdough", "bread baking", and "sourdough starter" are more useful than "food" or "cooking" — those are too broad.
Think about what someone would type into YouTube's search box to find a video like yours. If you made a video about training a puppy to sit, the tag "puppy training" is better than "animals" because someone searching "puppy training" is looking for exactly what you made. Someone searching "animals" might be looking for nature documentaries instead.
Avoid tags that are not related to your video's actual content. YouTube's system can detect when tags do not match the video, and using unrelated tags may hurt your video's visibility rather than help it. Also avoid very long tags — YouTube works better with tags that are one to three words.
The difference between tags and hashtags in video titles
Tags and hashtags are different things on YouTube. Tags are the hidden metadata you add in the Details section — viewers do not see them. Hashtags are words you put directly in your title or description with a # symbol in front, like #sourdough or #puppytraining. Viewers can click hashtags to see other videos with the same hashtag.
You can use both tags and hashtags on the same video. Hashtags in your title or description are visible to viewers and clickable, while tags are only visible to YouTube's system. If you want viewers to easily find related videos, hashtags in the description are more useful. If you want YouTube's search system to understand your content better, tags matter more.
Why tags matter less than title and description
YouTube's system uses your title, description, and tags to understand what your video is about, but the title and description carry more weight. A clear, specific title like "How to Fix a Leaky Kitchen Faucet in 10 Minutes" tells YouTube more than any tag can. A detailed description that explains what viewers will learn also helps YouTube match your video to the right searches.
Tags are useful for filling in related words and variations that did not fit naturally in your title or description. If your title is "Sourdough Bread Recipe for Beginners", you might add tags like "bread baking", "sourdough starter", and "fermentation" to catch searches for those specific terms. But if your title and description are vague, adding tags will not fix that.
Focus on writing a clear title and a detailed description first. Tags are a helpful addition, not a replacement for those two.
Common mistakes to avoid when tagging videos
The most common mistake is adding tags that do not match your video's content. If you made a video about dog training but added tags like "cat care" or "pet supplies" hoping to reach more people, YouTube's system will notice the mismatch and may actually show your video to fewer people. Tags should describe what is actually in your video.
Another mistake is using the same tags on every video you upload, even when the videos are about different topics. Each video should have tags specific to its own content. If you upload a video about sourdough one week and a video about pasta the next week, they should have different tags.
Do not waste characters on tags that are too broad or too obvious. If your video is about cooking, the tag "cooking" is less useful than "slow cooker recipes" or "weeknight dinners". YouTube already knows your video is about cooking from the title and description — tags should add specific detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see what tags other creators use on their videos?
No, YouTube does not show tags publicly. You can see hashtags in a creator's title or description, but the tags they added in the Details section are hidden from viewers. You can research what words people search for using YouTube's search suggestions or Google Trends instead.
Do I have to add tags to every video?
No, tags are optional. A video with a clear title and detailed description will work fine without tags. Tags are most useful if you want to catch specific search terms or variations that did not fit naturally in your title or description.
How many tags should I add to a video?
There is no magic number. Three to five focused tags are usually more useful than ten vague ones. Use as many tags as you need to describe your video's content clearly, but stay within YouTube's 500-character limit across all tags combined.
Can I use the same tag more than once?
YouTube will not let you add the exact same tag twice. If you type a tag that already exists on your video, YouTube will ignore the duplicate.
Do tags help with YouTube's recommendation system?
Tags help YouTube understand your video's topic, but the recommendation system relies more on viewer behavior — what people watch, how long they watch, and what they click on next. A video with great tags but boring content will not get recommended. Focus on making content people want to watch first.