Essential Choice: 10 Budget-Friendly Caption Tools

If you’ve tried to add subtitles to videos on YouTube before, you may have noticed it’s a bit of a pain. Usually, you have to copy the translation and paste it into your clips, which is time-consuming and requires an advanced level of skill.

Therefore, to help you understand YouTube videos and take notes from their content, we’ve brought a complete review of the best YouTube subtitle extractors that will automatically get the required SRT file in no time. In addition, we’ll also provide a bonus tip to edit your subtitles using Filmora.

So, let’s get into the details of each of these tools one by one.

1. DownSub
2. Checksub
3. EasySub
4. SaveSubs
5. YouSubtitles
6. DVDVideoSoft

• Youtube Subtitle Downloader Software

1. Wondershare UniConverter
2. DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader
3. 4K Video Downloader
4. ByClick Downloader

• Bonus Tips: Easily Edit Your Subtitle With Filmora

10 Free YouTube Subtitle Extractors & Downloaders

We’ve rounded up a list of 10 YouTube subtitle extractors and downloader services to simplify your life and enable you to get the SRT files.

These tools are simple to use and can help you save a lot of time and effort. However, keep in mind that with these software programs, you can only download videos with subtitles automatically generated by YouTube.

Note: if you want to create subtitles, you can also use the Speech to text function.

Online Free Youtube Subtitle Extractor

You can use one of the following subtitle extractor tools if you only need the SRT file:

1. DownSub

DownSub is an online tool that can help you extract subtitles for your favorite YouTube movies or shows. The tool is entirely free and easy to use. Simply paste the link to the video you want to get subtitles for, click download, and DownSub will do the rest.

Some of the key features of DownSub are as follows:

• Download subtitles from YouTube in multiple languages
• Supports multiple formats, including SRT, TXT, and VTT
• Extracts directly from YouTube, Viki, VIU, and more

2. Checksub

Checksub is a handy tool for extracting subtitles for your YouTube video. To use the tool, create your account on the website, drag and drop your file or upload the URL, and wait for Checksub to extract the SRT file.

Here are some of the cool features of the Checksub tool:

• Adds subtitles and translates or dubs your videos
• Ability to edit subtitles
• Supports over 190 languages
• Adds automatic voiceover in a foreign language

3. EasySub

EasySub is another simple and fast-to-use tool that can help you extract YouTube subtitles in no time without installing any software or extensions. Moreover, it supports multiple file formats, such as VTT, SRT, ass, and TXT.

The following are some key features of EasySub:

• Free to use
• Simple and easy to use
• Automatic transcription
• Uses an advanced AI algorithm
• Multi-language support

4. SaveSubs

SaveSubs is a browser-based Youtube subtitles downloader that does not require its users to install any software or touch any code. Just paste the YouTube video link with subtitles, click “Download,” and you can download the file instantly on your device.

Below are a few key features of the SaveSubs tool:

• Download subtitles in multiple formats, such as VTT, SRT, and TXT
• Clear and simple UI
• Supports editable subtitles
• Comes with a social sharing feature

5. YouSubtitles

With its massive subtitle database, YouSubtitles stands out from other online tools. This tool has an easy-to-use UI and can help you get your required file effortlessly. Furthermore, you can even select the translated version of the file after the download.

Here’s why YouSubtitles is one of the best YouTube subtitles extractor online:

• Free to use
• Huge subtitle database
• Supports multiple formats and languages

6. DVDVideoSoft

Another trusted source for YouTube subtitle extraction is DVDVideoSoft. With this tool, you can quickly get the required SRT file by providing the URL of the content. Moreover, you can also use it to download music and videos from Youtube.

Some key features of DVDVideoSoft are as follows:

• Can set the language, interval, and timestamp for the subtitles
• Supports YouTube to MP3 converter and YouTube downloader
• Free to use
• Perfect for downloading subtitles from a particular segment of a video

Youtube Subtitle Downloader Software

Youtube’s automatic subtitles are sometimes inaccurate while using an online tool. Therefore, we recommend you use dedicated software to make adjustments to the content. Some of these programs are as follows:

1. Wondershare UniConverter

Wondershare UniConverter is an easy-to-use software for Windows and Mac that can help you create, add, and generate subtitles for your favorite Youtube videos in just a few clicks.

Price:

• Quarter: $29.99
• Annual: $39.99
• 2-year: $55.99
• Perpetual (one-time): $79.99

Key Features:

Here are some of the things UniConverter can do:

• Auto-generates subtitles from videos in over 100 languages
• Supports multiple video and audio formats
• Customizable subtitle styles
• Comes with a visual subtitle timeline for real-time preview
• Converts TXT to SRT format
• Ability to download the YouTube video on your device

2. DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader

Another customizable and powerful software for downloading YouTube SRT is the DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Downloader. With this tool, you can get subtitles in multiple languages for any video on YouTube with closed captions.

Price: Free

Key Features:

Here are some key features of the DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader:

• Supports TXT and SRT file formats
• Available for Windows
• Ability to extract subtitles from certain intervals
• Available as a browser-based tool

3. 4K Video Downloader

With the 4K Video Downloader user-friendly GUI, you can download videos from YouTube, Facebook, and many other video sites in high definition. It is also possible to extract YouTube video subtitles in over 50 languages.

Price: Free

Key Features:

Below are the key features of the 4K Video Downloader software:

• Download the video in 4K
• Supports over 50 languages for YouTube subtitles extraction
• Can download an entire playlist

4. ByClick Downloader

ByClick Downloader is another great option to quickly download YouTube videos with subtitles in any format you want. Not only that, you can convert files into MP3, MP4, FLV, AVI, WMV,3GP, WAV, and WEBM formats with just a few clicks!

Price: Free

Key Features:

Key features of the ByClick Downloader are as follows:

• Downloads videos from over 50 different sources
• Excellent user interface
• Quickly downloads YouTube subtitles.
• Supports multiple formats

Bonus Tips: Easily Edit Your Subtitle With Filmora

Since most of the above tools only extract or download the YouTube subtitles and do not offer editing features, we recommend using Wondershare Filmora , where you can quickly apply changes to your SRT file.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora is a powerful video editing software that lets you create and edit clips like a pro. With its easy-to-use UI and wide range of features, you can also create and edit subtitles for your YouTube video using different parameters, animations, text styles, templates, and colors.

Here’s how you can add and edit subtitles on your videos using Filmora:

Step 1 Open the Filmora software on your laptop or desktop and click the “Create New Project” option in the main interface. Select the “Click here to import media” option and upload your YouTube video. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your file.

Step 2 Drag the YouTube video, drop it in the timeline, and click the “Play” icon. Listen to the voiceover on your video footage and press the “M” key to add a marker. Next, click “Titles” from the toolbar and open the “Subtitles” tab from the left menu. Double-click the subtitle to download and preview it.

Step 3 Drag the downloaded subtitle template and drop it in the timeline. Now, adjust it in your video along with the marker point. Double-click the subtitle template in the timeline and type the text from the video voiceover.

You can also add color or template and adjust the text space to make them more visible on your video clip.

Step 4 Click the “Advanced” option, delete the preset text, and set the one you’ve just typed. Next, head to the “Animation” tab to apply any animation effect and click “OK.” Finally, repeat the steps to add subtitles to the whole video.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve provided a detailed review of the ten best YouTube subtitle extractors and downloaders to help you automatically extract SRT files without much effort.

We’ve also recommended the Filmora software for quickly downloading and editing YouTube subtitles to make them more engaging and clear using various templates, styles, and animations.

Hopefully, you’ve found this article helpful and can now get the SRT files for your favorite YouTube video in a matter of minutes.

• Wondershare UniConverter
• DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader
• 4K Video Downloader
• ByClick Downloader
• Bonus Tips: Easily Edit Your Subtitle With Filmora

10 Free YouTube Subtitle Extractors & Downloaders

We’ve rounded up a list of 10 YouTube subtitle extractors and downloader services to simplify your life and enable you to get the SRT files.

These tools are simple to use and can help you save a lot of time and effort. However, keep in mind that with these software programs, you can only download videos with subtitles automatically generated by YouTube.

Note: if you want to create subtitles, you can also use the Speech to text function.

Online Free Youtube Subtitle Extractor

You can use one of the following subtitle extractor tools if you only need the SRT file:

1. DownSub

DownSub is an online tool that can help you extract subtitles for your favorite YouTube movies or shows. The tool is entirely free and easy to use. Simply paste the link to the video you want to get subtitles for, click download, and DownSub will do the rest.

Some of the key features of DownSub are as follows:

• Download subtitles from YouTube in multiple languages
• Supports multiple formats, including SRT, TXT, and VTT
• Extracts directly from YouTube, Viki, VIU, and more

2. Checksub

Checksub is a handy tool for extracting subtitles for your YouTube video. To use the tool, create your account on the website, drag and drop your file or upload the URL, and wait for Checksub to extract the SRT file.

Here are some of the cool features of the Checksub tool:

• Adds subtitles and translates or dubs your videos
• Ability to edit subtitles
• Supports over 190 languages
• Adds automatic voiceover in a foreign language

3. EasySub

EasySub is another simple and fast-to-use tool that can help you extract YouTube subtitles in no time without installing any software or extensions. Moreover, it supports multiple file formats, such as VTT, SRT, ass, and TXT.

The following are some key features of EasySub:

• Free to use
• Simple and easy to use
• Automatic transcription
• Uses an advanced AI algorithm
• Multi-language support

4. SaveSubs

SaveSubs is a browser-based Youtube subtitles downloader that does not require its users to install any software or touch any code. Just paste the YouTube video link with subtitles, click “Download,” and you can download the file instantly on your device.

Below are a few key features of the SaveSubs tool:

• Download subtitles in multiple formats, such as VTT, SRT, and TXT
• Clear and simple UI
• Supports editable subtitles
• Comes with a social sharing feature

5. YouSubtitles

With its massive subtitle database, YouSubtitles stands out from other online tools. This tool has an easy-to-use UI and can help you get your required file effortlessly. Furthermore, you can even select the translated version of the file after the download.

Here’s why YouSubtitles is one of the best YouTube subtitles extractor online:

• Free to use
• Huge subtitle database
• Supports multiple formats and languages

6. DVDVideoSoft

Another trusted source for YouTube subtitle extraction is DVDVideoSoft. With this tool, you can quickly get the required SRT file by providing the URL of the content. Moreover, you can also use it to download music and videos from Youtube.

Some key features of DVDVideoSoft are as follows:

• Can set the language, interval, and timestamp for the subtitles
• Supports YouTube to MP3 converter and YouTube downloader
• Free to use
• Perfect for downloading subtitles from a particular segment of a video

Youtube Subtitle Downloader Software

Youtube’s automatic subtitles are sometimes inaccurate while using an online tool. Therefore, we recommend you use dedicated software to make adjustments to the content. Some of these programs are as follows:

1. Wondershare UniConverter

Wondershare UniConverter is an easy-to-use software for Windows and Mac that can help you create, add, and generate subtitles for your favorite Youtube videos in just a few clicks.

Price:

• Quarter: $29.99
• Annual: $39.99
• 2-year: $55.99
• Perpetual (one-time): $79.99

Key Features:

Here are some of the things UniConverter can do:

• Auto-generates subtitles from videos in over 100 languages
• Supports multiple video and audio formats
• Customizable subtitle styles
• Comes with a visual subtitle timeline for real-time preview
• Converts TXT to SRT format
• Ability to download the YouTube video on your device

2. DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader

Another customizable and powerful software for downloading YouTube SRT is the DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Downloader. With this tool, you can get subtitles in multiple languages for any video on YouTube with closed captions.

Price: Free

Key Features:

Here are some key features of the DVDVideoSoft Free YouTube Subtitles Downloader:

• Supports TXT and SRT file formats
• Available for Windows
• Ability to extract subtitles from certain intervals
• Available as a browser-based tool

3. 4K Video Downloader

With the 4K Video Downloader user-friendly GUI, you can download videos from YouTube, Facebook, and many other video sites in high definition. It is also possible to extract YouTube video subtitles in over 50 languages.

Price: Free

Key Features:

Below are the key features of the 4K Video Downloader software:

• Download the video in 4K
• Supports over 50 languages for YouTube subtitles extraction
• Can download an entire playlist

4. ByClick Downloader

ByClick Downloader is another great option to quickly download YouTube videos with subtitles in any format you want. Not only that, you can convert files into MP3, MP4, FLV, AVI, WMV,3GP, WAV, and WEBM formats with just a few clicks!

Price: Free

Key Features:

Key features of the ByClick Downloader are as follows:

• Downloads videos from over 50 different sources
• Excellent user interface
• Quickly downloads YouTube subtitles.
• Supports multiple formats

Bonus Tips: Easily Edit Your Subtitle With Filmora

Since most of the above tools only extract or download the YouTube subtitles and do not offer editing features, we recommend using Wondershare Filmora , where you can quickly apply changes to your SRT file.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Filmora is a powerful video editing software that lets you create and edit clips like a pro. With its easy-to-use UI and wide range of features, you can also create and edit subtitles for your YouTube video using different parameters, animations, text styles, templates, and colors.

Here’s how you can add and edit subtitles on your videos using Filmora:

Step 1 Open the Filmora software on your laptop or desktop and click the “Create New Project” option in the main interface. Select the “Click here to import media” option and upload your YouTube video. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your file.

Step 2 Drag the YouTube video, drop it in the timeline, and click the “Play” icon. Listen to the voiceover on your video footage and press the “M” key to add a marker. Next, click “Titles” from the toolbar and open the “Subtitles” tab from the left menu. Double-click the subtitle to download and preview it.

Step 3 Drag the downloaded subtitle template and drop it in the timeline. Now, adjust it in your video along with the marker point. Double-click the subtitle template in the timeline and type the text from the video voiceover.

You can also add color or template and adjust the text space to make them more visible on your video clip.

Step 4 Click the “Advanced” option, delete the preset text, and set the one you’ve just typed. Next, head to the “Animation” tab to apply any animation effect and click “OK.” Finally, repeat the steps to add subtitles to the whole video.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve provided a detailed review of the ten best YouTube subtitle extractors and downloaders to help you automatically extract SRT files without much effort.

We’ve also recommended the Filmora software for quickly downloading and editing YouTube subtitles to make them more engaging and clear using various templates, styles, and animations.

Hopefully, you’ve found this article helpful and can now get the SRT files for your favorite YouTube video in a matter of minutes.

Resetting Your YouTube Reputation

How to Avoid and Reverse Strikes on Your YouTube Channel

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Do you monetize your videos? Or, do you like to Livestream? These are two perks of having a YouTube account in good standing. You can lose these privileges, have your ability to post videos frozen, and even have your account terminated if you start accumulating strikes.

If you receive a strike, you will usually be able to get rid of it. This article will show you how.

Table of Content:

1. Copyright Strikes

2. Wrongful Copyright Strikes

3. Community Guidelines Strikes

There are two types of strikes: Community Guideline Strikes and Copyright Strikes. Your account and all your videos will be deleted if you get three of either one of these types of strikes, but YouTube is fair about how these strikes are given out and how you can reverse them.

1. Copyright Strikes

You get a copyright strike when you use media in your video which someone else owns the copyrights to. Music, clips, photographs, and sound effects are examples of the kinds of media you may use that could be owned by someone else.

The most obvious way to earn a copyright strike is to repost content which you did not create, i.e. clips from a television show or a popular song. If you know that the content you got a strike for was not yours and did not fall under ‘fair use ’, then there are two ways you can resolve it.

1. You can complete YouTube’s simple course on copyright infringement (Copyright School ) and wait three months. Copyright strikes expire in three months so long as you complete the course (they will not expire if you don’t take the course).

2. you can contact the holder of the copyright and ask them to retract their claim. You will probably have to offer to delete your video. Keep in mind that it is completely up to the rights holder whether you deleting your video is enough for them to retract their claim. They are allowed to say ‘no’.

Deleting your video, especially if you do so without contacting the rights holder, will not automatically reverse your copyright strike.

The majority of copyright strikes that you as a YouTube creator receive – if you receive any – will not be as black and white as ‘someone else owns it, you shouldn’t have used it’. If you know that you have a license to use the song or other media you got the strike for, or feel like your use of a clip falls under ‘fair use’, then your path to reversing the strike will be different.

2. Wrongful Copyright Strikes

YouTube’s system for detecting copyright infringement is automated. This means that you can get a copyright strike without actually breaking any rules. These strikes are generally easy to reverse.

For creators, the most common instance of this is being flagged for using copyrighted music. When you download royalty-free music – whether you download it for free or pay for it – you might not realize that that music is still copyrighted to someone else and can still be flagged by YouTube’s system.

If this has happened to you, reversing it is simple.

1. Submit a counter-notification through the form provided and include either your licensing information or a link to where it can be found online.

2. After you submit your counter-notification, the copyright holder will have 10 business days to respond. Since in this scenario the rights holder will know they have allowed their content to be licensed out, there should be no conflict and your video will be reinstated.

‘Fair use’ is another thing YouTube’s system has no way of detecting. ‘Fair use’ means that you are using content that you do not own, and which you do not have a license to use, but that you are using it in a way that is legally protected. Satire, criticism, education, and news reporting are areas that may be protected by fair use, although every situation is different.

There is no situation in which crediting a rights holder, adding a disclaimer, or simply not monetizing your video will make it fair use.

To reverse a copyright strike where you believe your video should be protected as ‘fair use’, submit a counter-notification through the web form YouTube provides. The rights holder will have 10 business days to provide YouTube with evidence that they have initiated a court action against your content. There is a chance that they will not agree with you about the ‘fair use’ status of your video. You could be in for a bit of a fight.

If your account has been suspended for accumulating multiple strikes, you will no longer be able to access the online counter-notification form and will have to send a free-form counter-notification. Information on that can be found here .

3. Community Guidelines Strikes

Most video creators – people who post vlogs, travel videos, and various kinds of tutorials – will never receive this type of strike. Sexual content, hateful content, threats, and scams are among the things you could post which would result in a community guidelines strike. Creators, in general, are not interested in posting cruel or graphic content.

The only thing some video creators might have to be careful of is misleading metadata. You can get community guidelines to strike for intentionally using the title, tags, and description of your video to build up an expectation of the content your video does not deliver on. For example, if you post a personal vlog and title it ‘Call of Duty Review’ to try and capitalize on people who might be searching for gaming videos then you might receive a strike.

Blatantly using keywords that have nothing to do with your content is not something you can do accidentally, but it is possible to be misleading in your metadata without trying to be dishonest. YouTube is a very competitive place, and many creators are turning towards title strategies which could be considered ‘clickbait’. If you say in your title that you had a baby, but reveal in your actual video that ‘had a baby’ meant ‘wrote a new song’, will that get you a community guidelines strike? Probably not, but it can be a thin line.

In general, just don’t mention anything in your title or tags which you do not talk about in your video.

Community Guidelines strikes expire after three months. As long as you only have one strike, it will not affect your channel or what you can do on YouTube. If you receive a second strike within the three months of your first strike, you will lose the ability to post videos for two weeks. If you receive a third strike before either of your previous strikes has expired, your account will be terminated.

Have you experienced a copyright strike against your YouTube channel? Let us know what happened in the comments.

Create Original Videos with Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Do you monetize your videos? Or, do you like to Livestream? These are two perks of having a YouTube account in good standing. You can lose these privileges, have your ability to post videos frozen, and even have your account terminated if you start accumulating strikes.

If you receive a strike, you will usually be able to get rid of it. This article will show you how.

Table of Content:

1. Copyright Strikes

2. Wrongful Copyright Strikes

3. Community Guidelines Strikes

There are two types of strikes: Community Guideline Strikes and Copyright Strikes. Your account and all your videos will be deleted if you get three of either one of these types of strikes, but YouTube is fair about how these strikes are given out and how you can reverse them.

1. Copyright Strikes

You get a copyright strike when you use media in your video which someone else owns the copyrights to. Music, clips, photographs, and sound effects are examples of the kinds of media you may use that could be owned by someone else.

The most obvious way to earn a copyright strike is to repost content which you did not create, i.e. clips from a television show or a popular song. If you know that the content you got a strike for was not yours and did not fall under ‘fair use ’, then there are two ways you can resolve it.

1. You can complete YouTube’s simple course on copyright infringement (Copyright School ) and wait three months. Copyright strikes expire in three months so long as you complete the course (they will not expire if you don’t take the course).

2. you can contact the holder of the copyright and ask them to retract their claim. You will probably have to offer to delete your video. Keep in mind that it is completely up to the rights holder whether you deleting your video is enough for them to retract their claim. They are allowed to say ‘no’.

Deleting your video, especially if you do so without contacting the rights holder, will not automatically reverse your copyright strike.

The majority of copyright strikes that you as a YouTube creator receive – if you receive any – will not be as black and white as ‘someone else owns it, you shouldn’t have used it’. If you know that you have a license to use the song or other media you got the strike for, or feel like your use of a clip falls under ‘fair use’, then your path to reversing the strike will be different.

2. Wrongful Copyright Strikes

YouTube’s system for detecting copyright infringement is automated. This means that you can get a copyright strike without actually breaking any rules. These strikes are generally easy to reverse.

For creators, the most common instance of this is being flagged for using copyrighted music. When you download royalty-free music – whether you download it for free or pay for it – you might not realize that that music is still copyrighted to someone else and can still be flagged by YouTube’s system.

If this has happened to you, reversing it is simple.

1. Submit a counter-notification through the form provided and include either your licensing information or a link to where it can be found online.

2. After you submit your counter-notification, the copyright holder will have 10 business days to respond. Since in this scenario the rights holder will know they have allowed their content to be licensed out, there should be no conflict and your video will be reinstated.

‘Fair use’ is another thing YouTube’s system has no way of detecting. ‘Fair use’ means that you are using content that you do not own, and which you do not have a license to use, but that you are using it in a way that is legally protected. Satire, criticism, education, and news reporting are areas that may be protected by fair use, although every situation is different.

There is no situation in which crediting a rights holder, adding a disclaimer, or simply not monetizing your video will make it fair use.

To reverse a copyright strike where you believe your video should be protected as ‘fair use’, submit a counter-notification through the web form YouTube provides. The rights holder will have 10 business days to provide YouTube with evidence that they have initiated a court action against your content. There is a chance that they will not agree with you about the ‘fair use’ status of your video. You could be in for a bit of a fight.

If your account has been suspended for accumulating multiple strikes, you will no longer be able to access the online counter-notification form and will have to send a free-form counter-notification. Information on that can be found here .

3. Community Guidelines Strikes

Most video creators – people who post vlogs, travel videos, and various kinds of tutorials – will never receive this type of strike. Sexual content, hateful content, threats, and scams are among the things you could post which would result in a community guidelines strike. Creators, in general, are not interested in posting cruel or graphic content.

The only thing some video creators might have to be careful of is misleading metadata. You can get community guidelines to strike for intentionally using the title, tags, and description of your video to build up an expectation of the content your video does not deliver on. For example, if you post a personal vlog and title it ‘Call of Duty Review’ to try and capitalize on people who might be searching for gaming videos then you might receive a strike.

Blatantly using keywords that have nothing to do with your content is not something you can do accidentally, but it is possible to be misleading in your metadata without trying to be dishonest. YouTube is a very competitive place, and many creators are turning towards title strategies which could be considered ‘clickbait’. If you say in your title that you had a baby, but reveal in your actual video that ‘had a baby’ meant ‘wrote a new song’, will that get you a community guidelines strike? Probably not, but it can be a thin line.

In general, just don’t mention anything in your title or tags which you do not talk about in your video.

Community Guidelines strikes expire after three months. As long as you only have one strike, it will not affect your channel or what you can do on YouTube. If you receive a second strike within the three months of your first strike, you will lose the ability to post videos for two weeks. If you receive a third strike before either of your previous strikes has expired, your account will be terminated.

Have you experienced a copyright strike against your YouTube channel? Let us know what happened in the comments.

Create Original Videos with Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Do you monetize your videos? Or, do you like to Livestream? These are two perks of having a YouTube account in good standing. You can lose these privileges, have your ability to post videos frozen, and even have your account terminated if you start accumulating strikes.

If you receive a strike, you will usually be able to get rid of it. This article will show you how.

Table of Content:

1. Copyright Strikes

2. Wrongful Copyright Strikes

3. Community Guidelines Strikes

There are two types of strikes: Community Guideline Strikes and Copyright Strikes. Your account and all your videos will be deleted if you get three of either one of these types of strikes, but YouTube is fair about how these strikes are given out and how you can reverse them.

1. Copyright Strikes

You get a copyright strike when you use media in your video which someone else owns the copyrights to. Music, clips, photographs, and sound effects are examples of the kinds of media you may use that could be owned by someone else.

The most obvious way to earn a copyright strike is to repost content which you did not create, i.e. clips from a television show or a popular song. If you know that the content you got a strike for was not yours and did not fall under ‘fair use ’, then there are two ways you can resolve it.

1. You can complete YouTube’s simple course on copyright infringement (Copyright School ) and wait three months. Copyright strikes expire in three months so long as you complete the course (they will not expire if you don’t take the course).

2. you can contact the holder of the copyright and ask them to retract their claim. You will probably have to offer to delete your video. Keep in mind that it is completely up to the rights holder whether you deleting your video is enough for them to retract their claim. They are allowed to say ‘no’.

Deleting your video, especially if you do so without contacting the rights holder, will not automatically reverse your copyright strike.

The majority of copyright strikes that you as a YouTube creator receive – if you receive any – will not be as black and white as ‘someone else owns it, you shouldn’t have used it’. If you know that you have a license to use the song or other media you got the strike for, or feel like your use of a clip falls under ‘fair use’, then your path to reversing the strike will be different.

2. Wrongful Copyright Strikes

YouTube’s system for detecting copyright infringement is automated. This means that you can get a copyright strike without actually breaking any rules. These strikes are generally easy to reverse.

For creators, the most common instance of this is being flagged for using copyrighted music. When you download royalty-free music – whether you download it for free or pay for it – you might not realize that that music is still copyrighted to someone else and can still be flagged by YouTube’s system.

If this has happened to you, reversing it is simple.

1. Submit a counter-notification through the form provided and include either your licensing information or a link to where it can be found online.

2. After you submit your counter-notification, the copyright holder will have 10 business days to respond. Since in this scenario the rights holder will know they have allowed their content to be licensed out, there should be no conflict and your video will be reinstated.

‘Fair use’ is another thing YouTube’s system has no way of detecting. ‘Fair use’ means that you are using content that you do not own, and which you do not have a license to use, but that you are using it in a way that is legally protected. Satire, criticism, education, and news reporting are areas that may be protected by fair use, although every situation is different.

There is no situation in which crediting a rights holder, adding a disclaimer, or simply not monetizing your video will make it fair use.

To reverse a copyright strike where you believe your video should be protected as ‘fair use’, submit a counter-notification through the web form YouTube provides. The rights holder will have 10 business days to provide YouTube with evidence that they have initiated a court action against your content. There is a chance that they will not agree with you about the ‘fair use’ status of your video. You could be in for a bit of a fight.

If your account has been suspended for accumulating multiple strikes, you will no longer be able to access the online counter-notification form and will have to send a free-form counter-notification. Information on that can be found here .

3. Community Guidelines Strikes

Most video creators – people who post vlogs, travel videos, and various kinds of tutorials – will never receive this type of strike. Sexual content, hateful content, threats, and scams are among the things you could post which would result in a community guidelines strike. Creators, in general, are not interested in posting cruel or graphic content.

The only thing some video creators might have to be careful of is misleading metadata. You can get community guidelines to strike for intentionally using the title, tags, and description of your video to build up an expectation of the content your video does not deliver on. For example, if you post a personal vlog and title it ‘Call of Duty Review’ to try and capitalize on people who might be searching for gaming videos then you might receive a strike.

Blatantly using keywords that have nothing to do with your content is not something you can do accidentally, but it is possible to be misleading in your metadata without trying to be dishonest. YouTube is a very competitive place, and many creators are turning towards title strategies which could be considered ‘clickbait’. If you say in your title that you had a baby, but reveal in your actual video that ‘had a baby’ meant ‘wrote a new song’, will that get you a community guidelines strike? Probably not, but it can be a thin line.

In general, just don’t mention anything in your title or tags which you do not talk about in your video.

Community Guidelines strikes expire after three months. As long as you only have one strike, it will not affect your channel or what you can do on YouTube. If you receive a second strike within the three months of your first strike, you will lose the ability to post videos for two weeks. If you receive a third strike before either of your previous strikes has expired, your account will be terminated.

Have you experienced a copyright strike against your YouTube channel? Let us know what happened in the comments.

Create Original Videos with Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Do you monetize your videos? Or, do you like to Livestream? These are two perks of having a YouTube account in good standing. You can lose these privileges, have your ability to post videos frozen, and even have your account terminated if you start accumulating strikes.

If you receive a strike, you will usually be able to get rid of it. This article will show you how.

Table of Content:

1. Copyright Strikes

2. Wrongful Copyright Strikes

3. Community Guidelines Strikes

There are two types of strikes: Community Guideline Strikes and Copyright Strikes. Your account and all your videos will be deleted if you get three of either one of these types of strikes, but YouTube is fair about how these strikes are given out and how you can reverse them.

1. Copyright Strikes

You get a copyright strike when you use media in your video which someone else owns the copyrights to. Music, clips, photographs, and sound effects are examples of the kinds of media you may use that could be owned by someone else.

The most obvious way to earn a copyright strike is to repost content which you did not create, i.e. clips from a television show or a popular song. If you know that the content you got a strike for was not yours and did not fall under ‘fair use ’, then there are two ways you can resolve it.

1. You can complete YouTube’s simple course on copyright infringement (Copyright School ) and wait three months. Copyright strikes expire in three months so long as you complete the course (they will not expire if you don’t take the course).

2. you can contact the holder of the copyright and ask them to retract their claim. You will probably have to offer to delete your video. Keep in mind that it is completely up to the rights holder whether you deleting your video is enough for them to retract their claim. They are allowed to say ‘no’.

Deleting your video, especially if you do so without contacting the rights holder, will not automatically reverse your copyright strike.

The majority of copyright strikes that you as a YouTube creator receive – if you receive any – will not be as black and white as ‘someone else owns it, you shouldn’t have used it’. If you know that you have a license to use the song or other media you got the strike for, or feel like your use of a clip falls under ‘fair use’, then your path to reversing the strike will be different.

2. Wrongful Copyright Strikes

YouTube’s system for detecting copyright infringement is automated. This means that you can get a copyright strike without actually breaking any rules. These strikes are generally easy to reverse.

For creators, the most common instance of this is being flagged for using copyrighted music. When you download royalty-free music – whether you download it for free or pay for it – you might not realize that that music is still copyrighted to someone else and can still be flagged by YouTube’s system.

If this has happened to you, reversing it is simple.

1. Submit a counter-notification through the form provided and include either your licensing information or a link to where it can be found online.

2. After you submit your counter-notification, the copyright holder will have 10 business days to respond. Since in this scenario the rights holder will know they have allowed their content to be licensed out, there should be no conflict and your video will be reinstated.

‘Fair use’ is another thing YouTube’s system has no way of detecting. ‘Fair use’ means that you are using content that you do not own, and which you do not have a license to use, but that you are using it in a way that is legally protected. Satire, criticism, education, and news reporting are areas that may be protected by fair use, although every situation is different.

There is no situation in which crediting a rights holder, adding a disclaimer, or simply not monetizing your video will make it fair use.

To reverse a copyright strike where you believe your video should be protected as ‘fair use’, submit a counter-notification through the web form YouTube provides. The rights holder will have 10 business days to provide YouTube with evidence that they have initiated a court action against your content. There is a chance that they will not agree with you about the ‘fair use’ status of your video. You could be in for a bit of a fight.

If your account has been suspended for accumulating multiple strikes, you will no longer be able to access the online counter-notification form and will have to send a free-form counter-notification. Information on that can be found here .

3. Community Guidelines Strikes

Most video creators – people who post vlogs, travel videos, and various kinds of tutorials – will never receive this type of strike. Sexual content, hateful content, threats, and scams are among the things you could post which would result in a community guidelines strike. Creators, in general, are not interested in posting cruel or graphic content.

The only thing some video creators might have to be careful of is misleading metadata. You can get community guidelines to strike for intentionally using the title, tags, and description of your video to build up an expectation of the content your video does not deliver on. For example, if you post a personal vlog and title it ‘Call of Duty Review’ to try and capitalize on people who might be searching for gaming videos then you might receive a strike.

Blatantly using keywords that have nothing to do with your content is not something you can do accidentally, but it is possible to be misleading in your metadata without trying to be dishonest. YouTube is a very competitive place, and many creators are turning towards title strategies which could be considered ‘clickbait’. If you say in your title that you had a baby, but reveal in your actual video that ‘had a baby’ meant ‘wrote a new song’, will that get you a community guidelines strike? Probably not, but it can be a thin line.

In general, just don’t mention anything in your title or tags which you do not talk about in your video.

Community Guidelines strikes expire after three months. As long as you only have one strike, it will not affect your channel or what you can do on YouTube. If you receive a second strike within the three months of your first strike, you will lose the ability to post videos for two weeks. If you receive a third strike before either of your previous strikes has expired, your account will be terminated.

Have you experienced a copyright strike against your YouTube channel? Let us know what happened in the comments.

Create Original Videos with Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Also read: