Key takeaways
- More than 60 hashtags on a video means YouTube ignores every hashtag on it.
- Up to three description hashtags can appear next to the title; hashtags in the title appear in the title itself.
- Hashtags must relate to the video; misleading or over-tagged videos can be removed from search.
- A Short is defined by length (up to 3 minutes) and a square or vertical format, not by a #shorts tag.
- Hashtags and the Tags field are different; YouTube says tags play a minimal role in discovery.
On this page
How hashtags work on YouTube
On YouTube, a hashtag is a clickable link in a video's title or description. Tapping it opens a results page with other videos and Shorts using that hashtag. YouTube Music playlists can use hashtags too.
Hashtags are a way to label a video's topic and connect it with related content. They're not a substitute for a clear title and description, which YouTube's help pages describe as the more important metadata for discovery.
YouTube's official hashtag rules
These come from YouTube's Help Center page on hashtags.
| Rule | What YouTube says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum | If a video or playlist has more than 60 hashtags, YouTube ignores each hashtag on it | Never paste giant tag blocks |
| Display | Up to three hashtags from the description, chosen as most engaging, can appear by the title | Put your three most important tags in the description |
| Over-tagging | Adding too many can get a video removed from uploads or from search | A few relevant tags is safer than many |
| No spaces | Hashtags don't contain spaces; join words (#TwoWords) | Use capital letters to keep multi-word tags readable |
| Relevance | Hashtags must relate directly to the video | Don't tag trending topics you don't cover |
| Harassment and hate | Hashtags that harass, threaten or promote hate are prohibited | Such videos can be removed |
| Sexual content | Sexual hashtags can lead to removal | Keep tags clean |
| Vulgar language | Profanity in hashtags may lead to age restrictions | Avoid swearing in tags |
YouTube's spam and deceptive practices policies also apply. Its Help Center warns that adding excessive tags to a video's description is against those policies, and misleading metadata used to trick people into clicking is covered by its rules on deceptive content.
How to add hashtags to a YouTube video
On desktop (YouTube Studio)
- Go to YouTube Studio and click Create, then Upload videos, or open an existing video's Details.
- In the Description box, type # followed by your topic. YouTube suggests popular hashtags as you type; pick one or keep typing your own.
- Add two to four more relevant hashtags, usually on a line at the end of the description.
- Click Save or continue through the upload steps and publish.
On iPhone and Android (YouTube app)
- Tap Create (the plus icon) and choose Upload a video, or edit an existing video.
- In the title or Add description field, type # and your topic, then select a suggestion or finish typing.
- Publish or save.
How to add hashtags to YouTube Shorts
Shorts use the same hashtag rules. When you add text to a Short, YouTube shows suggestions for relevant hashtags, and hashtags you've used before are marked with a clock icon.
- In the YouTube app, tap Create and choose Create a Short, or upload a short vertical video.
- On the details screen, add a title. Type # to get hashtag suggestions.
- Add a description with your remaining hashtags if you want more than the title can comfortably hold.
- Tap the upload button to publish (labeled Upload Short in current versions of the app).
For a three-tag Shorts set, pick one topic tag, one niche tag and one format or community tag:
Our niche pages include a ready-made Shorts set, for example #gaming and #music, and the hashtag generator has a YouTube Shorts option.
Example hashtag sets for common videos
Here's how the three-to-five approach looks for different kinds of uploads. Put the most important tags first so they're the likeliest candidates to show by the title.
A few principles behind these sets:
- Name the specific thing, not only the category. #minecraftbuilds tells viewers far more than #gaming alone.
- Match how people search on YouTube. YouTube is heavily search-driven, so tags that mirror common search phrases ("recipe," "review," "tutorial") help describe intent.
- Keep a series tag if you run one. A consistent series hashtag lets viewers tap through to more episodes.
- Leave out the platform name unless it's genuinely the topic. Tags like #youtube or #youtuber describe the site, not your video; our #youtube hashtag page explains when they're reasonable.
How viewers find videos through hashtags
Every hashtag in a title or description becomes a link. When someone taps it, YouTube opens a results page for that hashtag showing videos and Shorts that use it. That gives hashtags two practical jobs:
- Connecting related uploads. A viewer watching one video in your series can tap the series tag and find others.
- Labeling the topic for viewers skimming the description before deciding whether to watch.
What hashtags don't replace is the search-friendly title and description. YouTube's own guidance puts the title, thumbnail and description ahead of tags as discovery metadata, so write those first and treat hashtags as a finishing touch.
Title or description: where should hashtags go?
- Description (recommended default): keeps the title clean and readable, and the first hashtags there are candidates to display by the title. Put your most important three first.
- Title (use sparingly): a hashtag in the title shows as a link in the title. It can suit a series name or a live event, but it takes space from the words that explain the video.
- Comments: YouTube's help only describes adding a video's hashtags in the title or description, so don't rely on a pinned comment to tag your video.
The #shorts myth
A long-running belief is that you must add #shorts to the title or description for YouTube to treat a video as a Short. YouTube's current help pages describe Shorts by format, not by tag: videos up to three minutes long with a square or vertical aspect ratio. Neither YouTube's Shorts upload guidance nor its hashtag page says a #shorts tag is required.
What that means in practice:
- A #shorts tag isn't needed to make a video a Short.
- It isn't a ranking boost that YouTube has documented. It tells viewers the format, which they can usually see anyway.
- It uses one of your visible slots. A topic hashtag describes the video; #shorts doesn't.
If you like a platform tag for consistency across your channel, it isn't harmful in small numbers. It just shouldn't replace descriptive tags. Our #shorts hashtag page has more on when it's reasonable.
Hashtags vs the Tags field
YouTube has two separate features that are often confused:
- Hashtags (#word) appear to viewers in the title or description and link to hashtag results pages.
- Tags are keywords entered in the Tags field in YouTube Studio. Viewers don't see them. YouTube says tags play a minimal role in discovery and are mostly useful when your video's subject is commonly misspelled.
Don't spend long on either. Put effort into the title, thumbnail and first lines of the description.
Common YouTube hashtag mistakes
- Stuffing the description with dozens of tags. Past 60, all of them are ignored, and over-tagging can remove a video from search.
- Tagging topics the video doesn't cover. It's against YouTube's policy on misleading hashtags.
- Using spaces in hashtags. #guitar lesson only tags "guitar."
- Copying TikTok or Instagram sets without checking. Communities differ between platforms; see our TikTok hashtag guide and Instagram's 5-tag rules for how the platforms compare.
Frequently asked questions
How many hashtags should I use on YouTube?
YouTube's hard rule is that more than 60 hashtags cancels them all, but that's a ceiling, not a target. Three to five relevant hashtags covers the topic without cluttering the description, and only up to three appear by the title anyway.
Should I put hashtags in the YouTube title?
You can, and a hashtag in the title is clickable, but it takes space from the words that tell viewers what the video is. For most videos, a clear title with hashtags in the description reads better. A single hashtag in a title can work for a series or event name.
Do YouTube hashtags help videos get recommended?
YouTube hasn't said hashtags are a major recommendation factor. They link your video to hashtag results pages and help describe it, but YouTube's own help says the title, thumbnail and description are the more important metadata for discovery.
Are the hashtags that show above my title the ones I chose?
They come from the hashtags in your description, but YouTube picks which to display, choosing up to three it considers most engaging. If you want specific tags to show, keep the description to just those three hashtags.
Sources
- YouTube Help: Find playlists & videos using hashtags
- YouTube Help: Add tags to your videos
- YouTube Help: Upload YouTube Shorts from a computer
- YouTube Help: Create YouTube Shorts
- YouTube Help: Spam, deceptive practices, & scams policies
Checked against the live pages when this guide was last updated.