YouTube Upload Checklist
Tick off every optimization step before you hit publish. Consistency here compounds your growth.
Upload Checklist runs your video through a pre-publish list — title length, thumbnail, tags, chapters, description, end screens — and flags what's missing before you hit publish. Creators use it in the last few minutes before going live so a rushed upload doesn't ship with a broken thumbnail or a cut-off title.
How to use the Upload Checklist
- 1. Enter your video title, description, and tags (or paste the YouTube URL once it's uploaded as unlisted).
- 2. Check the title flag — keep the key words under ~60 characters so nothing gets cut off in search and suggested.
- 3. Add chapters if the list prompts you: first timestamp at 0:00, at least 3 chapters, each 10 seconds or longer.
- 4. Fill any open items — thumbnail, pinned comment, end screen, cards — until every box is green.
- 5. Publish or schedule once the checklist clears.
FAQ
YouTube truncates titles in most surfaces (search, suggested, mobile home) around 60 characters. The full title still saves, but viewers won't see the end, so the checklist warns you to front-load the important words.
Your first chapter timestamp must be 0:00, you need at least 3 chapters total, and each one has to be 10 seconds or longer. List them in your description as 'timestamp - label' on separate lines and YouTube turns them into chapters automatically.
No. It only reviews the metadata and settings you give it and tells you what to fix. You make the changes inside YouTube Studio yourself, so nothing touches your channel or your file.
There's no single ideal length, but use the first 2-3 lines for a real hook and keywords since that's all viewers see before 'Show more.' You have up to 5,000 characters total for chapters, links, and context.
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