Hashtags YouTube

What are hashtags on YouTube?

Hashtags on YouTube are keywords with a # symbol added to a video's title or description. They connect the video to other videos and playlists that share the same hashtag on YouTube and YouTube Music, and help viewers find related content through search.

Where hashtags appear and how viewers use them

Hashtags in the title and description work as clickable links: selecting one opens a results page with other videos that share the same hashtag. Out of all the hashtags in a video description, up to 3 that YouTube considers most engaging appear by the video title. The rest stay in the description, and the video can still show up in search results.

Viewers reach hashtag pages in 3 ways: by typing a hashtag into the search bar, by selecting a hashtag in or below a video title or in a description, or by picking a trending hashtag on the Explore tab.

How to add hashtags to a video

1. Enter a # symbol in the title or description when you upload a video or record a Short.

2. Start typing the topic or keyword. YouTube suggests popular hashtags based on your input.

3. Choose a suggested hashtag or create your own.

When you add text with a hashtag to a Short, YouTube also recommends hashtags based on signals such as your past uploads, and hashtags you used before are marked with a clock icon. Hashtags work in playlist titles and descriptions too. Alongside the title, video tags and the description, hashtags are a small part of broader YouTube SEO: relevance matters more than quantity. For a full optimization walkthrough, see our guide YouTube SEO in 2026.

Hashtag rules and limits

Hashtags must follow YouTube's Community Guidelines: hashtags that violate them won't show below the content and may be removed. The complete official list of rules:

• No spaces. A hashtag can't contain spaces. To use 2 words, join them together (#TwoWords).

• Over-tagging. If a video or playlist has more than 60 hashtags, YouTube ignores every hashtag on that content, and over-tagging can lead to removal of the video from your uploads or from search.

• Misleading content. Hashtags not directly related to the video or playlist can lead to its removal.

• Harassment. Hashtags added to harass, humiliate, intimidate, expose or threaten a person or group lead to removal.

• Hate speech. Hashtags that promote violence or hatred, or contain racist, sexist or other slurs, lead to removal.

• Sexual content. Sexual or explicit hashtags can lead to removal.

• Vulgar language. Profanity or offensive terms in hashtags can lead to an age restriction or removal.

• Non-hashtags. Adding ordinary descriptive tags or repetitive sentences to the description is prohibited and can get the video removed or penalized.

The full policy wording is in the official YouTube Help Center.