YouTube Hashtags: Choose Relevant Hashtags and Add Them Correctly

Choose YouTube hashtags that describe the video you actually made. Add them to its title or description, then check the published links. A popular hashtag is not evidence that it fits your upload, and no list can promise views.

Start with the subject, not a trending list

A hashtag starts with # and links to other content using that hashtag. YouTube can suggest hashtags as you type. Use a suggestion only when its meaning matches the recording. This guide supplies a selection method and illustrative examples, rather than a live ranking of trending hashtags.

1. Write one sentence naming what viewers will see or learn.
2. Identify the specific subject, activity and place, when each matters to the video.
3. Consider a short set of candidate hashtags. Read the words as a viewer would.
4. Remove any candidate that suggests a different subject, a result you do not show or a trend you are not covering.

For a Short, apply the same relevance check. Adding #Shorts describes a format; it does not explain the subject or guarantee distribution. A narrower, accurate topic can tell the viewer more than a pile of generic labels.

A worked relevance check

For this example, a description could end with #Basil #ContainerGardening. Two is an editorial choice for these facts, not a YouTube rule or an optimal count. Your video may need different words or fewer hashtags.

Add hashtags, then inspect the actual video

1. In your upload's title or description, type # followed by a relevant word. Choose a suitable suggestion or type your own.
2. Join words without spaces, such as #ContainerGardening. Keep the main title readable.
3. Save the video's details. On an existing upload, use YouTube Studio's Content list, open the video and choose Save after editing.
4. Open the video as a viewer. Check the displayed hashtag links and the description you actually saved.

YouTube may show up to three selected description hashtags near the title. It chooses which ones to display there; do not assume that all your hashtags, or the first three you typed, will appear in that position. See the current YouTube hashtag guide for the platform's behavior.

The policy limit is not a target

YouTube says it ignores all hashtags on content with more than 60 hashtags. It also warns against excessive or misleading tagging. That is not advice to fill the allowance. Keep only relevant labels, avoid unrelated topics, and review the current hashtag policies if a hashtag is missing or a video is restricted.

Hashtags are different from the separate Tags field in Studio. If you are trying to add spelling variants or descriptive keywords there, use the YouTube video tags walkthrough. For the words viewers read before deciding to watch, use the title-writing guide.

Keep the video promise intact

After editing, reread the title, description and hashtags against the final video. Remove labels for material you cut. For spoken footage, Gling can help prepare a rough cut; review the result before publishing. The editing workflow guide explains the handoff.