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How to Change Your YouTube URL In 2021

Not happy with your URL? Discover if your channel is eligible for a change and how to create a custom URL in a few simple steps.

Marketing design
March 2, 2021
3
min

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YouTube regularly releases updates, so if you want to change the URL address of your YuTube channel in 2021, use this guide.

If there was an opportunity in the weird and terrible year behind us, then it had to be starting or boosting your following on YouTube. Being stuck indoors made all of us even more susceptible to procrastination with YouTube videos, so this might be a perfect time for YouTube creators to start or improve a YouTube channel.

If you know the basics such as the right sizes for YouTube thumbnails or banners, then here’s a quick guide on how to make your YouTube even better with a custom URL!

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Who is eligible for a custom YouTube URL

So before we dive into creating a custom YouTube channel URL it’s important to know that this option is only available under certain conditions.

If you want to have a custom YouTube URL you have to have:

  • 100 or more subscribers;
  • a channel that is at least 30 days old;
  • an uploaded profile picture;
  • an uploaded banner image (cover art);

You can change your URL up to 3 times in one year, so if you make a mistake, you can always go back and change your channel name and description again.

How to set a custom URL for your channel

Follow these simple steps.

Sign in to your account

You can create a new account or simply sign in by using your Google account credentials.

Go to YouTube studio

You can access it by clicking on your channel icon and then tap Your channel. Or by clicking Your videos on the side menu.

youtube change url 1.jpg

Customize your channel

Click the Customize channel button.  Tap the Basic info tab.

youtube change url 2.png

Create a new custom URL

Under the channel URL click Set a custom URL for your channel. This is auto-generated from your channel name.

If you want to add any numbers or letters to the URL you can do so in the custom URL box.

Click on the Publish button. A pop up will ask you to review your new URL one more time. Click confirm.

youtube change url 3.png
Image source: Professional Tutorial

How to change an existing custom URL

The previous steps allow you to add a new URL, but it requires you to include the existing channel name. In case you want the URL to be something different you’ll also need to change your channel name. This is how to do it.

  1. Go to the channel Settings option.
  2. Under the Channel option click on Advanced account settings.
  3. Scroll down to Manage your account and click.
  4. You’ll be taken to your Youtube account overview. Click Edit on Google.
  5. There you can change the name of your channel (visible under your channel icon) and click save.
  6. Go back to the Basic info section and repeat the process from the first part and then click change URL.
  7. Once you’ve updated the channel URL, don’t forget to change your name back to what you wanted it to be. This won’t affect the URL change.

How to customize your channel without a custom URL

If you haven’t hit those 100 subscribers yet, don’t worry! There are a few steps you can take to make sure your YouTube account is optimized for success on the platform. Here’s what you can do to create a more professional brand account.

Upload a profile photo and channel art and video watermark

Whether it’s your company logo, or in case you’re a beauty influencer or travel vlogger you can use your own photo.

You can go to your account setting and under the customization tab, you should select Branding.

There you can upload a new profile photo, cover art and even add a watermark to your videos!

Add featured videos

Featured videos are a great way to welcome new visitors to your channel. If you’ve got a nice bit of content that shows what your channel is all about, you should use it as a featured video on your channel homepage. This is how to do it

  1. Go to Customization ﹥ Layout
  2. Under Video spotlight, click ADD, and choose a video you want to use.
  3. Hit Publish.

We hope you’re all set to make your YouTube channel a success! For more design-related ideas, be sure to check out our lists on best YouTube thumbnails and banner ideas.

Having lived and studied in London and Berlin, I'm back in native Serbia, working remotely and writing short stories and plays in my free time. With previous experience in the nonprofit sector, I'm currently writing about the universal language of good graphic design. I make mix CDs and my playlists are almost exclusively 1960s.

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