Uploading your first video to YouTube should feel quick and easy. This guide tells you how to upload a video to YouTube on desktop and mobile, teaches you the most essential settings, and gives you current specs, limits, and best practices. By the end of this article, you will know how to post a video on YouTube today and have it optimized so people can find it and watch it.

Why it is important now, as of January 2025, YouTube’s ad tools reached 2.53B users. Publishing correctly gives your video the best possible chance of discovery.

Before You Get Started: Quick Prep

• Sign-in using a Google account. You want to use the same account for YouTube.
• (Recommended) Verify your channel, getting phone verification takes a minute and allows video uploads greater than 15 minutes (up to the platform maximum).
• Export a file that will be accepted. YouTube accepts almost any common files like all the following .MP4, .MOV, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM plus the pro formats ProRes/CineForm. MP4 (H.264 + AAC) should be a good safe default.
• Understand the limits. Maximum uploads are 256GB or 12 hours, whichever comes first. Verified users can upload videos longer than 15 minutes.

Upload From Desktop (YouTube Studio)

Step 1 — Open Upload Window

1. Go to YouTube and sign-in.
2. Click Create (camera icon with a +) → Upload videos. They allow you to upload multiple files (Drag-and-drop is accepted).

Step 2 — Select Your File

• Drag & drop a video into the window or choose your video via SELECT FILES on your computer.
• The upload will begin; you can enter detail right away as the video uploads.

Step 3 — Add the Important Information (Details Tab)

• Title (up to 100 characters). Leaders on Value and your Main Keyword.
• Description (up to 5,000 characters). Summary about the video, timestamps, and links to related videos. The first lines are the most important in search snippets.
• Thumbnail. Uploading a custom image and get a higher click-through rates. Recommended thumbnails: 1280×720, 16:9, ≤2MB, JPG/PNG/GIF. (Verified users can upload custom thumbnails).
• Audience (COPPA). Mark your video as "Made for kids." That is required.
• Playlists. Add the video to a playlist that is appropriate and it will help session watch time.

Step 4 — Set Video Elements (Optional but Powerful)

• Promoting related videos or subscribe with End screens (last 5–20 seconds) to your audience.
• Cards (up to 5) to direct users to videos/playlists/links.

Step 5 — Choose Visibility

• Public shared: Anyone can find the video and watch it.
• Unlisted: Users can only watch it via the direct link; they cannot search it.
• Private: You can watch it or only users you invite can watch it.
• Schedule: You will set it to automatically publish at date/time in the future.

Step 6 - Publish

• Tap on Publish or Schedule.
• Processing: The video will first become available in SD quality automatically. Once the SD video is processed, the HD/4K video will become available later.

Upload From Mobile (How to Upload Video on YouTube From Mobile)

Fast Upload: YouTube App (iOS/Android)

1. Open the YouTube app.
2. Tap + Create → Upload a video (or Record - Record is also an option.).
3. Select your video, add a Title, Description, Audience, and Visibility options.
4. Tap on Upload and that's it!

Edit and Then Upload: YouTube Create App (Android)

If you do some editing on your phone, the YouTube Create app allows you to cut and edit your video and automatically export to YouTube, just like with editing shorts or other quick projects from your mobile phone.

Mobile Upload Vs. Desktop Upload: What's the Difference?

• Using mobile is faster to address different pieces of use but will offer limited convenience of publishing.
• Desktop can offer more moods of convenience (bulk editing, long detailed descriptions, including end screens, adding cards) that a mobile device cannot offer.
• You can always do a quick mobile upload and then edit the details on a desktop machine later if desired.

Key Settings Explained (Plain Language)

Privacy Option

• Public: It can be found in search and recommendations, use this option for the bulk of uploads.
• Unlisted: Your audience view via a private link privately.
• Private: Only visible to yourself and whom you invite.

Title & Descriptions (relevant character limits)

• Title: Limit of 100 characters; if possible place the characters that depict meaning early.
• Descriptions: A character limit of 5,000 characters. Use the first 1-2 lines to create hooks; always consider adding time stamps; linking related videos.

Thumbnails that Click

• Size: Be 1280×720 (min size 640 Alan width), 16:9 aspect ratio, ≤2MB.
• Format: Be JPG mass or GIF or PNG.
• Tip: Big face and big contrast and a max of 3-5 words.

YouTube Shorts in 2025 (Big Change)

You'll be able to upload Shorts that are 3 minutes long (vertical/square). So creative options are going to be expanded. Remember the original 'Shorts' in 2023 were capped at 60 seconds. Note: rollout was October 15, 2024, and is supported in the Shorts feed.

Technical Requirements & Best-Practice Settings

Heads-Up: HD/4K variants will only appear after you process SD. Look for a gear icon (Quality) on the watch page to see if your HD is ready to go.

Step-By-Step, Stand Out & Make Your First Upload

1. Name it well. Start off titles with what the viewers are looking for (not your name). Simple names are easier to search for (100-char max).
2. Front-load up your description. Put the hook in the description in the first lines, put the timestamps and the links after. (5,000-char max).
3. Make a real thumbnail. A good thumbnail is 1280×720, bold and shows the subject of the thumbnail, 3–5 words is enough. < 2MB.
4. Visibility Pick - Pick your visibility wisely. Use Unlisted if you want collaborators to review the Short - Scheduled if you want to pick a premiere time.
5. End screens & cards-Add these both! You want to encourage the next click! Keep in your channels!

Fast Mobile Cheat Sheet

After Publishing

• Confirm processing: If it begins with only SD. Then the HD/4K is still working. Wait a bit.
• Add end screens/cards if skipped.
• Organize with playlists to improve discoverability and watch session duration.

Section [prices] — Get More Eyes on First Upload (Optional)

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Why Publish Today (Don’t put off later)

YouTube is The World’s Most Used Video Platform in 2025. The audience already awaits, the only waiting on is your publishing it.

FAQ (Clear, Short Answers)

How do I upload a video to YouTube from mobile?
You do it as follows: open the YouTube app → + Create → Upload a video → select your clip → add Title, Description, Audience, and Visibility → Upload.

What is the maximum video size or length?
You may upload (up to) 256GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. Unverified can upload a max of excluding the verified length (15 minutes); verification will lift this.

Why is my video only SD at first?
YouTube processes it first in SD for speed, HD/4K follows soon.

What is the best YouTube format?
Use MP4 (H.264 + AAC) for reliability on quality and speed of processing. If it helps you, supported video formats are MOV, AVI, WMV, MPEGPS, FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.

What should be the Thumbnail Size?
1280×720 or 16:9; and ≤ 2MB; JPG, PNG, gif; verified can compile custom thumbnail uploads.

How long can a YouTube Short be now?
3 minutes (vertical/square) (change occurring to roll out on) Oct 15th, 2024).

Ready to Share a Video on YouTube?

Once you've gone through the steps above, you can publish with full confidence that you will have created a foundation, and then you can add a bit of a boost to get things started through the engagement process. If you want to give your new upload an even bigger push to get started, YouTubeViewsBuy is there for you to get the attention your upload deserves!

Advanced Setup - Upload Once and Set It Up One Time

You can use this section as a fundamental checklist every time you upload a video to YouTube. It is everything you would want to do to make your upload fast and make it feel consistent.

A. Default Upload Presets (save time)

By creating defaults in YouTube Studio, YouTube will automatically fill in key fields for you whenever you upload a video.

• Channel → Settings → Upload defaults: you can add boilerplate descriptions (links, disclaimers, etc.) , default tags (misspellings only), language, category, and visibility (most of the time it is set to Unlisted to review). Tags have a minimal influence on your video's discoverability. I recommend keeping tags lean and only use tags for common misspellings.

B. Titles that not look lame and entice to click

• Start your title with the result you want the viewer to get. Put the unique info about the video's content first. I'm a fan of truncating and just give me the information I like at about 60-70 characters (hard cap is 100).
• Try not to use all caps and stay away from click bait. Accuracy is better long term, and it catches the eye of YouTube recommendations.

C. Descriptions that rank and retain

• First two lines = hook + promise. Then add your timestamps, additional links, gear list, social media links, etc.
• Keep it clean, all descriptions can have up to 5,000 characters.

D. Thumbnails that get the tap

• Use 1280X720, use a 16:9 ratio, file size ≤2 MB, must be a JPG/PNG/GIF file type.
• Clean background, clean subject, then 3-5 words max or less in the text (it the subject draws attention). Must create a strong contrast color. (Remember: Custom thumbnails won’t be available unless you apply for and are verified by YouTube.)

E. Audience, Age, and Visibility

• Mark “Made for kids” in the correct way, if your video should not be classified as made for kids, do it right because it is a federal requirement under COPPA. Are you setting this to Public / Unlisted / Private / Schedule? You can schedule your video if you are in coordination with several videos or a premiere if you share during the original rollout.

F. Use-End Screens & Cards (watch more)

• Add End screens from the uploaded video to the last 5-20 seconds. Your upload must be at least 25 seconds long.
• Can also add 5 Cards max to promote a related video and/or playlist to the upload and/or a URL (if you apply and meet the requirements).

G. Subtitles & Language

• You will also want to identify the language of the video, then you will also want to create subtitles (**upload/subtitle, auto-sync those subtitles, or edit the auto-captions). This both improves the accessibility/understanding of as well as SEO of your upload.

Quick Specs & Settings (Copy/Paste Reference)

You can use the chart below when exporting and uploading.

How Processing & Quality Work: What to Expect

• YouTube processes lower resolutions **(SD then HD/4K) first. So you'll typically see a soft-looking image after you've uploaded the video. You may start seeing your video in HD/4K once YouTube has completed processing. How long that will take will depend on your resolution, length of video, frames per second (fps), video file format, and the amount of traffic on the YouTube platform.
• Bitrate makes a difference. Please try to use the recommended bitrates to preserve detail. Don't export with too much compression.

Pro tip: If your video quality appears to be stuck on one resolution, consider leaving your video public (or unlisted). There's no video swapping, but you can leave it up and trim little bits in the YouTube editor in order to preserve the URL.

Uploads on Mobile: Start fast, and finish on Desktop

YouTube App (iOS/Android): Tap + Create → Upload a video, choose your clip, fill in title/description/audience, select Public/Unlisted/Private, and select Upload.

Create in the YouTube (Android only): The app allows you to perform quick edits on your phone (cuts, text, music), and export your video directly to YouTube. This works great for Shorts and for videos & edits that are about 1/3 of a regular video length.

Now that your video is uploaded and live, head to your YouTube Studio on your Desktop to edit: Detailed descriptions, end screens, cards, custom subtitles, and local thumbnails (cover images).

Troubleshooting (Copy this section to your Docs or notes and keep it easy to reference)

1) Upload appears to be stuck:

• Check your connection and file size. Remember: large or very long files will take more time.
• Use a different web browser or delete your cache. Don't forget to check for background apps that may be draining bandwidth (cloud sync, live calls, etc).
• If your upload tab appears locked, give it some time (unless you refresh/refine the entire page).

2) My video looks blurry right after I publish the video:

• Video could be still processing, especially if you published at HD/4K resolution. It will go through the lower quality first, which is normal especially with 1080p60/4K videos.

3) I can't upload videos longer than 15 minutes:

• Please verify your YouTube channel to be free to upload videos longer than 15 minutes, and be able to add a custom thumbnail as well.

4) My end screen won't add:

• Your video must be longer than 25 seconds, but just as importantly you are attempting to add the end screen and it falls between 5 and 20 seconds from the end of the video.

5) I Received Copyright/ age restrictions:

• Look in the Restrictions column of Studio. Fix any claims or age restrictions in that column; if needed you can submit it for review.

6) My captions are missing or inaccurate:

• You can add/edit your captions/subtitles in Studio → Subtitles; you can also capitalize on auto-captions feature for subtitles as well.

Shorts: What Has Changed, How to Use It Moving Forward

1. Shorts will be allowed up to 3 minutes if your video is a square or portrait.
2. The overall upload process is the same; however when the system recognizes when a video qualifies as a short from aspect ratio and length, it will direct the video to the Shorts feed/section of the platform.
3. Use hooks in the first 2 seconds, really quick cuts, quickly add text, and have a clearly designated CTA at the end of the video.

Plan for Launch (end-to-end guide)

Just follow this same sequence with every upload and add your creativity to videos on YouTube:

1. Export (as MP4 H.264 + AAC; correct bitrate; 1080p or 4k)
2. Upload to YouTube/Studio (drag & drop into studio). Add: Title, the first 2 lines of your description, Thumbnail, Audience, Playlist.
3. Element: Add End screens, Cards. Just make sure they are aligned to the natural underlying peaks of your retention curve.
4. Visibility: Use Unlisted to let others have a look, create your Schedule, which allows you to use the maximum amount of time to get to the best time to release the video you uploaded.
5. Subtitles: ***upload your SRT/EWB, edit captions, and set video language.
6. Publish, Monitor if it flips from processing to HD/4K.
7. Organize in playlists. Then add a pinned comment with links. (Playlists help extend sessions when engaging with videos)
8. Iterate on thumbnail & title for the next video if CTR is low. Just keep in mind, if the video does not engage your viewers sufficiently, YouTube will likely not serve it further, as well.

Optional Boost After You Publish

If you want early momentum after you post a video on YouTube, the YouTubeViewsBuy team can help seed engagement with targeted Views, Likes, and Comments packages for new channels and product launches.

• Starter Views — the best way for first uploads and soft launches.
• Growth Views + Likes — the best for extending reach on promising videos.
• Comments add-on — in case you need to add context-rich comments to boost meaningful visible engagement.

For current pricing and delivery SLAs check our pricing page or ping the live chat. Packages complement organic growth and are best paired with strong content and metadata.

Extra Tips (That Actually Move the Needle)

• Schedule for when your audience is online (use “When your viewers are on YouTube” in Analytics) — but remember timing isn’t important when it comes to long-term performance; content quality and satisfaction is what matters more.
• Don’t spam your metadata. Don’t overload your descriptions or tags. Title + Thumbnail + Watch time should be your main focus.
• Add an end screen to all videos you upload. Find and check the element click rate in the Analytics and optimize.
• Shorts for reach. Long-form content is for depth. Shorts can spark discovery, but long-form content builds depth - then you leverage end screens to push to those longer content videos.

FAQ (More Quick Answers)

How do I upload a video to YouTube from my desktop?
Click Create → Upload videos from your YouTube Studio and select your file, fill out Details, add End screens/Cards, select Visibility, then Publish/Schedule.

How do I upload a video to YouTube from my mobile device?
Open the YouTube app → + Create → Upload a video → select your clip → Title/Description/Audience → Upload.

What is the best format?
MP4 is suggested (H.264 + AAC) and follow the YouTube bitrate table for your resolution/frame rate.

How long can I make my YouTube Shorts in 2025?
3 minutes (for square/vertical videos).

My end screen isn’t working - why?
Make sure your video is ≥25 seconds and don’t forget to add the elements in the end screen area of the editor.

Final CTA

You now know how to upload a video on YouTube, how to optimize your video to discoverability, and how to avoid common mistakes; now hit publish and upload with confidence. If you’d like to get an initial push right after you launch, YouTubeViewsBuy can help with engagement packages that are designed for your objectives.