How to Upload a Video to YouTube (and Get Subscribers Notified)

Q: Does uploading a video notify my subscribers?

Only when the video is public and the box 'Publish to Subscriptions feed and notify subscribers' stays checked. Unlisted and private uploads notify no one, and YouTube turns notifications off on content set as made for kids. A scheduled video notifies when it goes public. Even then, YouTube caps each viewer at 3 new video alerts per channel in 24 hours, and subscribers on Personalized notifications may get theirs hours after you publish.

Uploading a video to YouTube takes a few minutes on a computer or a phone. Whether your subscribers ever hear about it depends on four settings that most upload guides skip.

In this guide:

How to upload a video to YouTube on a computer
How to upload a video to YouTube from your phone
The four upload settings that decide who gets notified
Upload vs publish: why your video isn't live yet
YouTube upload limits: length, size and daily count
Who actually hears about your new video

Young creator at her desk about to upload her first YouTube video from a tablet, hopeful and excited

How to upload a video to YouTube on a computer

To upload a video to YouTube on a computer, you use the Create button in YouTube Studio. You need a Google Account and a channel first, because YouTube Help says "to upload videos, comment, or make playlists, you need a YouTube channel."

These are the steps from YouTube Help's upload guide:

Sign in to YouTube Studio.
In the top-right corner, click Create, then Upload videos.
Select the file you want to upload. You can upload up to 15 videos at a time.
On the Details page, add a title (up to 100 characters), a description (up to 5,000), a thumbnail and a playlist.
Under Audience, say whether the video is made for kids. YouTube requires this answer under COPPA, the US children's privacy law.
Click Show more for tags, category, comment settings and the subscriber notification box.
On Video elements, add subtitles, an end screen or cards. An end screen needs a video of 25 seconds or longer.
On Checks, let the Copyright check scan your video. It runs in the background, and you can publish while it finishes.
On Visibility, choose Save or publish and pick Private, Unlisted or Public, or choose Schedule. Then click Save.

Closed the window too early?

Nothing is lost. If you close the upload window before finishing the Visibility step, YouTube saves the video as private on your Content page in YouTube Studio. Open it from there to finish.

Retired man at his kitchen table uploading his woodworking video on a desktop computer, focused and pleased

How to upload a video to YouTube from your phone

To upload a video to YouTube from a phone, use the YouTube app or the YouTube Studio app. Per YouTube Help, the steps are the same on iPhone and Android.

In the YouTube app:

Open the YouTube app and tap Create, then Video.
Select the file you want to upload and tap Next.
Add your title and settings on the next screens, then upload.

In the YouTube Studio app:

Tap Create at the top.
Select the file you want to upload.
Add a title (up to 100 characters) and the privacy settings. Tap Show more for everything else.
Tap Next, then choose "Yes, it's made for kids" or "No, it's not made for kids."
Tap Upload video to publish.

Watch the Shorts rule on a phone. A video of 3 minutes or less with a square or vertical shape uploads as a Short. Film horizontally if you want a regular video. If you close the app partway through, YouTube saves the video as a draft on your Content page.

Upload stuck on mobile data? On iPhone, tap your profile picture, then Settings and Uploads. On Android, go to Settings, General, then Uploads.

Teen skater on a park bench holding his phone sideways to upload a clip, grinning with anticipation

The four upload settings that decide who gets notified

Four choices in the YouTube upload flow decide whether subscribers get told about your video. Get one wrong and the video goes out quietly.

Setting	Where you set it	Choose this so subscribers get notified
Audience	Details, then Audience	"No, it's not made for kids" (only if that's true)
Notify box	Details, then Show more	Keep "Publish to Subscriptions feed and notify subscribers" checked
Visibility	The Visibility step	Public, or Schedule (it notifies when it goes public)
Timing	Your posting pattern	No more than 3 videos in 24 hours, and stay public after publishing

Audience. YouTube Help says notifications "are turned off on content set as 'Made for kids.'" This is a legal setting under COPPA, so answer it honestly, even if it costs you alerts.
The notify box. YouTube Help's advice is direct: "keep the box next to 'Publish to Subscriptions feed and notify subscribers.'" Our guide to that checkbox covers the rare times to uncheck it.
Visibility. Only public videos notify. Unlisted and private uploads stay out of subscriber feeds, as our unlisted vs private guide explains.
Timing. Viewers get "a maximum of 3 new video notifications from each channel in a 24 hour period." Alerts typically take 10 to 20 minutes to send, and switching a video to private in that window stops them.

Cooking creator at her kitchen table double-checking her upload settings on a tablet before publishing, thoughtful

Upload vs publish: why your video isn't live yet

Uploading and publishing are two separate steps on YouTube. YouTube Help says uploading imports the file, while publishing makes the video "available for anyone to watch."

That gap explains three things new creators notice:

Processing. A video can be published once standard-definition (SD) processing finishes. HD and 4K versions may take longer to process.
Two dates. The upload date shows next to private and unlisted videos on your Content page. The publish date is the day the video became public, so the two differ when you upload privately and publish later.
Batches. If you upload several videos at once, YouTube suggests uploading them as "Private" first, then publishing each one at a different time. Publishing more than 3 in a short period can pause notifications for 24 hours.

A scheduled video stays private until its date, then goes public and notifies. To pick the hour, see our guide to the best time to post on YouTube.

Two bandmates in their garage rehearsal space leaning toward a tablet, waiting for their new video to finish processing

YouTube upload limits: length, size and daily count

By default, YouTube lets you upload videos up to 15 minutes long. To upload longer videos, verify your account once at youtube.com/verify, per YouTube Help.

Length. Verification uses a code sent by text or voice call. Upload any long video again after you verify.
File size. The maximum is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. For files over 20 GB, use an up-to-date browser.
Daily count. YouTube Help says there is a limit on "how many videos a channel can upload each day," but it doesn't publish the number.

Podcaster in his home recording room smiling with relief after verifying his account to upload a long episode

Who actually hears about your new video

Even a perfect upload reaches only part of your subscribers through YouTube's bell. YouTube decides when, and whether, each one gets a push notification.

YouTube Help says new subscribers "automatically get personalized notifications." Those arrive "at the optimal time for each individual subscriber," which can mean hours after you publish. Since April 21, 2026, subscribers on All who haven't watched your channel in about a month, and ignore its recent alerts, get new-video alerts only in their in-app inbox, not as a push. For the full list of causes, see why subscribers aren't getting notified.

An email list reaches every fan who signed up, on every public upload. Sublark builds that list for you. Claim your channel, and fans join at sublark.com/your-channel with just an email address.

When a video goes public, including a scheduled one, Sublark sends your list an email alert for the new upload. Auto-Send is off by default, so you approve each email until you switch it on. With Auto-Send on, it goes out usually within the hour, and Wait before sending can hold it up to 24 hours.

Fan on her balcony at golden hour smiling at her phone as an email about a new video from her favorite creator arrives

Tell every fan when your upload goes public

Claim your channel on Sublark. Fans join with an email address and hear about every public upload, with no bell setting or daily cap in the way.

Claim your channel

The bottom line

How to upload a video to YouTube comes down to three moves: click Create, fill in the details, then publish or schedule. Your reach is decided on the last screens. Keep the video public, keep the notify box checked and answer the audience question honestly.

The bell will still skip some subscribers, so give fans a second way to hear. Claim your channel on Sublark or browse creators already on Sublark. For the bigger picture, read the creator's guide to email.

Creator sitting on his apartment floor with his laptop, smiling with relief after publishing his first video

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upload videos to YouTube for free?

Yes. YouTube doesn't charge you to upload or publish a video. You need two free things first: a Google Account and a YouTube channel. YouTube Help says you can watch and subscribe with just a Google Account, but "to upload videos, comment, or make playlists, you need a YouTube channel." Creating one takes a minute from Settings, then Add or manage channel(s). After that, the Create button in YouTube Studio or the app handles every upload.

How do I upload a video to YouTube from my phone?

Open the YouTube app, tap Create, then Video, pick the file and tap Next. Add your title and settings, then upload. The YouTube Studio app works too: tap Create at the top, select the file, add details, tap Next, answer the made-for-kids question and tap Upload video. The steps are the same on iPhone and Android. A vertical or square clip of 3 minutes or less uploads as a Short, so film horizontally for a regular video.

Why can't I upload videos longer than 15 minutes?

Your account isn't verified yet. YouTube Help says that by default you can upload videos up to 15 minutes long, and only verified accounts can go longer. Go to youtube.com/verify on a computer and confirm a code sent by text message or automated voice call. If you uploaded a long video before verifying, upload it again afterward. The hard ceiling is 256 GB or 12 hours per file, whichever is less.

Does uploading a video notify my subscribers?

Only when the video is public and the box "Publish to Subscriptions feed and notify subscribers" stays checked. Unlisted and private uploads notify no one, and YouTube turns notifications off on content set as made for kids. A scheduled video notifies when it goes public. Even then, YouTube caps each viewer at 3 new video alerts per channel in 24 hours, and subscribers on Personalized notifications may get theirs hours after you publish.

What is the difference between uploading and publishing on YouTube?

Uploading moves your file onto YouTube. Publishing makes the video available for people to watch. YouTube Help treats them as two separate steps, so a video can sit uploaded as private or as a draft for days before you publish it. That gap explains why a video can show two dates: the upload date on your Content page and the publish date, which is the day it became public.

Does Sublark email my fans when I upload a new video?

Yes, once the video is public. Sublark watches your channel's public uploads, so unlisted and private videos never trigger an email, and a scheduled video triggers one when it goes public. Fans join your list at your Sublark page with just an email address. Auto-Send is off by default, so you approve each email until you turn it on. With Auto-Send on, the email goes out usually within the hour.

Reach every fan, not just the ones the bell picks

Claim your channel on Sublark. Fans get an email for every public upload, sent automatically or after your OK, with no bell setting or daily cap deciding who hears about it.