YouTube Brand Account: Owners, Managers and Channel Permissions
A YouTube Brand Account is a Google account made for a brand or business that a YouTube channel can be linked to. It lets several people manage the same channel from their own Google Accounts, without sharing a password. For most day-to-day access YouTube now prefers channel permissions in YouTube Studio, but the Brand Account still matters for one big job: changing who owns the channel.
What is a Brand Account on YouTube?
According to Google Account Help, a Brand Account is a separate account for a business or brand, and several people can manage it through their own Google Accounts. You do not need a separate username or password. Since August 4, 2021, new Brand Accounts can only be linked to YouTube channels and are labelled limited to YouTube.
A personal channel, by contrast, is tied directly to one person's Google Account. That is fine for a solo creator, but it makes a later change of owner harder, because the channel first has to be moved to a Brand Account.
How do I know if my channel is on a Brand Account?
- Open a browser on your computer and sign in to your Google Account.
- Go to the Brand Accounts section of your Google Account (myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts).
- Look under Your Brand Accounts. If your channel's name is listed, it is on a Brand Account.
Primary owner vs owner vs manager
Brand Account roles are not the same as the roles in YouTube Studio. Here is what each Brand Account role can do, based on the YouTube Help page Change channel owners and managers with a Brand Account.
| Brand Account role | What they can do | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Primary owner | Everything an owner can do. Every Brand Account must have exactly one. | If the primary owner deletes the account, the linked channel is deleted too. |
| Owner | The most actions, including deciding who manages the account. | Must have been an owner for 7 days before becoming primary owner. |
| Manager | Can use Google services that support Brand Accounts, such as YouTube. | Cannot change the primary owner. |
| Communications manager | Same as a manager outside YouTube. | Cannot use YouTube. |
Google recommends having at least one additional owner on the account.
What are YouTube channel permissions?
Channel permissions are the access roles you set inside YouTube Studio. YouTube Help says you should use channel permissions to manage access to your channel and calls Brand Account roles for this not recommended. The reason is security: each person gets only the access they need, and nobody has to share a password.
| Channel permission role | What they can do | What they cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Everything, including deleting the channel and managing permissions | Transfer ownership to someone else |
| Manager | View all data, edit details, publish and delete content, manage live streams and permissions | Delete the channel |
| Editor | Edit everything, upload and publish content | Manage permissions or enter contracts |
| Editor (Limited) | Same as Editor | See revenue data |
| Subtitle Editor | Add, edit, publish and delete subtitles on eligible videos | Edit anything else |
| Viewer | See all channel details and revenue data | Edit anything or manage live streams |
| Viewer (Limited) | Same as Viewer | See revenue data |
Source: YouTube Help, Add or remove access to your YouTube channel with channel permissions.
How to add someone to your channel with channel permissions
- Open YouTube Studio and go to Settings, then Permissions.
- Click Invite and enter the person's email address.
- Choose a role from the table above.
- Send the invitation. The person accepts it from the email.
YouTube Help notes that an invite expires after 30 days, and that only managers and the owner can see the names and emails of people with access. To take access away, go back to Settings, then Permissions, select the person and remove them.
Brand Account vs channel permissions: which one should you use?
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Give an editor, manager or assistant access | Channel permissions in YouTube Studio |
| Hide revenue from a team member | Channel permissions: Editor (Limited) or Viewer (Limited) |
| Change the channel's owner, for example after a sale | Brand Account owner and primary owner roles |
| Move the channel to another Google Account | Move channel in YouTube settings (needs a Brand Account) |
The catch: you cannot use both at once. YouTube Help says that to use Brand Account roles you have to opt out of channel permissions, and if you switch back you need to invite everyone again. A channel permissions Owner also cannot transfer ownership. That is why an ownership change usually means opting out of channel permissions first, making the change in the Brand Account, then moving back.
How to create a Brand Account and move your channel to it
YouTube Help's page Move your YouTube channel from one Brand Account to another explains the route. You can create a new Brand Account by making a new channel: sign in to YouTube, open your channel list, choose Create a channel, enter a name and verify your account. Then move your existing channel across:
- Make sure your Google Account is the channel's primary owner.
- In YouTube Studio, go to Settings, then Permissions, remove anyone who has access and opt out of channel permissions.
- On YouTube, click your profile picture and switch to the account linked to the channel you want to move.
- Go to Settings, then Advanced settings, and in the Move channel section choose to move it to your Google Account or a different Brand Account.
- Pick the destination account. If it already has a channel, YouTube asks you to delete that channel first.
- Check how the channel name will appear, then click Move channel and confirm your password if asked.
How to make someone the primary owner (and the 7-day wait)
- In the Brand Accounts section of your Google Account, select the channel's Brand Account and click Manage permissions.
- Choose Invite new users, enter the new person's email and pick the Owner role.
- The new owner accepts the invitation from their email.
- Wait at least 7 days. YouTube Help says you must have been an owner for 7 days or more to be made primary owner. Before that you get an error.
- The current primary owner opens Manage permissions, clicks the arrow next to the new owner's name, chooses Primary owner and clicks Transfer.
- The new primary owner removes any owners and managers who should no longer have access.
The 7-day wait is a safety feature. It stops someone from taking over a channel in minutes, and it gives the current owner time to notice and remove an invite they did not mean to send.
Does a Brand Account change my channel name?
Moving a channel shows you how the name will appear before you confirm, so check that screen. After the move you can still edit the name and handle in YouTube Studio as usual.
Buying a channel? This is how ownership reaches you
When you buy a YouTube channel, ownership should move through these official Brand Account steps, never by handing over a password. This is how our channels are delivered. Within 12–24 hours your own Gmail is added as an owner of the channel. YouTube lets a new owner become primary owner after 7 days, and we help you take primary ownership and remove every other owner.
Do I need a Brand Account for my YouTube channel?
Not to run it. A solo creator can use a personal channel and still invite helpers with channel permissions. You need a Brand Account if you want to change the channel's owner or move it to another Google Account.
What is the difference between an owner and a primary owner?
Both can manage the Brand Account and decide who has access. The primary owner is the single main owner every Brand Account must have. Deleting the primary owner's account also deletes the channel, and only someone who has been an owner for 7 days can become primary owner.
Why can I not make myself primary owner?
Usually because you have been an owner for less than 7 days. YouTube Help says to wait 7 days after accepting the invite and try again. If it still fails, the channel may need to opt out of channel permissions first.
Can a manager delete my YouTube channel?
Not with channel permissions. YouTube Help says a Manager cannot delete the channel. Only the Owner can.
Do invited users need my password?
No. That is the point of channel permissions and Brand Accounts: each person signs in with their own Google Account.
Do subscribers and videos stay when a channel moves to a Brand Account?
The channel and its videos move with it. YouTube Help lists what is lost: the moved channel's watch and search history, Creator Demographic information and gift settings, plus everything on the destination channel if one existed.