How to Start a YouTube Channel in 7 Steps

Go to youtube.com and click Sign In at the top right. If you don't already have a Gmail account, click Create Account, choose 'For Work or My Business,' and walk through the signup form (name, birthday, password, recovery email).

Your YouTube channel hangs off this Google account, so use one you'll keep long-term. You can use an existing personal Gmail or create a new dedicated one - separating your channel from personal email keeps things tidy if the channel grows.

From the top right, click your profile circle, then 'Create a Channel.' Pick a name (shows next to your videos and on your channel page) and a handle (the @username in your URL and comment section).

Keep the handle short and memorable - both can be changed later, but the handle is your URL so easy-to-remember matters. The name can be anything; the handle has to be unique across all of YouTube.

Click the profile picture upload button. You can pick from YouTube's library or upload from your computer. A clear headshot or a clean logo works best - both build recognition over time.

Click and drag the corners to resize and center the image inside the circle. The crop is forced into a circle, so anything in the corners gets cut off. Click Create Channel when it looks right.

Click your profile > YouTube Studio > Settings > Channel > Feature Eligibility. Open the Intermediate Features dropdown and click Verify Phone Number. Enter your phone, type the code YouTube texts you, submit.

This unlocks videos longer than 15 minutes, custom thumbnails, and live streaming - all things you'll want before your first real upload. Without verification, you're capped at short uploads with auto-generated thumbnails.

In Settings > Upload Defaults, change the default visibility from Public to Unlisted. This gives you time after upload to add your title, description, and thumbnail before anyone sees it.

Add default tags if you have a fixed niche. Under Advanced, set your default language and 'Made for Kids' status (most channels are not made for kids - set No so you don't get asked every upload).

From YouTube Studio, click Customization on the left. Upload a banner (use a Canva template - YouTube banners need to look right on TVs, phones, and computers, so keep important text centered).

Add a description that explains what viewers will get from the channel. Add links to your website and social profiles. Add a watermark that doubles as a subscribe button (shows up in the corner of every video). Click Publish when done.

Click Earn in YouTube Studio. This page tracks your progress toward monetization eligibility: 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 watch hours in the last year or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.

Click 'Email me' so YouTube notifies you when you hit each milestone. Then click 'TURN ON' for 2-Step Verification on the right side - you can't enable monetization without it, so do it now to avoid the bottleneck later.