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How to Transfer Ownership of a YouTube Channel
Moving primary ownership to someone else takes a Brand Account and a 7-day wait — here is the path that actually works.
Is this your situation?
You want to hand primary ownership of a YouTube channel to someone else, not add them as a collaborator. You are checking whether that requires a Brand Account instead of a manager or editor role.
The short answer
To assign yourself as primary owner of a Brand Account, you must have been an owner for 7 days or more. If the channel is not on a Brand Account, you can change managers but not owners.
Before you start
- Confirm the channel is on a Brand Account Ownership transfer is not available otherwise.Verify: Check myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts for the channel's account.
- Check the 7-day clock You must have been an owner for 7 days or more.Verify: Check when you were added as owner.
- Add the person as owner first If you can't find the person, add them as an owner first.Verify: Check the permissions list for their name.
How YouTube handles this
- A Brand Account must have one primary owner.
- As owner, you can assign yourself as primary owner of the Brand Account.
- If the 7-day condition isn't met, you get an error message when trying to become primary owner.
- It is recommended to have at least one other owner in addition to the primary owner.
Step by step
- Confirm the Brand Account You want to check whether the channel is linked to a Brand Account.Where: Google Account → Brand AccountsConfirm: Check the Brand Accounts list for the channel's account.
- Open Brand Account management On a computer, go to the Brand Accounts section and choose an account under "Your Brand Accounts."Where: Google Account → Brand AccountsConfirm: Check that the correct account name appears.
- Open the permissions list Select Manage permissions to find a list of people who can manage the account, including owners.Where: Brand Account → Manage permissionsConfirm: Check the list for owners and their names.
- Add the new owner if needed Choose Invite new users and enter their email addresses.Where: Manage permissions → Invite new usersConfirm: Check that the invite appears in the list.If this fails: You entered the email address and want to try again.
- Wait out the 7-day period After accepting an invite to become an owner, wait 7 days before trying to set yourself as primary owner again.Where: Brand Account → Manage permissionsConfirm: Check the date the invite was accepted.
- Assign primary owner To assign yourself as primary owner, you must have been an owner for 7 days or more.Where: Google Account → Brand Accounts → select accountConfirm: Check the role label next to the name.If this fails: If the 7-day condition isn't met, you will get an error message.
- Verify the result Confirm the new primary owner is recorded correctly.Where: Brand Account → Manage permissionsConfirm: Check the role column for the right person.
- Keep a second owner in place It is recommended to have at least one other owner besides the primary owner.Where: Brand Account → Manage permissionsConfirm: Check the list shows more than one owner.
Before you change who is in control
- Trying to transfer without a Brand Account Without a Brand Account, you can change managers but not owners.Why it happens: You want to change ownership but never set the channel up this way.Already happened: If control has already changed hands — Someone removed me from my YouTube channel
- Skipping the 7-day wait You must have been an owner for 7 days or more to assign yourself primary owner.Why it happens: You added the new owner recently and want to move ahead.
- Manager tries to change primary owner Managers will not have the option to change the primary owner role on desktop.Why it happens: You gave them the Manager role instead of Owner.Already happened: See How to Change Someone's Role on YouTube to correct the role first.
Roles at a glance
| Role | Can transfer ownership | Can become primary owner | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary owner | Can change who is primary owner | Not stated by YouTube | Must have been owner 7 days or more to make the change |
| Owner | Can be made primary owner if the person making the change has been owner 7+ days | Yes, after 7 days or more as owner | Must be owner 7 days before removing managers or owners |
| Manager | No option to change primary owner on desktop | No option to change primary owner on desktop | Cannot delete the channel |
| Manager (Android) | Cannot change the primary owner role | Cannot change the primary owner role | Cannot delete the channel |
| Manager (iOS) | Cannot change the primary owner role | Cannot change the primary owner role | Cannot delete the channel |
Keeping track of who has access
After ownership moves, track of who holds which role matters more, not less. Delvia gives you one place to track owners and managers across your channels.
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