Why YouTube ownership transfer requires 7 days

Is this your situation?

The short answer

Before you start

• Confirm your owner tenure You must have been an owner for 7 days or more to assign yourself primary owner.Verify: Check the date you were added as owner.
• Check for a prior invite acceptance After accepting an invite to become an owner, you must wait 7 days before trying again.Verify: Check the date you accepted the invite.
• Rule out channel permissions mode If you can't designate a new primary owner, verify that you're opted out of channel permissions.Verify: Check Settings → Permissions for opt-out status.

How YouTube handles this

• A Brand Account must have one primary owner.
• As the owner of a Brand Account, you can assign yourself as the primary owner.
• On Android, managers cannot change the primary owner role.
• On iOS, managers cannot change the primary owner role.

Step by step

1. Go to your Brand Accounts To set yourself as primary owner, go to the Brand Accounts section of your Google Account.Where: Google Account → Brand AccountsConfirm: Check the list for the account you want to manage.
2. Select the account Select the account you want to manage from the list.Where: Google Account → Brand Accounts → select accountConfirm: Check that the correct Brand Account name is shown.
3. Open Manage permissions 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 names and current roles.
4. Find your name If you can't find your name in the permissions list, you must be added as an owner by another channel owner.Where: Manage permissions → list of peopleConfirm: Check the list for your name and role.
5. Attempt the primary owner change As an owner, you can assign yourself as the primary owner of the Brand Account.Where: Manage permissions → list of peopleConfirm: Check whether the primary owner option is available next to your name.If this fails: An error message means the 7-day condition is not yet met.
6. Check your channel permissions setting If you can't designate a new primary owner, verify that you're opted out of channel permissions.Where: YouTube Studio → Settings → PermissionsConfirm: Check the opt-out status shown on this screen.
7. Wait out the remaining days After accepting an invite to become an owner, wait 7 days before trying to set yourself as primary owner again.Where: Brand Account pageConfirm: Check the date you accepted the owner invite against today's date.

Before you change who is in control

• Trying as a manager Managers will not have the option to change the primary owner role on a Brand Account (Desktop).Why it happens: You expect manager access to cover this change.Already happened: See Manager vs Editor for role limits. What to Do if Your YouTube Channel Was Stolen
• Assuming mobile works differently On Android, managers cannot change the primary owner role.Why it happens: You hope the mobile app gives you an option desktop did not.
• Leaving only one owner It is recommended to have at least one other owner besides the primary owner.Why it happens: You have not planned for what happens if you lose access yourself.Already happened: See how to add a backup owner.

Roles at a glance

Keeping track of who has access