YouTube lets you invite other people to edit, upload, and manage your channel without giving them your password

To add a collaborator on YouTube, you go to your channel settings, find the user permissions section, and send an invite to their email address. The person you invite can then accept or decline. Once they accept, they can upload videos, edit existing ones, manage comments, and access analytics — depending on which permissions you give them.

You need to be the channel owner or have manager-level permissions to invite collaborators. The person you're inviting needs a Google account, but they don't need their own YouTube channel.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to YouTube Studio, select Settings, then Permissions, and click Invite to add a collaborator by their email address.
  • You can choose between three permission levels: Manager (can invite others and change channel settings), Editor (can upload and edit videos but not change settings), and Viewer (can only see analytics and reports).
  • The person you invite receives an email and must accept the invitation before they can access your channel.
  • You can remove a collaborator at any time from the same Permissions page, and they lose access immediately.

Step-by-step: Inviting a collaborator

Open YouTube Studio on a computer (the mobile app does not have this feature). Click your profile picture in the top right corner and select YouTube Studio.

On the left sidebar, click Settings. Then click Permissions. You will see a section labeled "Invite people to manage your channel." Click the blue Invite button.

Type the email address of the person you want to add. A dropdown will appear showing their Google account name and profile picture. Click on their name to select them. Then choose their permission level from the dropdown menu: Manager, Editor, or Viewer. Click Invite.

YouTube sends them an email invitation. They must click the link in that email and sign in with their Google account to accept. Once they accept, they appear in your Permissions list as active.

What each permission level can do

Manager is the highest level. Managers can upload videos, edit existing videos, delete videos, manage comments and community posts, change channel settings (like the channel name and description), invite other collaborators, and remove other people from the channel. Give this level only to people you trust completely.

Editor can upload videos, edit and delete videos they uploaded, manage comments, and see analytics. They cannot change channel settings or invite other people. This is the right level for someone who helps you produce content but should not make decisions about the channel itself.

Viewer can only see analytics, reports, and channel data. They cannot upload, edit, or delete anything. Use this for team members who need to track performance but should not touch the videos themselves.

What happens after you send an invite

The person you invited receives an email from YouTube at the address you entered. The email contains a link that says something like "You've been invited to manage a YouTube channel." They click that link, sign in with their Google account if needed, and see a page asking them to accept or decline.

If they accept, they are added to your channel immediately and can start working. If they decline, nothing happens — you can send another invite later. If they do not respond within 30 days, the invitation expires and you need to send a new one.

While waiting for them to accept, you can see their invitation status in the Permissions page. It shows "Invitation pending" next to their name.

Removing a collaborator

Go back to YouTube Studio, click Settings, then Permissions. Find the person you want to remove in the list. Click the three-dot menu next to their name and select Remove. They lose access to your channel immediately and receive a notification that they have been removed.

Removing someone does not delete any videos they uploaded or changes they made. Those remain on your channel. You can remove a collaborator at any time, even if they are currently working on something.

Troubleshooting common problems

If the person says they never received the invitation email, ask them to check their spam or promotions folder — YouTube invitations sometimes land there. You can also resend the invite by going back to Permissions and clicking Invite again with their email address. YouTube will send a new email.

If they accepted the invitation but cannot see the channel, have them sign out of YouTube completely and sign back in. Sometimes the channel does not appear until they refresh their account. If that does not work, remove them and send a new invite.

If you see an error message when trying to invite someone, make sure you typed their email address correctly and that they have an active Google account. You cannot invite someone who does not have a Google account, even if they have a YouTube channel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I invite someone who does not have a YouTube channel?

Yes. They only need a Google account. They can use any email address associated with a Google account, including Gmail, or a non-Gmail address that they have linked to Google. They do not need to have created their own YouTube channel.

Can a collaborator see my channel's revenue and earnings?

Only if you give them Manager permissions. Managers can see the Monetization section in YouTube Studio, which shows ad revenue, channel memberships, and other earnings. Editors and Viewers cannot see this information.

What if I want to give someone access to only one video?

YouTube does not support per-video permissions. When you invite a collaborator, they get access to your entire channel at whatever permission level you choose. If you need someone to edit only one video, you can download it, send it to them outside YouTube, and re-upload their version yourself.

Can I change someone's permission level after I invite them?

Yes. Go to Permissions, find their name, click the three-dot menu, and select Change Role. Choose the new permission level and confirm. The change takes effect immediately.

Do collaborators need to be in the same country as me?

No. Collaborators can be anywhere in the world. They just need a Google account and an internet connection. There are no geographic restrictions on who you can invite.