Frequently asked questions

You need 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 public long-form watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. From February 1, 2027, new applicants need 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 watch hours in 365 days or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days.

With 500 subscribers plus 3,000 watch hours (or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days) you can join the YouTube Partner Program for fan funding (memberships, Super Thanks) and Shopping. It doesn't include ad revenue.

No. Watch time in the Shorts feed doesn't count toward the watch-hour requirement. Shorts count only through the Shorts-views path.

Yes, when they're original and add value. YouTube allows AI as a tool, but mass-produced, template-based or repetitive content isn't monetizable under its inauthentic content policy, whether AI made it or not.

The most common reasons are reused content (clips you didn't make, with little commentary), inauthentic content (template or mass-produced videos), and content that isn't advertiser-friendly. You can appeal within 21 days or re-apply after 30 days.

Usually about a month, sometimes longer when there are many applications.

Yes. All the checkers are free to use without an account.

No. The Video Review and Thumbnail Checker run inside your browser. Your files never leave your device. Only the optional speech check downloads a speech model to your browser, and it also runs locally.

Subscriber counts and public views come from YouTube's public pages. Watch hours and qualified Shorts views aren't public, so we estimate them and label them as estimates. Enter the numbers from YouTube Studio for an exact result.

Often, yes. If a channel offers memberships (the Join button), it's in the YouTube Partner Program, because only partners can offer them. Large channels without memberships are marked “very likely monetized” and you can confirm with one click. Monetized channels get a “stay monetized” check instead: the February 2027 activity rules, Shorts revenue sharing and policy risks.

Check that you entered the handle exactly (for example @yourchannel). Very new channels, or channels YouTube is temporarily not showing publicly, may not load. You can always enter your numbers manually.

MP4 (H.264/H.265), MOV, WebM and MKV work in Chrome and Edge. Safari and Firefox work for most MP4 files. If your browser can't decode a file, export it as H.264 MP4.

It downloads a speech model once (about 80 MB for English, about 250 MB for other languages), then your browser caches it.

No. Only YouTube decides who joins the Partner Program. The score shows how well you meet the published rules and avoid common rejection reasons.

No. An account lets you save your channel checks and come back to them later.

After your password, you also enter a 6-digit code from an authenticator app on your phone (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy). Even if someone gets your password, they can't log in without your phone.

Use one of the recovery codes you saved when you turned on two-factor. Each code works once. Then set up two-factor again on your new phone from My account.

Yes. Click “Continue with Google” on the login page. If you turned on two-factor, you'll still be asked for your authenticator code.

Go to My account. You can download your data as a file, or permanently delete your account and saved checks.