YouTube channel terminated or restricted?
If YouTube has terminated your channel, given you a strike, or removed monetisation, start by reading the email and the notice in YouTube Studio, then use the appeal option YouTube offers for that exact decision. If you live in the EU, you have extra rights: a clear statement of reasons, a free complaint for at least six months, and three certified dispute bodies that list YouTube by name.
What happened to your account?
Pick the one that fits. Each guide has the steps for that case.
- Account disabledYou can't log in. The notice says disabled.
- Account suspendedLocked out for now, with time to disagree.
- Account restrictedLimits on posting, messages, reach or features.
- Appeal deniedYou appealed and they kept the decision.
- How long it takesReview times and the legal time limits.
- Permanently bannedThe notice says the decision is final.
- Business account bannedA Page, shop, ad or creator account is hit.
- Banned by mistakeHacked, mass reported or a wrong automated call.
How YouTube bans work
What YouTube can do to a channel
YouTube works in steps. Knowing which step you are on tells you what to do next.
- Video removed or age restricted. One video comes down or is shown only to signed in adults.
- A warning. YouTube's help pages say a first Community Guidelines violation usually gets a one time warning.
- A strike. Later violations bring strikes, which pause features like uploading or live streaming for a time.
- Monetisation limits. Videos get limited ads, or the channel is removed from the YouTube Partner Program.
- Channel termination. The channel is removed. YouTube says this follows three strikes within 90 days, a single severe violation, or a channel built mainly to break the rules.
Copyright is a separate track. Copyright strikes come from takedown requests by rights holders and have their own appeal tools.
Sometimes the problem is not the channel at all. If your whole Google account is disabled, you lose YouTube, Gmail and other Google services together. That is a different notice and a different appeal.
First steps for every case
- Save the evidence. Screenshot the email and the notice in YouTube Studio, with the date.
- Identify the system. Community Guidelines, copyright, monetisation, or Google account. Each has its own appeal.
- Appeal once, clearly. Short, specific, factual.
- Get your data. While the channel is still up, download your videos and channel data through Google's export tool. After a termination, ask for it under the GDPR.
- Do not open a new channel. YouTube treats that as getting around the termination.
- Ignore paid "recovery" offers. Never share your login with anyone.
Your rights if you live in the EU
Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), YouTube must give you a statement of reasons when it removes content, limits visibility, suspends or ends monetisation, or suspends or closes an account. It must name the facts, the rule, whether automated tools were used, and how to challenge it.
You can complain through YouTube's internal system, free, for at least six months from the day you were told about the decision. The review must not rely on automated means alone, and a wrong decision must be reversed without undue delay.
You can also go to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body, with or without an in-app appeal first. Appeals Centre Europe, User Rights and Platform Control all list YouTube. It is free or costs a nominal fee, and the body decides within 90 days of receiving your complaint. The decision is not binding, but YouTube must engage in good faith. Our dispute body finder helps you compare them. Your right to go to court remains.
These rights cover people who live in the EU. In the UK, Norway or elsewhere, YouTube's own appeal is your main route. The free ban checker shows which steps fit your situation.
What you stand to lose
A ban on YouTube takes more than a profile. Think about what is on the account before you decide what to do.
- Years of photos, videos and posts you may not have saved anywhere else
- Messages and contacts, sometimes the only way you reach certain people
- The followers, subscribers or community you built
- Income: sales, sponsorships, payouts and the customers who find you there
- Other apps and sites where you sign in with this account
On YouTube specifically
- YouTube's help pages say that after a termination you lose access to your Studio dashboard and other features. You can still sign in to YouTube Studio to see the details of the termination.
- Partner Program money. YouTube's help pages say a terminated channel no longer earns revenue, and YouTube may withhold unpaid earnings.
- Your other channels. YouTube's help pages say that after a termination you may not use, own or create any other YouTube channel.
Deadlines that are already running
- YouTube's help pages say you have up to 1 year from the termination date to appeal, with at most two appeals in that year.
- YouTube's help pages say that once a channel is terminated, you can no longer download your YouTube content. You can still download your Google data.
- Complaint to YouTube: open for at least six months from the day YouTube told you about the decision (DSA Art. 20).
- Copy of your data: free, and YouTube must answer within one month of your request (GDPR Art. 15). It is worth asking now.
Ban messages explained
Dispute bodies for YouTube
Checked on 21 October 2026 against the European Commission's official list (last updated 11 September 2026). Bodies can change their rules, so check the body's own website before you file.
Questions people ask
Can I appeal a YouTube channel termination?
Yes. YouTube offers an appeal for terminations and for strikes, through YouTube Studio or its help forms. If you live in the EU, you can also take the decision to a certified dispute body that lists YouTube.
What is the difference between a warning and a strike on YouTube?
YouTube's help pages say a first violation usually gets a warning with no penalty beyond removal. Later violations get strikes, which freeze some features for a time and can lead to termination.
Are copyright strikes and Community Guidelines strikes the same?
No. They are separate systems with separate appeal routes. Copyright strikes come from rights holders' takedown requests, and you answer them with a counter notification or by asking for a retraction.
Can I start a new channel if mine was terminated?
YouTube's rules say you may not use or create other channels to get around a termination. Doing so can get the new channel removed and weaken your appeal.