How many hashtags can you use on YouTube?

Up to 60 per video or Short. With more than 60, YouTube ignores every hashtag on the video.

What happens if I use more than 60 hashtags?

YouTube ignores all of them, not only the extra ones. Too many or misleading hashtags can also lead YouTube to remove the video.

Do hashtags work on YouTube?

Yes, for search and browsing: each hashtag links to a page of videos with the same tag, and up to three show by the title. They label a video; the title, thumbnail and description still do most of the work in discovery.

How many hashtags should I use on YouTube Shorts?

YouTube gives no number for Shorts or videos. The rules are the same: up to 60, and fewer stay more relevant. A handful of specific ones is a common choice.

Where do hashtags go on YouTube?

In the title or the description. Hashtags in either place link to results pages. Up to three show by the title.

Which hashtags show above the title?

Up to three that YouTube considers most engaging. They are not always the first three you typed.

What is the difference between tags and hashtags on YouTube?

Hashtags sit in the title or description and link to other videos. Tags are a hidden keyword field of up to 500 characters that YouTube says plays a minimal role in discovery.

Do I need #Shorts on a Short?

YouTube's Shorts page names shape and length as what makes a Short: square or vertical, up to 3 minutes. It does not mention a #Shorts hashtag.

Can a hashtag have spaces?

No. Join the words, as in #TwoWords or #twowords.

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YouTube hashtag limit: how many can you use?

Up to 60 on a video or Short. Add a 61st and YouTube ignores every hashtag on it, not only the extra one. Paste a description below to check it.

Start Free Trial Read the short answer

Checked on October 17, 2026 against 5 sources.

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Hashtags61 / 60

Description599 / 5,000

omnisocials

omnisocials A video that tags everything. Past 60 hashtags, YouTube ignores all of them, so this description gets no hashtag links at all. #shorts #youtube #ytshorts #creator #vlog #tips #howto #diy #tutorial #learn #study #music #cover #dance #funny #comedy #meme #food #recipe #cooking #baking #travel #nature #hiking #camping #fitness #gym #yoga #health #beauty #makeup #style #fashion #art #drawing #design #photo #camera #tech #gadgets #gaming #minecraft #anime #books #reading #writing #money #finance #business #startup #marketing #pets #dogs #cats #garden #home #cleaning #family #kids #viral #trending

Past 60, YouTube ignores every hashtag on the video, not only the extra ones. Up to 3 show by the title.

The short answer

Up to 60 hashtags. Past 60, YouTube ignores all of them.

YouTube's Help Center is direct: "If a video or playlist has more than 60 hashtags, we'll ignore each hashtag on that content." Hashtags go in the title or the description, and each one links to a page of other videos with the same tag. Up to three that YouTube finds "most engaging" show by the title.

YouTube does not recommend a number, but it warns that "the more tags you add, the less relevant they become". Tags are a different, hidden field of up to 500 characters, and YouTube says they "play a minimal role" in discovery. A few relevant hashtags and a clear title do more than 60.

Per video: 60; Past 60, all are ignored
Shown by the title: 3; The ones YouTube finds most engaging
Tags field: 500; Characters, separate from hashtags

Where they count

Where YouTube hashtags go, and what they do. Title, description, tags.

Where hashtags work on YouTube: title, description, Shorts, the tags field and uploads through the API
Place	What happens	Source
Description	Counts toward the 60; each hashtag links to a results page	YouTube Help Center
Title	Hashtags in the title link too and count toward the 60	YouTube Help Center
By the title	Up to 3, the ones YouTube finds most engaging	YouTube Help Center
Shorts	The same rules; YouTube suggests hashtags as you add text	YouTube Help Center
Tags field	Not hashtags: hidden keywords, 500 characters in all	YouTube Help Center; Data API
Uploads through the API	No hashtag field; hashtags live in the title and description text	Data API

Checked on October 17, 2026 against YouTube's hashtag and tag help pages and the Data API's videos resource.

The rules

YouTube's hashtag rules. In YouTube's words.

YouTube's rules for hashtags on videos and Shorts, quoted from YouTube's Help Center
Rule	What YouTube says
More than 60	"We'll ignore each hashtag on that content."
No spaces	"Hashtags don't contain any spaces." Write #TwoWords.
Stay on topic	"Don't add hashtags that are not directly related to the video or playlist."
No misleading tags	Misleading or unrelated hashtags can get a video removed.
Do not over-tag	"The more tags you add, the less relevant they become."
Policy breaks	Hashtags that break YouTube's policies do not show and may be removed.

Tips

Use hashtags that help. Fewer, more relevant.

Pick a few that fit
YouTube sets no ideal number, only the 60 ceiling. A handful of specific hashtags stays relevant to people searching.
Expect YouTube to choose the three
The hashtags by the title are the three YouTube finds most engaging, not always your first three.
Keep the title readable
Hashtags in a title link and count, but they take room from the 100 characters. One at most is plenty.
Write the topic in plain words
YouTube calls the title, thumbnail and description more important for discovery than tags. Name the topic there.
Use tags for misspellings
The hidden tags field helps when people often spell a name or word wrong. Otherwise it does little.
Save your best sets
Keep a few sets for your main topics, so every Short gets a fitting group without retyping.

Hashtag sets

Save your YouTube hashtags as a set and add them to any Short in one click.

Saved Sets
One-Click Insert
First Comment

Sets via MCP
Claude & ChatGPT
and more

Other platforms

The same guide for every network. Each one has its own rules.

Sources

How we built this guide. Checked on October 17, 2026.

The limit and the rules come from YouTube's Help Center, read on October 17, 2026, quoted word for word. YouTube recommends no hashtag count, so the page gives none; counts other guides suggest are tactics, not YouTube rules. The tag limit comes from the YouTube Data API reference.

YouTube Help: Use hashtags for search on YouTubeRead Oct 2026The 60-hashtag rule, the three shown by the title, spaces and relevance.
YouTube Help: Add tags to your YouTube videosRead Oct 2026
YouTube Help: Edit video settingsRead Oct 2026
YouTube Data API: Videos resourceRead Oct 2026Tags: 500 characters in all.
YouTube Help: Upload YouTube ShortsRead Oct 2026

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YouTube hashtag limit: how many can you use?

Check a description against the 60-hashtag limit

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Keep the title readableself.__wrap_n!=1&&self.__wrap_b("«R4suh5»",1)

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Use tags for misspellingsself.__wrap_n!=1&&self.__wrap_b("«R5cuh5»",1)

Save your best setsself.__wrap_n!=1&&self.__wrap_b("«R5kuh5»",1)

Save your YouTube hashtags as a set and add them to any Short in one click.self.__wrap_n!=1&&self.__wrap_b("«Rdj2h5»",1)

The same guide for every network. Each one has its own rules.self.__wrap_n!=1&&self.__wrap_b("«Rj6h5»",1)

How we built this guide. Checked on October 17, 2026.self.__wrap_n!=1&&self.__wrap_b("«R13ah5»",1)

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