> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.publishbuddy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How do I set a YouTube title, category, visibility and thumbnail?

> The YouTube fields in the composer: title, description, category, visibility, license and thumbnail.

YouTube posts are video uploads. Each one needs a video and a title. The composer adds YouTube's own fields when your YouTube account is active. If you haven't connected your channel yet, see [Connect YouTube](/help/connect/youtube).

## Upload a video to YouTube

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick your channel">
    Click **New Post** and pick your YouTube account under **Accounts**. If you picked other accounts too, click the YouTube avatar above the text box.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the title">
    Type it in **Title**, above the text box.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the description">
    The text box becomes the video's description. It holds up to 5,000 characters.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add one video">
    Upload your video. YouTube takes video only, so images and text-only posts won't work.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the YouTube fields">
    Below the text box, check **Category**, **Visibility** and **License**. The next section explains each one.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Schedule it">
    Pick a time, or add it to your queue.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If something is missing when you save, you'll see one of these:

* "Title field is required." means **Title** is empty.
* "Youtube does not support this type of post." means there's no video.

## The YouTube fields

| Field | What it does | Default |
| - | - | - |
| **Title** | The video's title on YouTube | Empty. You must fill it in. |
| **Category** | The YouTube category, like **Education**, **Gaming** or **Howto & Style** | **Entertainment** |
| **Visibility** | **Public**, **Unlisted** or **Private** | **Public** |
| **License** | **Youtube** for the standard YouTube license, or **Creative Common** | **Youtube** |

**Visibility** works the way it does on YouTube:

* **Public:** anyone can find and watch it.
* **Unlisted:** only people with the link can watch it.
* **Private:** only you, and people you share it with on YouTube, can watch it.

**Creative Common** lets others reuse your video under YouTube's Creative Commons license. Leave it on **Youtube** if you're not sure.

There's no tags field. You can put #hashtags in the description instead.

## Add a custom thumbnail

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the Thumbnail tile">
    When you add a video, a **Thumbnail** tile appears next to it. It says **Add thumbnail**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick an image">
    Click the tile, or drag an image onto it. For YouTube it must be a JPG or PNG, up to 2 MB.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If the image doesn't fit, the tile shows why, like "Thumbnail must be 2MB or smaller for the selected network(s)." When you also post the video to Facebook or Instagram, the strictest rule applies to all of them.

YouTube may not accept custom thumbnails until your channel is verified with YouTube.

## Reels and Shorts

You can pick **Post** or **Reel** for YouTube. **Story** isn't available. PublishBuddy uploads a Reel the same way as any video. YouTube decides if it shows as a Short.

## Follow-up comments

On Pro and Business, you can add a follow-up comment to your video. On YouTube, comments are text only. See [Add a follow-up comment](/help/posts/follow-up-comments).

## Related

* [Connect YouTube](/help/connect/youtube)
* [Change a post for just one network](/help/posts/customize-per-network)
* [Character, image and video limits for each network](/help/limits/media-limits)
* [My post failed](/help/troubleshooting/post-failed)


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