How to Give Someone Access to Your YouTube Channel (without sharing passwords)

To give someone access to your YouTube channel, go to YouTube Studio > Settings > Permissions > Invite, enter their Google email address, choose a role, and save the invitation. This is the recommended way to manage your channel. 

If they only need to run ads, you can link their Google Ads account to your YouTube channel instead.

Never share your Google password. That one password may also give the person access to your Gmail, Google Analytics, Google Ads, Search Console, and other connected services. It also makes revoking access far more difficult when the collaboration ends. 

🔗 Related article: How to request access to a YouTube channel

Method 1: Give access to your YouTube Channel (via YouTube Studio)

To give someone access to your YouTube channel, invite them through YouTube Studio and assign the appropriate permission level. 

This is the most common way to share channel access because it lets you control what the person can see and do without sharing your Google password.

✅ Before you start: Only the owner or a manager can invite new users or manage permissions in YouTube Studio. 

Step 1: Sign in to YouTube Studio

Go to YouTube Studio and sign in to the channel you want to share.

Make sure you’re using the correct Google account, especially if you own or manage multiple YouTube channels.

Step 2: Open your channel permissions

Click ⚙️ Settings in the bottom-left corner of YouTube Studio, then select Permissions from the left-hand menu.

See a “Move Permissions” option? Your channel still uses legacy Brand Account roles. To be able to assign granular roles such as Editor or Viewed, the Brand Account’s Primary Owner can select Move Permissions and switch to YouTube Studio permissions, which is what YouTube recommends for most teams.

If you don’t see this option, your channel is already using Studio permissions and you can continue to the next step.

Step 3: Invite the person using their Google email address

Click Invite, then enter the email address associated with the person’s Google account.

They must have a Google account to access your channel. If that Google account has never been used with YouTube, they may need to create a basic YouTube channel before they can accept the invitation.

YouTube may also ask you to verify your identity by signing in to your Google account again.

Step 4: Choose the appropriate YouTube role

Select the role that matches the person’s responsibilities, such as Manager, Editor, or Viewer.

Only give collaborators the permissions they need. For example, a video editor will usually need Editor access, while someone who only needs to review performance data may only need Viewer access.

Step 5: Save and send the invitation

Click Done, then click Save to send the invitation (if you don’t click Save, the invitation won’t be sent).

The person will receive an email asking them to accept access to your YouTube channel. Until they accept it, their status will appear as Pending in your channel permissions.

⚠️ Note that YouTube invitations expire after 30 days, so if the person doesn’t accept the invitation before then, you’ll need to send a new one.

Managing access across multiple YouTube channels

If you’re a larger organization that manages multiple YouTube channels (like a media network or MCN), you might also use YouTube Content Manager (CMS) to oversee all channels in one place. 

However, even with CMS, access to an individual channel is still managed through YouTube Studio, so the steps above still apply.

Which YouTube channel permission should you give?

When you invite someone through YouTube Studio, you can assign a role that controls what they can see and do on your channel. The available roles include Manager, Editor, Editor (Limited), Subtitle Editor, Viewer, and Viewer (Limited).

The Owner is shown in YouTube’s permission hierarchy, but it cannot be assigned through the standard YouTube Studio invitation menu. Channel or Brand Account ownership is managed separately.

1. Manager

• Can do almost everything an owner can, except delete the channel.
• Can upload, publish, moderate, view analytics, and invite others.
• Best for: Co-founders, marketing leads, or long-term employees who oversee channel strategy.

⚠️ Careful: Managers can still invite others, so only assign this to highly trusted team members.

2. Editor

• Can upload and publish videos, edit metadata, manage comments and live streams, and link Google Ads accounts.
• Cannot delete published content, manage permissions, or view contracts.
• Best for: Video editors, content managers, or agencies handling uploads and optimization.

💡 Tip: Editor access is usually suitable for an agency that manages your content. It allows the agency to upload, publish, and optimize videos while preventing it from managing permissions, deleting published content, or deleting the channel.

3. Editor (Limited)

• Same as Editor, but cannot view any revenue-related data, including ad earnings, channel memberships, chat revenue, or the Viewer activity tab in Analytics.
• Best for: Freelancers or third parties who don’t need access to sensitive financial info.

4. Subtitle Editor

• Can add, edit, delete, and publish subtitles.
• Cannot upload or edit videos, manage live streams, access analytics, or change settings.
• Best for: Translators, accessibility specialists, or localization partners.

5. Viewer

• Can view analytics, performance data, and revenue.
• Cannot upload or edit content, moderate comments, manage settings, or invite others.
• Best for: Executives, stakeholders, or consultants who just need visibility.

6. Viewer (Limited)

• Same as Viewer, but cannot access revenue-related data.
• Best for: External partners, agencies, or interns who only need super basic insights. It’s also especially useful for temporary collaborators and one-off projects where financial data isn’t relevant. 

❗ Important: Channel permissions currently only apply to your main YouTube channel. This means that invited users won’t be able to access YouTube Music, YouTube Kids, or YouTube APIs, even if they’re editors or managers. If they need that level of access, the channel owner will have to manage those parts directly. 

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When should you grant access to a YouTube channel?

There are plenty of situations where it makes sense to bring others on board your YouTube channel. Let’s look at some common scenarios:

• Outsourcing to a video editor

Your freelance video editor will need access to upload edited videos, update titles/descriptions, and optimize thumbnails directly in YouTube Studio. 

• ‍Collaborating with a social media manager

Social media managers need access to moderate comments, post updates, and monitor engagement so they can grow your channel’s community without constant micromanaging.

• ‍Partnering with a marketing agency

Agencies running campaigns or optimizing your content need permission to view analytics, improve video performance, and connect tools like Google Ads. 

• Getting support for channel maintenance

As your channel grows, you might need to hire someone to organize playlists, update metadata, clean up old videos, or ensure everything aligns with your brand.

• Working with advertisers or paid media specialists

If someone’s running ads for you, they may need to link your channel to Google Ads to build remarketing audiences or track conversions.

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🚫 When not to grant access

• New or unverified partners

Don’t hand over access until you’ve vetted them or signed a contract. Permissions give collaborators significant control, so it’s important to trust them fully.

• Unclear responsibility

If you’re not sure what someone will be doing, hold off on granting access. It’s safer to define tasks first and only give them the level of permission they truly need.

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How to change or remove access to your YouTube channel in YouTube Studio

If someone’s role changes or a collaboration ends, you can easily update or remove their access right in YouTube Studio (no need to reset passwords or revoke Google logins!)

Here’s how: 

1. Go to YouTube Studio and sign in as the channel owner or manager.
2. Click ⚙️ Settings > Permissions.
3. Find the person in your list of collaborators. Click their current role to change it, or scroll down and select “Remove access” to revoke it completely.
4. Click “Save,” and they’ll lose access immediately.

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Method 2: Give YouTube channel access by linking it to a Google Ads account (for ad campaigns only)

If you’re working with a marketing agency or paid ads specialist, they don’t always need full access to your YouTube channel. Instead, you can safely collaborate by linking your channel to their Google Ads account.

This allows them to run ads based on how people interact with your videos. For example, showing ads to people who watched a specific video, visited your channel, or engaged with your content before.

What can a linked Google Ads account do?

• Run video ad campaigns using your channel’s content.‍
• Build remarketing audiences by showing ads to people who’ve previously watched your videos or visited your channel.‍
• View organic video metrics, including view counts and engagement data.‍
• Track earned actions, like new subscribers or comments that result from ad views, and use them as conversions in Google Ads campaigns.

This method does not let them upload content, change settings, or manage anything in YouTube Studio. It’s purely for advertising and audience insights.

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Steps to link YouTube to Google Ads

✅ Before you start: Ask the advertiser for their 10-digit Google Ads customer ID (found in top right corner of Google Ads dashboard). An administrator of the Google Ads account will need to approve the link before it becomes active.

Step 1: Sign in to YouTube Studio

Go to YouTube Studio and sign in to the channel you want to link.

You must have sufficient channel permissions to link a Google Ads account. YouTube currently allows channel Owners, Managers, and Editors to perform this action.

Step 2: Open your channel’s advanced settings

Click ⚙️ Settings in the bottom-left corner of YouTube Studio. Select Channel, then open the Advanced settings tab.

Step 3: Select “Link account”

Scroll down to the Google Ads account linking section and click Link account.

A YouTube channel can be linked to as many as 300 Google Ads accounts. However, you should only retain links to advertisers and agencies that currently work with your business.

Step 4: Enter the Google Ads account details

Enter the following information:

• Link name: Add a clear name that will help you identify the advertiser or agency later.
• Google Ads customer ID: Enter the advertiser’s 10-digit customer ID.
• Permissions: Select which channel data and advertising features the account can use.

The available permissions include:

• View counts: Lets them see organic (non-paid) metrics for your videos.
• Remarketing: Lets them build remarketing audiences (called data segments in Google Ads) based on how viewers previously interacted with your videos or channel.‍
• Engagement: Gives access to earned action data from video ads (like new subscribers or likes) to be used as conversion actions in Google Ads.

Step 5: Save and send the link request

Click Done, then click Save to send the link request.

The Google Ads account administrator must approve the request before the accounts are linked. Until they approve it, the link will remain pending.

Once approved, the advertiser can use the permissions you selected, but they will not gain access to your videos, channel settings, or other YouTube Studio management features.

💡 Tip: If an agency manages your ads, they can also send the request from within their own Google Ads account.

🔗 Related article: How to request access to a YouTube channel

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How to unlink a Google Ads account from your YouTube channel

If you’ve stopped working with someone or simply want to remove their advertising access, you can unlink their Google Ads account anytime from YouTube Studio.

Here’s how:

1. Go to YouTube Studio and sign in as the channel owner, manager, or editor.
2. Click ⚙️ Settings > Channel > Advanced settings.
3. Find the linked Google Ads account, then click Unlink > Unlink again to confirm > Save.

Once unlinked, the advertiser will immediately lose access to any ad data or remarketing audiences connected to your channel.

Any active campaigns using your videos will continue running, but without access to updated engagement or viewer insights.

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What’s the difference between your YouTube channel and YouTube Studio?

Your YouTube channel and YouTube Studio are part of the same account, but they serve different roles.

They’re often used interchangeably, but understanding the difference is helpful before you give someone access to your channel.

YouTube channel

Your YouTube channel is the public-facing page of your account (it’s what viewers see when they search for your brand).

Think of it as your storefront: it holds all your publicly visible videos, playlists, community posts, and subscriber base. 

While you can reply to comments or post updates directly on the channel, almost all management, including comment moderation, happens inside YouTube Studio. This also means that you can’t upload or edit content here. 

YouTube Studio

Your YouTube Studio is the backend dashboard where you manage all aspects of your channel. 

Nearly all day-to-day channel tasks happen here, including:

• Uploading and scheduling videos
• Editing titles, descriptions, and thumbnails
• Managing comments and community posts
• Tracking analytics and revenue
• Setting up playlists and customization
• Assigning roles and permissions

In short, when you give someone access to your YouTube channel, you’re technically giving them permission to manage it through YouTube Studio.

Troubleshooting YouTube channel invitations

Why is the YouTube invitation not arriving or still pending?

First, open YouTube Studio > Settings > Permissions and confirm that the invited email address is correct.

If the invitation appears as Pending, it was sent but has not been accepted. Ask the person to check their spam, junk, and promotions folders and make sure they are looking in the inbox for the Google account you invited.

If they still cannot find or accept it, cancel the pending invitation and send a new one. YouTube invitations expire after 30 days, so expired invitations must also be resent.

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Why does the invitation open the person’s own YouTube channel?

This usually happens when the person opens the invitation while signed in to a different Google account.

Ask them to open the invitation in a private or incognito browser window and sign in only with the Google account you invited. After accepting, they can select their profile picture in YouTube and use Switch account to open the shared channel.

If their Google account has never been used with YouTube, they may first be asked to create a basic YouTube channel for that account.

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Why can’t you find or use the Permissions option?

Make sure you’re signed in to the correct channel. This is particularly important if your Google account owns or manages several YouTube channels.

Only the channel Owner or a Manager can invite users or manage permissions. Editors and Viewers cannot access these controls.

If your channel still uses legacy Brand Account roles, YouTube may ask the channel owner to migrate to YouTube Studio permissions before new collaborators can be invited.