Remove claimed content from videos

If your video has a copyright claim, there may be restrictions on where the video is available or whether it can be monetized.

If the claim is for audio in the video, you have a few options to remove these restrictions:

  • Trim out the part of the video with a copyright claim
  • Replace the song with audio from our Audio Library
  • Mute the song

If the claim is for something else, you can:

  • Trim out the part of the video with a copyright claim
Note: If your video has over 100,000 views, or is over 6 hours long, you may not be able to save changes. This restriction doesn’t apply to channels in the YouTube Partner Program.

Find videos with copyright claims

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
  2. From the left menu, click Content.
  3. Filter  for Copyright claims.
  4. In the “Restrictions” column, hover over “Copyright claim” and click SEE DETAILS.
  5. Click SELECT ACTION to see which actions you can take:
Trim out segment
This option lets you completely remove the section of your video with the copyright claim.
  1. Click SELECT ACTION and then Trim out segment.
  2. (Optional) Edit the start time and end time of the section you’re removing.
  3. Click CONTINUE and then TRIM.
If some of the claimed content stays in your video, the claim won’t be released.
Replace song (audio claims only)
The option lets you replace claimed audio in your video with songs from the Audio Library.
  1. Click SELECT ACTION and then Replace song.
  2. Use the search filters to find a new audio track. Click Play to preview tracks.
  3. When you find a song you like, click ADD. The song will appear in the editor in a blue box.
    • Click and drag the box to change when the song should start.
    • Drag the edges of the box to change the amount of the song that plays.
    • Use the zoom options Zoom in for more precise adjustments.
  4. (Optional) Add more tracks.
  5. Click SAVE and then REPLACE. 
Mute song (audio claims only)
This option lets you mute the claimed song in your video. You can choose whether to mute just the song or all of the audio in the video.
  1. Click SELECT ACTION and then Mute song.
  2. Choose how you'd like to mute.
    • Mute all sound when song plays
      • This option mutes all audio during the part of the video with claimed audio.
    • Mute song only (beta)
      • This option mutes just the claimed song. Other audio, like dialogue or sound effects, won’t be muted. 
      • This edit usually takes longer and might not work if the song is hard to remove.
  3. (Optional) Edit the start time and end time of the audio mute.
    • If some of the claimed song stays in your video, the claim won’t be released.
  4. Preview the edit in the video player. 
  5. When you’re ready, click CONTINUE and then MUTE. The edit will now start processing.

If we’re able to mute the copyrighted song we’ll update any restrictions on your video.

Notes:
  • Once you've made an edit, processing times can vary.
  • You can’t make other edits while the video is processing, but you can close the window. The video will remain in its current state until processing is done.
  • When processing is done, refresh the page to check if the edit was successful and the claim was released.

Undo song changes

To undo a song replacement or unmute a song:

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
  2. From the left menu, click Content.
  3. Click the thumbnail of the video you want to edit.
  4. In the left menu, click Editor.
  5. Select More and then Revert to original to remove any changes you made to your video.
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