How to Get a YouTube Copyright Strike Removed

A copyright strike puts your channel one step closer to the three-strike limit – and since mid-2025, it no longer simply disappears on its own. There are exactly three legitimate ways to remove a copyright strike, and they work very differently: one depends on you, one on the claimant, and one on a legal process. This guide explains how to remove a copyright strike on YouTube as of October 2026, how to choose a route and what never works. For how copyright strikes differ from warnings and Community Guidelines strikes, see our overview of YouTube strikes.

How to remove a copyright strike on YouTube: which route fits?

You remove a copyright strike in one of three ways: let it expire after 90 days with Copyright School completed, get the claimant to retract their removal request, or file a counter notification if the takedown was a mistake. Which route fits depends on whether the claim was valid and whether you can talk to the claimant.

Do YouTube copyright strikes expire?

Yes – but only if you complete Copyright School. Since about August 2025, YouTube’s rule is that a copyright strike expires after 90 days if you have completed Copyright School and the channel has fewer than three copyright strikes. Without Copyright School, the strike stays active on your channel. Copyright School consists of four questions and only needs to be completed once.

While a copyright strike is active, YouTube’s page names one feature restriction: live streaming, blocked for 7 days after the first strike and 14 days after a further one.

How do I ask the claimant to retract a copyright strike?

You ask for a retraction by contacting the claimant named in the strike, explaining briefly why the removal should be withdrawn and attaching your proof. Only the claimant can retract. If they agree, they email copyright@youtube.com from the address or domain used for the original request, including their full name; the strike is removed – unless other videos are tied to it – and the video is restored if you haven’t deleted it. A claimant can’t retract only the strike while keeping the removal in place.

1. Identify the claimantFind the name of the claimant in the copyright details of the removed video in YouTube Studio, then look up their official contact – a label, publisher or creator’s business address.
2. Collect your proofLicense, written permission, raw footage, purchase records for production music – whatever shows the use was authorized or the material is yours. Music is a frequent trouble spot; our guide to music channel copyright explains why.
3. Write a short, factual requestUse the template below. One page, no threats, no lecture on copyright law.
4. Offer a reasonable fix if it helpsRemoving a segment or adding a credit can make it easy to say yes. Put any agreement in writing.
5. Follow up onceIf there is no reply after a reasonable time, send one polite reminder. Then decide between waiting out the 90 days and a counter notification.

Subject: Request to retract copyright removal – [video title]

Hello [name],

On [date], my video "[video title]" on my channel
[channel name / URL] was removed after a copyright removal
request from [claimant name]. My channel received a strike.

I believe the removal is based on a misunderstanding:
[one or two factual sentences – e.g. "The clip at 2:10–2:25
is my own recording from [date]; the raw file is attached."
or "I licensed this track from [source] on [date]; the
license is attached."]

[Optional: I am happy to remove the segment / add a credit
if you prefer.]

If you agree, YouTube accepts retractions sent to
copyright@youtube.com from the email address or domain used
for the original request, including your full name.

Thank you for your time.
[Your name] – [channel URL]

• Be brief and polite – the claimant owes you nothing, and goodwill is your only lever.
• Attach proof instead of describing it.
• Write as yourself, from your channel’s business email, with your channel URL.
• Keep copies of everything – you may need them for a counter notification or a later appeal.

When should I file a counter notification instead?

File a counter notification only when the takedown was a mistake or a misidentification and the claimant won’t retract – for example, the material is entirely yours, you hold a license, or the claimant doesn’t own what they claimed. It is a legal request made under penalty of perjury, YouTube shares your full name, address and phone number with the claimant, and the claimant then has 10 US business days to show they have sued you. Knowingly false statements can make you liable for damages, costs and attorneys’ fees under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f). Read our full guide to the YouTube counter notification before you decide, and talk to a licensed attorney if a lawsuit is realistic.

What doesn’t remove a copyright strike?

Deleting the video doesn’t remove a copyright strike – YouTube’s rule is explicit, with one exception: if a removal request is scheduled, deleting the video within its 7-day notice period prevents the strike. Several other moves don’t work either:

• Re-uploading an edited version. The strike stays on the original removal, and a re-upload can trigger a new claim or strike.
• Asking TeamYouTube. Its help page lists copyright disputes with a rights holder among the things it can’t help with. YouTube doesn’t mediate ownership disputes.
• Disputing a claim instead. A Content ID dispute is a different process for claims, not strikes – see copyright strike vs. Content ID claim.
• Paying a stranger. Nobody outside YouTube and the claimant can remove a strike. If someone demands money in exchange for withdrawing a takedown, document it and read false copyright strikes and claims.

What happens if I get three copyright strikes?

Channels with three copyright strikes within 90 days are subject to termination. The account is terminated together with any associated channels, all uploaded videos become inaccessible and you can’t create new channels. A linked channel with three active strikes can also put your channel at risk. Copyright terminations are excluded from YouTube’s Second Chances pilot. If you are at two strikes, the routes above are urgent; if the channel is already gone, read channel terminated for copyright strikes.

Two strikes is also the point where a prepared termination appeal is worth having before you need it. The Appeal Kit includes a copyright-strike template – short for the form, long for follow-ups – plus the 5-part structure and the 12 mistakes that get appeals rejected. One-time €87, 30-day no-questions refund, and we never ask for your password.

What should you not do with a copyright strike?

• Don’t delete the video after the strike is issued. It won’t remove the strike and it rules out restoring the video.
• Don’t skip Copyright School. Without it, the strike stays active beyond 90 days.
• Don’t file a counter notification for material you had no right to use. It is a sworn legal statement.
• Don’t threaten or insult the claimant. A retraction depends entirely on their goodwill.
• Don’t re-upload the removed video, edited or not, while the dispute is open.
• Don’t pay anyone who claims they can make strikes disappear through contacts at YouTube.

Frequently asked questions