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How to Reupload a Video to YouTube: The Definitive Guide

So, you need to reupload a video to YouTube. Life happens. Maybe you discovered a glaring error after publishing, had to remove it for copyright reasons, or simply want to breathe new life into older content. Don’t fret, it’s a common scenario. Directly speaking, reuploading to YouTube involves deleting the original video and uploading the corrected or updated version as a completely new video. There isn’t a “replace” button, unfortunately. This means you’ll need to take a few steps to minimize the impact on your audience and channel metrics.

Why Reupload? Understanding Your Motivation

Before we dive into how, let’s quickly consider why. The reasons for reuploading are varied:

Addressing Errors: Perhaps a factual inaccuracy, a distracting visual glitch, or a sound issue needs fixing.
Copyright Claims: Sometimes, YouTube’s content ID system flags a video incorrectly, but sometimes, you genuinely need to remove copyrighted material and reupload.
Quality Improvements: Maybe you’ve learned new editing techniques or upgraded your equipment and want to improve the video’s visual or audio quality.
Updating Information: Information becomes outdated. Reuploading with updated facts and figures keeps your content relevant.
Refreshing Content: Older videos might benefit from a new thumbnail, title, or description to attract a wider audience. This may give the video a new life.

Understanding your “why” will help you strategically reupload your video.

The Step-by-Step Reuploading Process

Here’s a breakdown of the reuploading process, optimized for minimal disruption:

Download the Original Video (If Possible): Ideally, you have the original project file. If not, download the video from YouTube itself. Go to your YouTube Studio, find the video, click on the three vertical dots (…), and select “Download.” Be aware that the downloaded version may be lower quality than your original upload.
Edit the Video: Using your preferred video editing software, make the necessary corrections or updates. Ensure you address the reason for reuploading in the first place.
Prepare Your Upload Assets: Optimize your video file for YouTube. This includes using the correct resolution (1080p or 4K is ideal), aspect ratio (16:9), and file format (MP4 is recommended). Prepare a compelling thumbnail, title, description, and tags. Metadata optimization is crucial for discoverability.
Delete the Original Video: This is the critical and slightly painful step. In YouTube Studio, locate the original video, click the three vertical dots (…), and choose “Delete forever.” Confirm your decision, as this action is irreversible. Be 100% certain you have a backup before doing this.
Upload the New Video: Click the “Create” button (camera icon) in the top right corner of YouTube and select “Upload video.” Choose your edited video file and let the upload process begin.
Optimize the New Video: While the video uploads, meticulously fill in the title, description, tags, and thumbnail. Use keywords relevant to your video’s content and your target audience. Pay close attention to creating an engaging thumbnail.
Set Visibility and Schedule (If Necessary): Decide whether to publish the video immediately (“Public”), keep it private (“Private”), or schedule it for a future date (“Scheduled”). If you had a launch strategy for your first video and had a strong launch, you might want to re-think the schedule.
Add End Screens and Cards: Utilize end screens and cards to promote other videos on your channel or direct viewers to external websites.
Monitor and Engage: After publishing, actively monitor the video’s performance in YouTube Analytics. Respond to comments and engage with your audience.

Minimizing the Impact of Reuploading

Reuploading inevitably results in some lost views, likes, and comments from the original video. Here’s how to mitigate the damage:

Announce the Reupload: Before deleting the original video, create a short “announcement” video explaining why you’re reuploading and directing viewers to the new version once it’s live. Upload this announcement video a few days before you reupload your edited video.
Use Cards and End Screens: Once the new video is live, add cards and end screens to your announcement video, linking directly to the reuploaded content.
Update Playlists and Embeds: Update any playlists that contained the original video to include the new version. Also, if you’ve embedded the video on other websites, update those embeds with the new video’s URL.
Communicate on Social Media: Inform your followers on other social media platforms that you’ve reuploaded the video and provide a link.
Pin a Comment: Pin a comment on the new video acknowledging the reupload and explaining the changes you’ve made.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some commonly asked questions about reuploading videos to YouTube:

1. Can I simply replace a video on YouTube without reuploading?

No, YouTube does not offer a direct “replace” feature. You must delete the original video and upload the new version as a separate video.

2. Will I lose all the views, likes, and comments when I reupload a video?

Yes, deleting the original video will result in the loss of all associated views, likes, comments, and watch time. This is the primary downside of reuploading.

3. How can I avoid losing subscribers when I reupload?

Reuploading itself won’t directly cause you to lose subscribers. However, failing to inform your audience about the reupload or consistently reuploading videos due to poor quality control can negatively impact your channel and potentially lead to subscriber churn.

4. Is there a way to transfer the comments from the old video to the new one?

Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t provide a feature to directly transfer comments from one video to another. You can manually copy and paste a few important comments into the comment section of the new video, if you wish.

5. What’s the best way to notify my subscribers about the reupload?

The best approach is to create a short announcement video explaining the reason for the reupload and directing them to the new video. Share this video on your channel and across your social media platforms.

6. Does reuploading affect my channel’s ranking in search results?

Potentially. While YouTube hasn’t explicitly stated this, consistently deleting and reuploading videos could signal to the algorithm that your content is unreliable or problematic, which might negatively impact your channel’s ranking over time. However, if the new video has significantly improved metadata, it might boost your visibility.

7. Should I unlist the old video before deleting it?

Unlisting the video provides no functional advantage when you’re going to reupload. Since you’re going to delete it, there’s no point in unlisting it.

8. What if I only need to change the title or description? Do I still need to reupload?

No. You can easily edit the title, description, tags, thumbnail, and other metadata directly in YouTube Studio without reuploading the video. Reuploading is only necessary when you need to modify the video content itself.

9. What if I accidentally deleted the original video and don’t have a backup?

This is a difficult situation. If you don’t have a local backup, you might be out of luck. There are some third-party data recovery tools that might be able to retrieve the video from your computer’s hard drive, but success isn’t guaranteed. This emphasizes the importance of always backing up your video files.

10. Is it against YouTube’s terms of service to reupload a video?

No, reuploading videos is not inherently against YouTube’s terms of service. However, repeatedly reuploading videos with minor changes solely to game the algorithm or engage in manipulative practices could potentially violate YouTube’s policies.

11. How long should I wait before deleting the original video after uploading the new one?

Ideally, wait at least a few days after uploading the new video to allow viewers time to transition and to ensure the new video is performing as expected. Monitor the analytics of both videos to see how your audience is moving.

12. I reuploaded a video, but the new one isn’t getting as many views as the original. What can I do?

This is a common concern. Focus on promoting the new video through your announcement video, social media, cards, and end screens. Ensure your video’s metadata (title, description, tags, thumbnail) is highly optimized for search and discovery. It takes time for a new video to gain traction. Be patient and keep creating great content.