To create a YouTube channel in 2026, sign in with a Google Account, open Settings > Add or manage channel(s) > Create a channel, then add a picture, name and handle. This guide covers personal vs Brand Account channels, phone verification, current banner and profile picture specs, and the YouTube Partner Program thresholds for India (500 or 1,000 subscribers).
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YouTube is still one of the best places to share your creativity, teach what you know or build a brand, and for some creators a channel becomes a real income stream.
If you’ve been thinking about it, this guide shows you how to create a YouTube channel using the menus YouTube uses today, not the 2021 layout. We checked every step, setting name and eligibility rule against YouTube’s own Help Center in September 2026.
How to Create a YouTube Channel in 3 Steps (2026)
To create a new YouTube channel, sign in to YouTube with a Google Account, open Settings and select Add or manage channel(s), then click Create a channel, choose a profile picture, name and handle, and click Create channel. The whole process takes a few minutes and works on a computer or the mobile site.
You need a Google Account to sign in to YouTube. If you’ve signed in to Gmail, Maps or Blogger before, you already have one. If not, create one from YouTube: go to YouTube, click Sign in in the top right, click Create Account and choose For my personal use, For my child or For work or my business.
You don’t need a Gmail address. Google’s account creation guide confirms you can sign up with an existing non-Gmail email address instead.
Step 2: Open Settings and select Add or manage channel(s)
Uploading videos, commenting and making playlists all need a channel. Once you’re signed in, click your profile picture, then Settings. In the Account section, select Add or manage channel(s), then click Create a channel.
Step 3: Add your picture, name and handle, then click Create channel
Choose a profile picture, type in your channel name and pick a handle (the @name people use to find and mention you). Click Create channel and you’re live. Not sure what to call it? Try our free YouTube channel name generator before you commit.
Handles must be 3 to 30 characters for most scripts, can’t look like a URL or phone number and must not already be taken, according to YouTube’s handle guidelines. You can change your handle and your channel name up to 2 times in any 14-day period.
How to create a YouTube channel on mobile
YouTube’s Help Center lists the same steps for a computer and the mobile site, so on a phone you can open youtube.com in your browser, sign in and follow Steps 1 to 3 exactly. After the channel exists, the YouTube Studio app lets you edit your Home tab and invite people to manage the channel from your phone.
Check the age requirements first
The YouTube Terms of Service say you must be at least 13 to use YouTube. Google’s age requirements page sets 13 as the minimum age to manage your own Google Account in India, but AdSense needs you to be 18 or older, which matters later when you want to get paid. People using YouTube with a supervised experience may not be able to create a channel at all.
Personal Channel or Brand Account: Which Should You Create?
Create a personal channel if you’ll run it alone under your own name. Create a channel with a business or other name (a Brand Account) if you want a brand name or several owners and managers. For businesses, it decides who can own the channel later.
Personal channel vs Brand Account channel on YouTube (YouTube Help Center, September 2026)
What you’re deciding
Personal channel
Channel with a business or other name
Where you start
Settings > Add or manage channel(s) > Create a channel
Your channel list > Create a new channel
Who manages it
Designed for 1 manager (you); invite helpers through channel permissions
Built to have more than 1 owner or manager
Name on YouTube
The name you type during setup
A business or brand name different from your Google Account
Transferring ownership
Not possible unless you convert to a Brand Account
Possible: owners control who manages the account
Best for
Solo creators, hobbyists, personal brands
Businesses, teams and agencies running a client channel
How to create a channel with a business or other name
Sign in and go to your channel list. Click Create a new channel, choose a profile picture, name and handle, then click Create channel. This creates a new Brand Account. If you already manage a Brand Account without a channel, select it from the list instead; a Brand Account that already has a channel can’t get a second one.
Since August 4, 2021, new Brand Accounts can only be linked to YouTube channels, according to Google’s Brand Accounts overview.
Give your team access with channel permissions
YouTube now recommends channel permissions over Brand Account roles. You can invite people at levels such as Manager, Editor or Viewer without sharing your password. Invites expire after 30 days. A warning from YouTube’s owners and managers guide: if you delete the primary owner account linked to your channel, the channel is deleted too.
How to Verify Your New YouTube Channel
Verify your phone number in YouTube Studio right after you create your channel. Phone verification unlocks intermediate features such as videos longer than 15 minutes, custom thumbnails and live streaming, and it’s the first step toward the advanced features you’ll need to monetize.
Complete phone verification
On a computer, sign in to YouTube Studio and click Settings > Channel > Feature eligibility > Intermediate features > VERIFY PHONE NUMBER. YouTube sends a code by text or voice call. Per its verification page, a verified account can upload videos longer than 15 minutes, add custom thumbnails, live stream and appeal copyright claims.
A phone number can only be linked to 2 channels per year. If the text doesn’t arrive within a few minutes, try the voice call option.
Unlock advanced features
Advanced features include pinned comments and higher daily upload limits. After phone verification, you get them by building enough channel history or by verifying with a valid ID or a short video, as YouTube’s feature eligibility guide explains. ID and video review usually takes 24 hours, and only primary channel owners can verify their identity.
How to Customize Your YouTube Channel: Banner, Picture, Links and Trailer
Every branding and profile setting now lives in YouTube Studio under Customization > Profile, while your trailer and sections live under Customization > Home tab. Set these up before your first upload.
YouTube banner size and safe area
Your banner works like a cover photo at the top of your channel. YouTube’s channel branding guidelines set a minimum upload of 2048 x 1152 px at a 16:9 ratio, a recommended 2560 x 1440 px (especially for TV) and a file size of 6 MB or smaller.
The same image is used on computers, phones and TVs, but each device crops it differently. At the minimum dimension, only the central 1235 x 338 px safe area is guaranteed to show, so keep your text, logo and tagline inside it. The old 1546 x 423 px safe area from earlier guides no longer applies.
To upload it, sign in to YouTube Studio, select Customization > Profile, click CHANGE under the banner, adjust the crop preview, click DONE and then PUBLISH.
Tools for creating YouTube channel art
Canva’s YouTube banner maker and Adobe Express’s YouTube banner maker both offer ready-made templates you can customize in minutes. Figma and Adobe Photoshop give you more control. Whichever you use, start from a 2560 x 1440 px canvas and mark the safe area before adding text.
Tips for YouTube channel art that looks right everywhere
Keep anything important (branding, text, taglines, faces) inside the safe area so it’s always visible. YouTube also advises against adding shadows, borders or frames to the file. Preview the crop before you publish, because a design that looks balanced on a laptop can lose its edges on a phone.
Add your profile picture
Your profile picture shows on your channel, your videos and your public actions across YouTube, so pick something recognizable at a tiny size, like a logo or a clear headshot. It renders at 98 x 98 px, must be a JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG file (no animated GIFs) and can’t exceed 15 MB. Change it under Customization > Profile and click PUBLISH.
Write your channel description
Your description appears in the channel header, and you edit it under Customization > Profile. In our experience, the opening lines matter most: say who the channel is for and what you post, using words people would search. For keyword ideas, see our guide to YouTube SEO for brands.
Add links and a contact email
According to YouTube’s channel profile settings, you can showcase up to 14 links on your channel. The first link appears near the subscribe button and the rest show when viewers click to see more. Add them under Customization > Profile > Links > Add link. In the same screen, add a business email under Contact info.
Add a channel trailer
A channel trailer previews your channel for people who haven’t subscribed yet. Go to Customization > Home tab, click ADD section > Channel trailer, pick a video and click Publish. YouTube’s layout guide notes that a viewer won’t see the trailer again once they’ve watched it, and you can add up to 12 custom sections to the Home tab.
How to Make Money After You Create Your YouTube Channel
You can apply to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) in India once you reach 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days and either 3,000 watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days. Ad revenue sharing starts at 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views.
Live in a country or region where YPP is available (India is on the list).
Have no active Community Guidelines strikes.
Turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google Account.
Have advanced features access on YouTube.
Link 1 active AdSense for YouTube account, or set one up inside YouTube Studio when you apply.
The 2 YouTube Partner Program eligibility tiers
The expanded YouTube Partner Program is available in India. At the lower tier (500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days, plus 3,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months or 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days), you get fan funding and Shopping: channel memberships, Super Chat and Super Stickers, Super Thanks, Jewels and gifts, and Shopping.
At the higher tier (1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days), you also earn a share of ad revenue and YouTube Premium revenue. Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts Feed don’t count toward the 4,000 hours, and neither do private, unlisted or deleted videos.
How to apply for YPP
Sign in to YouTube Studio, click Earn in the left menu and select Apply Now. Review and accept the base terms, then set up or link your AdSense for YouTube account. Decisions typically take about 1 month, and a first rejection lets you reapply after 30 days. YouTube is also updating YPP terms from February 1, 2027, so existing partners should accept the new terms in Studio by January 31, 2027.
YPP isn’t the only route. In our experience, brand sponsorships can start well before YPP, but YouTube requires you to tick the paid promotion box in your video details whenever a video includes branded content, sponsorships or endorsements. Once you’re in YPP, YouTube Shopping lets you connect your merchandise store and promote other brands’ products, if you meet its requirements. Our guide on how to make money with YouTube videos covers each option.
Tips for Starting Strong With Your New YouTube Channel
A new channel grows fastest with a clear purpose, a defined audience and a steady upload habit. These beginner tips come from our work on brand and creator channels, not from YouTube’s rulebook.
Know your goal and your niche
Decide whether the channel exists to teach, entertain, sell or build authority, and pick a niche you can make 50 videos about. Study what already works for that audience, then fill the gap.
Start recording before you feel ready
Don’t fret about your camera; most phones are good enough to start. Prioritize clear audio, because viewers forgive average video far more easily than muddy sound.
Use search and analytics from day 1
Write titles and descriptions around what people search for, then check YouTube Analytics in Studio every week to see which videos keep viewers watching.
Create a YouTube Channel: FAQs
Is it free to create a YouTube channel?
Yes. YouTube’s official steps to create a YouTube channel don’t involve any payment. You only need a Google Account, and you can make one with a Gmail address or an existing non-Gmail email address. After that, verifying your phone number in YouTube Studio unlocks extras like videos longer than 15 minutes and custom thumbnails.
How do I create a YouTube channel on my phone?
Open youtube.com in your phone’s browser and sign in with your Google Account. Tap your profile picture, go to Settings, select Add or manage channel(s) and tap Create a channel. Choose a profile picture, name and handle, then tap Create channel. YouTube’s Help Center gives these same steps for computers and the mobile site.
Do I need a Gmail account to make a YouTube channel?
No. You need a Google Account, not specifically Gmail. Google lets you create a Google Account with an existing email address from another provider. Once you’re signed in to YouTube with that account, you can create a personal channel or a channel with a business name through a Brand Account.
How many subscribers do you need to get paid on YouTube?
In India, you can join the expanded YouTube Partner Program with 500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days and either 3,000 watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days. Ad revenue sharing needs 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
Can I have more than 1 YouTube channel?
Yes. You can create additional channels from your channel list, and each new channel with a business or other name creates its own Brand Account. A Brand Account can only have 1 channel. For verification, keep in mind that a single phone number can be linked to no more than 2 channels per year.
How old do you have to be to create a YouTube channel?
YouTube’s Terms of Service require you to be at least 13 to use the service, and 13 is the minimum age to manage your own Google Account in India. Younger children can use YouTube only when a parent or guardian enables it, and supervised accounts may not be able to create a channel. AdSense, which YouTube uses to pay creators, requires you to be 18 or older.
Your Next Move: Turn Your New Channel Into a Growth Channel
Creating the channel takes minutes; growing it takes a plan. Verify your phone number, set up your banner and links, and publish your first 3 videos before you worry about monetization.
If you’re building a channel for a business, our YouTube marketing team can help with strategy, SEO and content planning. Want a quick outside view? Book a strategy call with upGrowth and bring your channel link and your goal for the next 90 days.
Chandala Takalkar is a young content marketer and creative with experience in content, copy, corporate communications, and design. A digital native, she has the ability to craft content and copy that suits the medium and connects. Prior to Team upGrowth, she worked as an English trainer. Her experience includes all forms of copy and content writing, from Social Media communication to email marketing.
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