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YouTube: request a copyright removal

Here is the official process on YouTube, checked on 15 October 2026. Follow the steps in order.

Before you start

  • Gather proof that the photo is yours: the original with its date, an earlier post.
  • Use the copyright form of the platform or site (often called a DMCA form).
  • If the photo shows you, also report the privacy violation: both can be done in parallel.

The steps

  1. Make sure you own the rights (or represent the owner) and consider exceptions (fair use, parody…).
  2. Sign in to YouTube Studio and open "Content detection".
  3. Click "New removal request" and fill in the form.
  4. For a banner image or without an account: email copyright@youtube.com with your contact details, a description of the work and the exact links.
  5. Some of your information is shared with the uploader.
Open the official page support.google.com (new tab)

You may need to log in to your account. Checked on 15 October 2026.

If it doesn’t work

An official form can go unanswered or be wrongly refused. That’s not the end: there are other doors, heavier but effective — the company hosting the site, the company managing its domain name, the laws of your country, the data protection authority. That’s exactly what we do for you, with your agreement.

  1. Reporting to the platform
  2. A written request to the site owner
  3. The domain name registrar
  4. The hosting company
  5. Search engines
  6. The authority or the courts
Get our help From €40, the rest only if removed

Same situation, other platforms

← Someone posted your picture without permission: what to do

This information helps you use your rights. It doesn’t replace advice from a lawyer.