YouTube Monetization Rules: What You Need to Earn

The two ways into the Partner Program

For long videos, YouTube asks for 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months. For Shorts, it asks for 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. You need one route, not both.

YouTube may change the numbers, so check its Partner Program page before you plan around them.

What 4,000 watch hours means

People who search for what 4000 watch hours means want this: watch hours are the total time people spent watching your public long videos, counted over the last year. It is not the sum of your video lengths. YouTube Studio shows your count under Analytics, and only qualified watch time counts toward the rule.

YouTube Shorts monetization

Shorts earn through the same program, with their own view threshold. The 10 million figure is Shorts views over 90 days, and the criteria for YouTube Shorts monetization are on the same YouTube page, so read them there.

YouTube monetization rules after you join

Joining is not the end of the rules. Your channel has to follow YouTube's channel monetization policies, and an AdSense account links the earnings to a bank account. Copied, reused or mass-produced videos can be refused, and original work is the safest route.

Demonetization: what it means

Demonetization means a video earns limited ads or none, or that a channel leaves the program, usually after a policy problem. YouTube Studio's monetization tab and your inbox explain why, and you can appeal in the same place.

Sources

• YouTube Help: YouTube Partner Program overview and eligibility