YouTube has a funny habit: it puts the most useful controls behind the smallest, most innocent-looking button.
Want to set your video category, tweak comments, choose a license, add tags, or adjust embedding options?
Congratulationsyou’re looking for what most people casually call YouTube “Advanced Settings”.
The good news: it’s not hard. The slightly annoying news: the exact wording may change depending on whether you’re
on desktop, mobile, or editing an upload vs. an already-published video. So this guide gives you the clean “5 steps”
plus the backup routes when YouTube decides to redecorate the menu again.
What “Advanced Settings” Means in YouTube (And Where It Hides)
In modern YouTube Studio, “Advanced Settings” usually refers to the expanded set of controls inside a video’s
details pageoften revealed by a button like Show more or More options.
This is where you can manage things that affect how your video is categorized, discovered, shared, and discussed.
Common options you’ll find after you open Advanced Settings
- Tags (when relevant) and other discovery signals
- Category (Education, Entertainment, How-to, etc.)
- Language and caption/certification settings
- Comments (allow, hold, disable; sometimes sorting/moderation defaults)
- License and embedding/distribution options
- Recording date/location (when you want context, not creepiness)
- Shorts remixing / “allow sampling” style options (availability varies)
How to Open Advanced Settings in YouTube: 5 Steps (Desktop)
This is the fastest path for most creators because desktop YouTube Studio tends to show the widest set of options.
Follow these five steps and you’ll be staring at the “hidden” settings like a pro.
-
Open YouTube Studio in your browser.
Make sure you’re signed into the correct Google account (the one that owns the channel). -
Click “Content” in the left menu.
This is your library of uploads, Shorts, and livestreams. -
Select the video you want to edit.
Click the video’s title or click the pencil/details icon (depending on your layout). -
Go to “Details.”
You’ll land on the page with title, description, thumbnail, playlist, audience, and more. -
Scroll down and click “Show more” (or “More options”).
That expands the section people refer to as “Advanced Settings,” revealing items like category, tags, license,
comments, and additional controls. Save your changes when you’re done.
Quick sanity check: you’re in the right place if you can find “Category” or “License”
If you see fields like Category, License, Tags, or Comments, you’ve opened the right panel.
If you only see title/description/thumbnail and nothing else, keep scrollingYouTube loves a long page.
How to Open Advanced Settings in YouTube Studio App (Mobile)
On mobile, the regular YouTube app is mostly for watching. For creator-level controls, use the
YouTube Studio app. The steps are still friendlyjust more thumb-based.
5-step path on mobile (YouTube Studio app)
- Open the YouTube Studio app.
- Tap “Content.”
- Select the video you want to edit.
- Tap the Edit (pencil) icon.
-
Look for expanded options (often by scrolling).
On some screens, you’ll find advanced controls like tags/category deeper in the edit flow or behind additional menus.
Tap Save when finished.
If you can’t find a specific setting on mobile, that’s not you being “bad at YouTube.” That’s YouTube being
“selectively minimalist.” In that case, switch to desktop Studio for the full control panel.
Alternative Route: Set Advanced Settings Defaults for Future Uploads
If you’re constantly changing the same settingslike default category, comment behavior, or languagestop doing
repetitive work and let YouTube do it for you. You can set Upload defaults so new uploads start
with your preferred “advanced” choices.
Where upload defaults live
- Open YouTube Studio (desktop is best).
- Click “Settings.”
- Choose “Upload defaults.”
- Open the “Advanced settings” tab/section.
- Set your defaults and click Save.
Important note: upload defaults typically apply to uploads made through your browser upload flow. If you upload via
a mobile workflow or certain editor tools, defaults may not apply the same wayso double-check your first upload
after you change defaults.
Why You’d Actually Want Advanced Settings (Beyond “Because I Can”)
Advanced settings aren’t just “extra.” They can protect your channel, improve organization, and reduce headaches later.
Here are practical reasons creators use them:
1) Better organization and discoverability
Setting the right category helps YouTube understand context. It’s not magic SEO dust, but it can help
your video land in the right neighborhood. Tags are also a context signalespecially for name variations, common
misspellings, or niche topics.
Example: If your video is “How to Replace a Kitchen Faucet,” a few helpful tags might include
“kitchen faucet replacement,” “DIY faucet install,” and a brand/model name (if relevant). Don’t write a tag novel.
YouTube has enough reading to do.
2) Comment control (aka sanity management)
Advanced settings let you decide whether comments are allowed, moderated, or held for review. If you’ve ever posted
a video and immediately received 17 suspicious “Promote it on…” comments from accounts with zero vowels, you already
understand why this matters.
3) Licensing, embedding, and reuse choices
Your license settings and embedding/distribution options can affect where your video can appear and how others can
reuse it. If you’re working with a brand, a school, or a client, these options can become surprisingly important.
Troubleshooting: Can’t Find “Show More” or “Advanced Settings”?
YouTube changes the label (a lot)
If you’re searching for the words “Advanced settings” and they’re not there, you may still be in the right place.
Look for buttons like Show more, More options, or an expandable area near the bottom
of the video’s Details page.
You might be editing in the wrong app
If you’re inside the regular YouTube app (the watching app), you may not see creator-level controls.
Switch to YouTube Studio for full settings access.
Your account features may be limited
Some settings can be unavailable depending on feature eligibility, channel status, or region. If a specific control
is missing, check YouTube Studio’s settings areas and verify your channel features are active.
Try the “bulk edit” workaround for certain settings
Need to update the same advanced option across multiple videos (like category, comments, or license)? YouTube Studio
offers bulk editing for certain fields. It won’t cover everything, but it can save serious time when you’re cleaning
up a library.
Best Practices (So Advanced Settings Don’t Turn Into Advanced Regrets)
- Use tags sparingly and strategically. A few relevant keyword variants beat a pile of random words.
-
Choose a category that matches viewer intent. “How-to & Style” is great for tutorials; “People & Blogs”
might fit personal stories; “Education” works for lessons and explainers. - Set comment defaults for your content type. Kids/family content often benefits from stricter moderation.
-
Check embedding settings if you need external sharing. If a client wants to embed your video on a website,
this is the place that can quietly say “nope.”
FAQ
Is “Advanced Settings” the same as “Show more”?
In most modern YouTube Studio layouts, yescreators use “Advanced Settings” as shorthand for the expanded panel you
see after you click Show more or More options on a video’s Details screen.
Can I open advanced settings without uploading a new video?
Absolutely. Go to Content, choose an existing video, open Details, then expand the
additional options. You can adjust many settings on already-published videos.
Do upload defaults apply to mobile uploads?
Not always. Defaults are most reliable for browser-based uploads. If you upload via mobile or certain tools, review
the video settings after upload to confirm everything carried over.
Conclusion
Opening YouTube’s advanced settings isn’t complicatedYouTube just prefers to store them behind a “Show more”
button like it’s hiding snacks from a younger sibling. Use the five-step path in YouTube Studio (desktop or mobile),
and you’ll unlock the controls that actually shape how your video behaves: comments, category, tags, licensing,
embedding, and more.
If you’re doing this repeatedly, set Upload defaults and let YouTube start new uploads with your
preferred settings. That way you’re spending less time clicking menus and more time making videos (or at least
pretending you’re not staring at analytics for “just one more minute”).
Creator Experiences: What It’s Really Like Using YouTube Advanced Settings (500+ Words)
The first time I went hunting for “Advanced Settings” in YouTube, I expected something dramaticlike a blinking red
button labeled “Proceed only if you understand the algorithm.” Instead, it was a polite little “Show more”
link sitting quietly under the basics. That moment taught me a core YouTube truth: the platform rarely hides things
with locks and chains. It hides them with scrolling.
One of the most useful “experience lessons” comes from setting categories and realizing they’re less about “ranking”
and more about reducing confusion. I once uploaded a tutorial-style video but left the category as
something generic. The video still performed, but the comments made it obvious I was attracting the wrong crowd:
people asking questions that didn’t match the video’s goal, viewers expecting a different format, and even a few
“why is this on my homepage?” drive-by reactions. After I corrected the category and tightened the description,
the video didn’t magically double overnightbut the viewer expectations improved. Better alignment meant fewer
misunderstandings, which meant fewer “angry internet moments,” which meant I could keep my blood pressure in the
“human” range.
Comments settings are another real-world lifesaver. On a calm, normal day, you might think, “Comments are community!”
And they can beuntil you post a video that gets picked up by the wrong corner of the internet. Advanced settings
give you options: allow, hold potentially inappropriate comments, hold all comments, or disable entirely (depending
on your channel and content). I’ve seen creators treat comment controls like a panic button, but the best use is
actually preventative. For example, if a video is about a sensitive topic (even something as harmless as “budgeting”
can get spicy), setting stricter moderation from the start can keep the conversation useful instead of chaotic.
Then there’s licensing and embeddingsettings that feel boring until you need them. A friend once made a training
video for a small business client who wanted to embed it on an internal site. The video was perfect, but the embed
didn’t work. After an hour of checking browsers, permissions, and “Is the internet broken?” theories, the fix was
simple: the embedding option wasn’t enabled the way they assumed. That experience turned “advanced settings” from
“optional nerd stuff” into “basic professional hygiene.”
Finally, tags: they’re not a magic wand, but they’re great for clarity. The most practical approach I’ve seen is
using a few tags for spelling variations, a brand name (if relevant), and a couple of tightly-related phrases.
Think “help YouTube understand the video,” not “write every word you’ve ever heard.” The creators who do this well
don’t obsess over tagsthey use them thoughtfully, then move on.
In short, advanced settings are where creators quietly level up. Not by gaming the systemby removing friction.
Fewer surprise comment disasters. Fewer sharing problems. Cleaner organization. And more time spent creating
instead of playing hide-and-seek with menus.
