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Already uploaded a long-form video? Open YouTube Studio on a computer, go to Content → select the video → Editor → Audio, then add and position a track. For a new documentary or other video, it is usually better to mix music in an editor before uploading. For a Short, use the music options in the Shorts creation workflow; those permissions are not a blanket license for long-form or off-platform use.
If you want the simplest YouTube-focused source, start with the YouTube Audio Library. Check the track’s terms and attribution requirements before publishing: a song being popular, credited, quiet, or labeled “royalty-free” does not automatically give you permission to use it.
Choose the right way to add music
| Your situation | Best starting point | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| The video is already uploaded | YouTube Studio Editor on a computer | Convenient for adding a library track without re-uploading, but less capable than a full editing timeline. |
| You have not uploaded yet | Add music in your video editor, then export and upload | Gives you better control over timing, fades, dialogue balance, and multiple audio layers. |
| You are making a Short | Use music available in YouTube’s Shorts creation workflow | Do not assume in-app music permission covers long-form video, advertisements, downloads, or other platforms. |
| You are editing a phone project | YouTube Create, if available for your device and country, or another editor | This is different from changing the audio on a video that is already uploaded. |
| Your upload has a music claim | Review the claim, then remove, mute, or replace the claimed audio if appropriate | Adding a second song over claimed music does not resolve the underlying rights issue. |
Add music to an uploaded video in YouTube Studio
YouTube’s Studio Editor can add tracks from its available music catalog to eligible uploaded videos. The workflow is for a computer browser, not the YouTube mobile app. YouTube says the feature is intended for videos shorter than six hours; videos with more than 100,000 views may face saving restrictions, though YouTube says that restriction does not apply to YouTube Partner Program users. Check the current YouTube Editor guidance if your video or channel has unusual restrictions.
- Sign in to YouTube Studio in a desktop browser.
- Select Content from the left menu.
- Click the video’s title or thumbnail, then select Editor.
- Select Audio. Search or filter the available tracks, and use Play to preview one.
- Click Add beside the track you want.
- Drag the audio block to set its start time. Drag an edge to change how much of the track plays; use the zoom controls for more precise placement.
- Preview the result, check the balance against dialogue and other sound, then click Save.
YouTube allows multiple songs to be added through this editor, and its help page says the licensed tracks in this feature can be used in monetized videos. The editor is best for a straightforward addition or replacement—not detailed beat synchronization, complex fades, or carefully automated dialogue ducking.
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Protect your original: YouTube says saved Studio Editor changes can no longer be undone with the former “revert to original” option. Before saving a substantial change, keep the original video file and any separate audio or project files. If you need a different mix, make sure you can recreate it outside Studio.
If the Audio option is missing
First confirm you are in Studio in a desktop browser and have opened the video’s Editor, rather than editing in the YouTube mobile app. Eligibility, video format, account or video restrictions, and interface changes can also affect what appears. If Studio does not offer the control, edit the source file in an external editor and upload a replacement only after checking it. Keep the existing upload until the new version is ready and verified; replacing a video means publishing a new upload rather than simply swapping its file.
Add music before uploading
For a new documentary, interview, explainer, or narrated video, mixing the soundtrack before upload usually provides the most control.
- Import your footage into a video editor, then import a music file you have permission to use.
- Place music on an audio track beneath dialogue, narration, or natural sound.
- Trim it to fit the sequence. Choose an edit point that sounds intentional, rather than cutting in the middle of a musical phrase.
- Add short fades at the beginning and end. If a track loops, check that its license allows editing or looping.
- Lower music under speech. Adjust it manually or use automatic ducking if your editor supports it. The practical test is whether a listener can understand the voice without needing to turn up the volume.
- Listen through headphones and ordinary speakers, including a phone or laptop if you can. A mix that sounds balanced on studio headphones may not translate to small speakers.
- Export with your editor’s YouTube preset if available, keep the project and original audio, and watch the exported file before uploading.
- During upload, review YouTube’s Checks stage and copyright information before publishing.
There is no universal music volume setting that works for every voice, recording, genre, and mix. In a documentary, music should support the scene rather than obscure testimony, interviews, location sound, or narration. Use changes in level and brief pauses deliberately; a constant bed can flatten moments that would be stronger with natural sound alone.
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Find and use music from the YouTube Audio Library
The YouTube Audio Library provides production music and sound effects inside YouTube Studio. You can also visit youtube.com/audiolibrary. It is a useful first choice when your priority is music with YouTube’s own stated usage terms, rather than a recognizable commercial song.
- Open YouTube Studio and select Audio library.
- Search by title, artist, keyword, genre, mood, or duration.
- Check the license or attribution information for the track.
- Download the track and add it in your editor, or use it through an applicable YouTube workflow.
- Keep a record of the track, artist, license type, and download date.
Some Audio Library tracks require no attribution. Others use a Creative Commons license and require the supplied credit in your video description. Copy YouTube’s attribution text as provided instead of rewriting it. The Audio Library help page says YouTube Partner Program creators can monetize videos using its music and sound effects, and states that its Audio Library downloads are not claimed by rights holders through Content ID under the library’s terms.
That is not a claim that every use, on every service, is unrestricted. A track’s YouTube terms should not be assumed to cover an advertisement, podcast, website, paid campaign, or upload to another platform. Check the license for the exact use you have in mind.
Creator Music: check eligibility and each track’s terms
Creator Music is a separate catalog in YouTube Studio. As described in YouTube’s current help information, it is available to creators in the U.S. YouTube Partner Program, with availability outside the U.S. subject to expansion. Access and features are through a web browser, and eligibility can change, so check Studio and YouTube’s current availability guidance rather than assuming it is available to every channel.
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YouTube’s help page describes an August 2026 transition away from paid licenses toward no-cost and revenue-sharing tracks. It says paid licenses could be purchased and used until August 10, 2026; existing paid licenses already applied to videos remain valid until expiration, while unused purchased licenses were to be refunded. Because the catalog and transition are time-sensitive, do not rely on old articles or fixed price lists: check the terms displayed for the track in Studio.
How to find a track
- Open YouTube Studio in a browser and select Creator Music from the left menu, if it is available to your account.
- Search by song, artist, genre, mood, or other filters. Preview tracks and inspect their usage details.
- Look for tracks marked as eligible for a license or revenue sharing, as applicable.
- Before using a track, check its permitted territories, duration, monetization terms, allowed formats, and any limits on how much of the song may be used.
- Follow YouTube’s instructions to add the license during upload if required. The upload flow may offer Add music licenses at the Video elements stage; a detected track may also allow a license to be added during Checks. Confirm the license appears in the copyright details.
A license may let a creator keep ordinary video monetization, but price, duration, territory, and permitted use depend on the track and rights holder. Revenue sharing may have no upfront fee, but divides eligible revenue with rights holders. For eligible long-form videos, YouTube says the standard 55% creator revenue share is adjusted to account for music-rights costs. Read the individual track’s terms: they can specify whether a song can be used in Shorts, whether it can be used outside YouTube, whether it expires, and whether edits are allowed. YouTube warns that usage details can change at the rights holder’s discretion. See its pages on finding Creator Music tracks, adding licenses, track usage details, and revenue sharing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Add music to a Short or mobile project
Shorts
For a Short, choose music through the YouTube Shorts creation workflow and follow the usage information shown there. Do not treat a song offered for Shorts as permission to use it in a long-form documentary, an advertisement, a podcast, a downloaded file, or a post on another service. If you plan to distribute the same edit in several places, source music under a license that explicitly covers those uses.
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YouTube’s YouTube Create guidance describes adding music from the Shorts Audio Library, royalty-free music, sound effects, audio stored on your device, and voiceovers. In a project, tap Sound, choose the relevant music, royalty-free, sound-effects, or device-audio tab, browse or search, preview a track, and tap the add control to place it on the project timeline.
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Availability is limited by device and country. YouTube’s current help page lists Android devices with at least 4 GB of RAM and iPhone XR or newer running iOS 17 or later, in countries where the app is available. Check the page and your app store listing before relying on access. As with other editing apps, having a song available inside a tool does not automatically establish that it can be exported and reused for every commercial or cross-platform purpose.
Copyright: what makes music safe to use?
You are responsible for having the rights needed for the music in your video. YouTube’s copyright guidance explains that no shortcut guarantees you will never receive a Content ID claim or copyright strike. “Royalty-free” is not one universal license: it may describe a particular library’s terms, which can still limit monetization, territory, platforms, or other uses. YouTube says it is responsible for the copyright status of music and sound effects in its own Audio Library—not tracks posted by random YouTube channels or third-party services.
- “Under 30 seconds is always fair use.” False. There is no general 30-second safe harbor. Creator Music may offer specific track terms for limited uses, but those are platform and track conditions, not a general copyright rule.
- “Giving credit makes any song legal to use.” False. Credit does not substitute for permission unless the license itself requires attribution and permits your use.
- “No copyright intended” protects my video. False. A disclaimer does not grant rights.
- “I bought the song, so I can put it in a video.” Buying a personal copy generally does not itself grant permission to synchronize it with video. Obtain terms that explicitly cover your intended video use.
- “It is quiet or in the background, so it is safe.” False. Volume and placement do not by themselves create permission.
- “I found it on another YouTube channel, so I can download and reuse it.” False. The uploader may not own the rights or be able to license them to you.
- “Royalty-free means free for every use.” False. Read the actual license, including commercial-use, platform, territory, and attribution terms.
Fair use is fact-specific and varies by jurisdiction. Commentary, criticism, research, teaching, and news reporting may be relevant purposes under U.S. law, but an ordinary vlog or documentary background bed is not automatically fair use merely because the video is educational or adds narration. YouTube’s overview is general information, not individualized legal advice.
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What to do about a copyright claim
A Content ID claim is not the same thing as a copyright strike. Depending on the rights holder’s policy and the track, a claim may redirect monetization, share revenue where a program applies, restrict the video in some territories, block it, or track it without an immediate visible restriction. A copyright removal request is more serious: it can lead to video removal and a copyright strike.
Open the video’s copyright details in Studio and read what is claimed and what consequence applies. Depending on the situation, YouTube may let you remove the claimed song, mute the claimed segment, or replace it with a track through the Studio Editor. You can also leave a claim in place if its consequences are acceptable. Dispute only when you genuinely own or have licensed the necessary rights, or have another valid basis; crediting the artist or using a short excerpt alone is not evidence of permission. If your license is from a third party, compare its exact terms and documentation with the claim before deciding what to do. If you cannot establish the rights, remove or replace the music rather than assuming the claim will disappear.
When an external editor makes more sense
Use an editor before upload when the sound needs careful treatment: fading under dialogue, synchronizing changes to picture, blending music with archival or location sound, or balancing several tracks. YouTube Create may suit supported mobile projects; CapCut or Canva may suit quick, template-driven social edits; a professional desktop editor such as Adobe Premiere offers more detailed timeline and audio control. You do not need to buy software just to add one track, and no editor automatically clears the rights to music you import or select. Check the license attached to an editor’s music and stock assets separately, particularly for commercial work and distribution outside YouTube.
Quick Recap
Before you publish
- Do I have permission for this specific song and use?
- Does the license allow monetization, and does it cover my territory and video format?
- Is attribution required? If so, did I copy the supplied wording into the description?
- Does the permission cover every platform or commercial use I plan to make?
- Have I saved the license terms, receipt, attribution text, and track details?
- Can viewers understand the dialogue and hear important natural sound?
- Have I watched the exported video and reviewed YouTube’s copyright checks?
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