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Most YouTube creators either ignore hashtags completely or stuff 30 random ones into every video description and hope for the best. Neither approach works. The creators who actually see hashtags move the needle treat them like a small, deliberate part of their discoverability strategy not an afterthought.
This guide breaks down exactly how YouTube hashtags work, which ones are worth using, how many to add, and how a YouTube hashtag generator saves you time while getting you better results than guessing ever could.
Here's something a lot of creators don't realise: hashtags on YouTube aren't the same as hashtags on Instagram or TikTok. They work differently, they're displayed differently, and they serve a different purpose in how your videos get found.
When you add hashtags to a YouTube video, YouTube displays the first three hashtags from your description as clickable blue links above your video title. Anyone who clicks one of those links gets taken to a page showing other videos with the same hashtag which means your video can show up there alongside content from other creators.
YouTube also uses hashtags as a signal to understand what your video is about. It's one of many signals (the title, description, and transcript matter much more), but it contributes to the picture. According to YouTube's own creator guidance, hashtags work best when they're relevant to your video's topic because the temptation to add trending hashtags that have nothing to do with your content is real, and it can actually work against you.
Using it takes about 30 seconds. Here's the process:
Head to thumbsupme.app/tools/youtube-hashtag-generator. No account needed.
Be specific. "How to meal prep for the week as a beginner" will give you better results than "cooking." The more context you give, the more relevant the suggestions.
You'll get a list of hashtags related to your topic. Look for ones that genuinely match your content not just any that look good.
Choose a mix of slightly broader topic hashtags and more specific ones. Avoid going too generic (like #youtube or #video) they add no real discoverability value.
Paste your chosen hashtags at the end of your video description. YouTube will pick them up automatically and display the first three above your title.
Not all hashtags are equal. Some are so broad that you'll never stand out among millions of videos. Others are so niche that nobody's searching for them. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle relevant to your content, specific enough to be meaningful, and popular enough that people actually browse or search them.
If you upload a video about beginner guitar lessons, the hashtag #music puts you in a pool of hundreds of millions of videos. You're invisible. But #beginnerguitar or #guitarlessonsforbeginners narrows the field considerably and puts your video in front of people actively interested in exactly that topic.
Good hashtags for YouTube generally fall into one of three categories:
Describe what the video is actually about your most important ones. For a video reviewing budget running shoes use something like #runningshoes or #budgetrunning.
Describe who the content is for things like #beginnerfitness #newtorunning or #homegym signal to both YouTube and viewers who this content is aimed at.
Useful if you're part of a broader movement or run a content series. A travel creator doing a van life series might consistently use #vanlife across all related videos to build topical association.
YouTube officially allows up to 60 hashtags per video, but using that many is one of the fastest ways to get them all ignored or worse penalised.
Here's what YouTube says directly: if a video has more than 15 hashtags, YouTube will ignore all hashtags on that video. Yes, all of them. So if you've been adding 30 tags to every upload, you've been doing it for nothing.
3–5
Recommended range
The sweet spot most experienced creators land on
15
Maximum before ignored
YouTube ignores all hashtags beyond this threshold
3
Visible above title
Only the first three are shown to viewers
Coming up with good hashtags every single time you upload gets tedious fast. And if you're just typing whatever comes to mind, you're probably not finding the best options you're finding the obvious ones.
Instead of brainstorming manually or doing keyword research from scratch, you enter your video topic and get a list of relevant hashtags in seconds. For creators who publish frequently, that adds up fast.
The best hashtags for your video aren't always the most obvious ones. A generator pulls from a broader pool of related terms — including variations, adjacent topics, and niche-specific language your audience actually uses.
When you're generating hashtags around your actual topic rather than whatever's trending that week, your hashtags naturally align with your content over time — strengthening your channel's topical authority.
You don't need to wonder whether a hashtag is too broad or too niche. You get options and can pick the ones that fit best.
It's worth knowing what not to do, because some common hashtag habits actively work against you.
Using irrelevant trending hashtags
Adding #viral or #trending that have nothing to do with your content can get your video flagged as misleading. Viewers who click through expecting something else will leave immediately — high bounce rates hurt rankings.
Adding more than 15 hashtags
YouTube ignores all hashtags on a video that has more than 15. It sounds counterintuitive, but more really is less here. You've been wasting effort if you've been adding 30 tags to every upload.
Using the same hashtags on every video
If you add the same 5 hashtags to every upload regardless of the content, those hashtags stop being useful signals. Tailor them to each video's actual topic.
Hashtag stuffing in the title
Some creators add hashtags directly into the video title. YouTube discourages this and it looks unprofessional to viewers. Keep hashtags in the description.
Not checking what the hashtag page actually shows
Before committing to a hashtag, click on it in YouTube and see what other videos come up. If the page is full of unrelated content, that hashtag has been co-opted or is too vague to be useful.
This trips up a lot of creators. YouTube has two separate tagging systems, and they serve different purposes.
# ones)Go in your video description. They're public, clickable, and help viewers browse related content. YouTube displays the first three above your video title.
Not visible to viewers, and YouTube has confirmed they're a very minor ranking signal. They used to matter more, but their influence has declined significantly over the years.
If you want to see what tags other successful videos in your niche are using, the YouTube hashtag extractor and YouTube tag generator can help with both sides of this but don't confuse the two systems, and don't expect tags alone to drive discovery the way a well-optimised title and description do.
Hashtags are one piece of a bigger discoverability puzzle. On their own, they won't save a video with a weak title or poor search optimisation. But as part of a well-rounded approach, they contribute. A few other tools worth combining with hashtag research:
Your title is the single most important discoverability signal
A strong, keyword-informed title makes a bigger difference than any hashtag. Our YouTube title generator can help.
Your description gives YouTube a lot of context
The first two lines appear in search results. Write them to reinforce what the title promises and include your main keyword naturally. Our YouTube video description generator can help.
Know what's gaining momentum before you hit record
Create content that has wind behind it by understanding what topics and formats are currently getting traction. Our YouTube trends search tool can help.
Generate an SEO-optimised description to go alongside your hashtags both live in the description and work together.
Try ToolWrite titles that balance click appeal with search optimisation the single most important discoverability signal for your video.
Try ToolSee what topics are gaining momentum on YouTube right now so you can create content with wind behind it before you hit record.
Try ToolGenerate the hidden tags that work alongside your hashtags together they give YouTube a full picture of what your video is about.
Try ToolCheck how any channel is performing useful for benchmarking your hashtag strategy against creators in your niche and more.
Try ToolDownload thumbnails from top-performing videos to study the visual trends alongside your hashtag and topic research.
Try ToolUnlock AI-powered similar thumbnail search, outlier finder, content generator, and more. Everything you need to rank higher, get more clicks, and build an audience that sticks.