How do I upload my lyric video to YouTube?

Upload the 16:9 video to YouTube, paste the title, description and chapters from your YouTube copy pack, and keep it Unlisted until YouTube's checks are done.

Before you start

Download these from your song's Download step:

• The 16:9 video ('16:9 · 4K' or '16:9 · HD 1080p').
• 'Captions (SRT)'.
• 'YouTube copy pack' (a .txt file).

The pack is easier to open and copy from on a computer. See What files do I get with my video?

Step by step

1. Open YouTube Studio and start a new upload.
2. Choose your 16:9 video file.
3. Open the YouTube copy pack. Copy the line under TITLE into YouTube's title box. For example: 'Your Name: Late Train (Lyric Video)'.
4. Copy everything under DESCRIPTION into the description box. For example: 'Your Name: Late Train: the official lyric video.' Most copy packs include a 'made with lyrik.fm' line before the lyrics. If yours does, delete it if you'd rather.
5. If the pack has a Chapters list, paste it into the description too, as it is. YouTube turns the times into chapters.
6. If you want your lyrics in the description, paste the part under LYRICS at the end.
7. Add the caption file as subtitles: in YouTube Studio's subtitles section, upload the .srt file and choose the option for a file with timing.
8. Set the video to Unlisted, not Public, and finish the upload.
9. Wait for YouTube Studio's 'Checks' step to finish. It looks for copyright claims.
10. When you're happy, set the video to Public or schedule it.

Why Unlisted first

If your music is in Content ID, YouTube may claim your own lyric video. Uploading as Unlisted gives you time to see the claim and have it released before anyone watches. See Will my lyric video get a Content ID claim?

Covers

• The pack's title ends with '[Cover]'.
• The description says it's a lyric video for a cover, and credits the original writers: 'Originally written by …' and that the song 'is the property of its writers and publishers'.
• Post it on your own channel, labelled as a cover. Don't register it in Content ID. See Can I make a lyric video for a cover song?

Good to know

• Chapters appear only when your song has 3 or more parts long enough to list. The first one starts at 0:00, as YouTube needs.
• Ad-libs are left out of the pack's lyrics, so the description reads cleanly.
• 4K or HD? Both upload the same way. See Should I get HD or 4K?
• Posting the clip? The 9:16 clip is for Shorts, Reels and TikTok. See How do I post my clip on TikTok, Reels and Shorts?

If something goes wrong

• I can't open the pack on my phone. It's a plain .txt file. Open it on a computer, or in your phone's files app.
• YouTube didn't make chapters. Check the times are on their own lines in the description, starting with 0:00. If your pack has no Chapters list, your song has fewer than 3 parts to list.
• My video got a claim. That's often fine. See Will my lyric video get a Content ID claim?