How to change your YouTube channel's primary owner

Use this route when your channel is already linked to a Brand Account and you want to change its primary owner without moving the channel. Confirm the Brand Account first, then invite the new account as an Owner, wait seven days in that role, and verify the transfer.

Confirm the channel is already linked to a Brand Account

Open Brand Accounts with the Google Account that manages the channel. Select the account linked to the channel and choose Manage permissions. Check that this is the right channel and note who is listed as primary owner.

If the channel is not linked to a Brand Account, this procedure does not convert it or transfer its ownership. YouTube says that for a channel not linked to a Brand Account, you can change managers but not owners. Do not continue as if the channel already meets this requirement.

Check which permission system manages the channel

Before inviting the incoming account, distinguish Brand Account roles from YouTube Studio → Settings → Permissions. The Owner role in Studio channel permissions is not the Owner role on a Brand Account and cannot transfer ownership. Primary ownership changes through Manage permissions on the Brand Account.

If you only see channel permissions in Studio or cannot manage Brand Account roles, first review YouTube’s help for channel owners and permissions. Do not opt out of channel permissions as a first step. If YouTube’s help says you need to do so to return to Brand Account roles, record who has access in Studio: when you switch back, you will need to invite everyone to the Brand Account again.

Invite the new account as an Owner

In Manage permissions, check whether the account that will take ownership is already listed as an Owner. If it is not, another Brand Account owner must invite it using the correct email address and assign the Owner role. The invited person must accept.

Confirm that the incoming account appears in the list as an Owner. A Manager role does not count for this change: YouTube requires the person to have been an Owner for at least seven days. Note when the invitation was accepted and wait that period before continuing.

Set yourself as primary owner

After the account has been an Owner for seven days, the incoming account must sign in to its Google Account on a computer and assign the role to itself:

1. Open Brand Accounts while signed in to the incoming account.
2. Select the correct Brand Account and choose Manage permissions.
3. Find your own name and open the role selector next to it.
4. Choose Primary owner.
5. Read the confirmation and select Transfer.

Return to the list and confirm that your account appears as primary owner of that Brand Account. If you cannot find your name, check that you accepted the invitation and have held the Owner role for seven days. YouTube says Managers cannot change the primary owner role.

If the other person only needs to upload or publish content, see how to grant channel permissions instead of transferring primary ownership.

Do not confuse this with moving the channel

Changing the Brand Account’s primary owner is not the same as moving the channel to another Brand Account. Do not use Move channel, Replace, or Delete channel for this handoff. In the move flow, replacing a destination channel deletes that channel and its content, including videos, comments, messages, playlists, history, and its verification badge. Read YouTube’s official guide to moving a channel before considering that separate task.

Do not delete the Google Account of the primary owner while confirming the change: YouTube warns that deleting that account also deletes the linked channel. Verify the primary owner in Manage permissions and confirm that the incoming account opens the correct channel.

For the official steps and current labels, see YouTube Help for changing Brand Account owners and managing channel permissions.