How to Recover your Hacked YouTube Account

Having your YouTube account hacked sounds like a nightmare, especially when said account was entirely built by you from the ground up over a long period of time. Indeed, seeing your account get stolen by some ill-intentioned individual after you’ve put countless hours of your life and great effort into it can be seriously distressing.

Was your YouTube account hacked? Here are the signs

Now, how can you tell if your YouTube account was compromised by a stranger? Let’s analyse some of the most prominent cases in the paragraphs below.

1) Changed password

The first, obvious clue that will prove it is a password change. If the hacker managed to change your YouTube password, then you shouldn’t be able to sign into your Google Account in the first place, since your YouTube account is linked to it (YouTube is among Google’s services). You’re required to log into your Google Account before you can access your YouTube one. So, having your YouTube password changed means that your Google Account password was changed as well, an even more concerning scenario.

2) Changes in your YouTube account

Another sign that can help you understand whether your YouTube account was violated is changes in your account that you don’t remember making. The changes I’m referring to can be your profile picture, descriptions, email settings, AdSense association, or sent messages. Apart from these alterations, if you feel like suspect activity is taking place in your YouTube account you should look for new content that you clearly didn’t post, such as uploaded videos, but also check your watch history.

3) Getting notified via email by YouTube

Speaking of videos that were uploaded on your YouTube account without your consent, we can come to the conclusion that the hacker would post rather incriminating, offensive or inappropriate videos with the purpose of casting a bad light on you. If such content were to be reported by other users due to its nature, you’ll most likely get an email notification by YouTube itself telling you that your account risks termination, since it violates the site’s Community Guidelines.

Recover your hacked YouTube account

With that being said, let’s find out what you can do to recover your YouTube/Google account!

First and foremost, changing your password is a necessary measure, because by doing so you’ll cut off the hacker’s main means of accessing your account. If the criminal hasn’t changed your account’s password and you can still sign in, just follow the instructions below:

– go to your Google Account

– select Security

– under “Signing in to Google”, click Password

– after entering your current email and password, you’ll be able to choose a new one for your Google/YouTube account

What if the hacker changed your password and you can’t sign into your account anymore? Well, here’s what you’ll need to do:

– go to the Account recovery page

– you’ll be asked to answer various questions that will help Google determine it’s actually you

– remembering your most recent password, the email address and phone number linked to your account can significantly increase your chances of getting it back

– entering information such as your email address and phone number will allow Google to send you a login link to your account via one of the two methods

– after you’ve managed to sign into your account again, check the instructions above to change the password in order to avoid future intrusions!