Many YouTubers can resonate with how frustrating it can be when you pinpoint a discrepancy or silly error in one of your videos after upload. One can only fight the urge to replace your error after you have uploaded the video and it has gained traction, views, and engagement.
In an ideal situation, many content creators would want to replace their uploaded videos, fixing errors without disturbing engagement (likes, comments, and shares) or the view count. However, it is not possible to replace a YouTube video once you have already uploaded. Your best chance is at deleting the old one and uploading a new if you really want to replace it. Now, of course, this can lead you to lose all of the views you gained on that video, as well as see your likes, comments, and shares will disappear instantly.
YouTube is a platform that is still in dire need of a few updates. Many users have been discussing why Google and YouTube have not felt the need for integrating a playback feature which allows you to play video in the background after exiting the application on mobile. Similarly, YouTube lacks the feature of replacing a video or making amendments in it.
The streaming site explains why users are not able to do so. Any video uploaded on YouTube gets a new URL, so you cannot change it. Replacing a video means changing the URL, and it means a completely fresh video.
You can only make changes to a video in the following ways:
- Cut: While logged in using a PC, the web version of YouTube allows a channel to cut their video from the start, middle, or the end. This allows you to eliminate a part which you wish not to feature in the video.
- Change description and title: You have the liberty to change your title, description, privacy settings, and even category.
- Add annotations: Annotations simply work like pop-up messages. These cards would appear when viewers watch your videos. You can leave a message, point to specific URLs, add call-to-actions, images, titles, etc. There are different cards you can choose from depending on what you decide to do. These cards are widely used by content creators present on YouTube, who either want to give a background on a developing story, leave a short message as in a compensation for a minimal error, or simply add extra a comment which they could not during the actual video.
Apart from that, you can also make “enhancements” to your video. Often times you may feel like you need to add a song, trim your video, or change filters. Using the enhancement feature you can make these changes, according to your needs. If it is about adding music, simply add from your device or the audio library. Make sure the music you add is not copyright protected music, otherwise you shall be violating the terms of service.
When you add music, you can also change how it fits with the video and synchronizes with the visuals. Sometimes you may encounter an error while you are saving the enhancements made to a video. According to YouTube’s policy, you cannot save enhancements if your video exceeds 100,000 views. However, this rule does not apply to those who have signed up with YouTube’s Partner Program.