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Hashtags in YouTube Titles, Descriptions Now Clickable

Say you're looking for vegan tips and recipes. Just enter #vegan into the search bar, and YouTube will deliver a results page showing the top videos with that tag. At this point, this feature is limited to Android and the Web.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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YouTube just introduced a new discovery feature: hashtags.

As Android Police first reported, the Google-owned video-sharing service has made hashtags in video titles and descriptions clickable. At this point, the feature is limited to Android and the web; there's no word if and when it will arrive on iOS.

"Hashtags are an easy way for you to find videos about popular topics," YouTube wrote in a support document.

Say you're looking for vegan tips and recipes. Just enter #vegan into the search bar, and YouTube will deliver a results page showing the top videos with that tag. You can also click on a hashtag to bring up related videos with that tag.

To add hashtags to your video, follow the steps to upload your content like normal and enter a hashtag in the title or description. If you include a hashtag in the title, it will be hyperlinked there. If you put hashtags in the description but not in the title, the first three you entered will show up in the space above the video's title.

If you're going to add hashtags to your video, be sure to use them sparingly and make sure they're directly related to your content.

"The more tags you add to a video, the less relevant they become for users who are searching," YouTube warned. "If a video has more than 15 hashtags, we'll ignore all hashtags on that video. Over-tagging may result in the removal of your video from your uploads or from search."

YouTube also specifically advised against adding hashtags that contain hate speech, are unrelated to your content, misleading, sexual, explicit, profane, or meant to harass or humiliate someone.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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