YouTube Tags and Hashtags: What Is the Difference?
These two forms of metadata look similar, but they appear and work differently. Learn how to keep both relevant and accurate.
Tags and hashtags both describe a video, but they are not the same field and should not be treated as interchangeable lists.
Video tags
Video tags are entered as metadata in the video's settings. They can help describe the subject, alternate spellings, or closely related phrases. Avoid stuffing a long list of loosely related words: a tag should have a clear connection to the actual video.
Hashtags
Hashtags use the # symbol and can appear in visible video text, such as a title or description. Viewers may interact with them to explore related content. Use readable, relevant phrases and check the platform's current rules before publishing.
How to make either list more useful
- Start from the exact video subject and its main angle.
- Include a phrase only when it accurately describes the content.
- Remove duplicates and near-duplicates that add no meaning.
- Do not treat generated suggestions as evidence that a phrase is popular or trending.
- Review the final metadata against the published video.
What a generator can and cannot do
A local tool can extract phrases from your title and notes, propose simple variations, and help you stay organized. Without actual search data, it cannot tell you the number of searches a phrase gets or whether it is currently trending.
Try the YouTube Tags Generator or Hashtag Generator to draft a list from your own input, then keep only relevant suggestions.