Hacked vs. Suspended vs. Terminated
A hacked channel still exists, but someone else controls the linked Google account. A suspended channel is temporarily restricted, usually from a strike or an automated flag. A terminated channel has been permanently removed for confirmed, repeated, or severe violations. Each requires a different response, and misidentifying which one you're facing is the most common mistake in early recovery attempts.
Recovering a Hacked Channel
Start with Google's account recovery flow for the Google account tied to the channel, not YouTube's support form directly — channel access follows the Google account. Provide as much account history as you can recall: approximate creation date, past passwords, recovery emails or phone numbers ever used, and recent video uploads before the hack.
Community Guidelines Strikes and Appeals
Each strike includes a specific policy citation. Appeal only if you have a genuine, specific reason the decision was wrong — context that changes the interpretation of the content, or a clear policy misapplication. Appeals submitted purely out of frustration, without new information, are reviewed the same way and rarely succeed.
Appealing a Termination
Termination appeals go through a dedicated form and are reviewed by humans, but only once. Because there's typically a single appeal opportunity, gather every piece of relevant context — content ownership proof, evidence a strike was issued in error, or documentation the channel wasn't used for the violation cited — before submitting.