Great question—this is a super common gotcha with the YouTube Data API! The key here is that YouTube enforces two entirely separate limit systems, and your API quota isn’t the one stopping you at 100 uploads per day.

The Dual Limit System Explained #

• API Quota: This is the one you expanded to 500,000 units. It tracks the total number of API operations your project performs (each video upload uses a set number of units, typically around 1,600 per upload). At 100 uploads, you’d only use ~160,000 units—way under your 500k limit, which is why you’re still seeing leftover quota.
• Daily Video Upload Quantity Limit: This is a separate, account-level restriction designed to prevent spam and abuse. By default, most standard YouTube creator accounts have a hard cap of 100 videos uploaded per day, regardless of how much API quota you have left. YouTube doesn’t tie this limit to API units because it’s focused on controlling the volume of content a single account pushes out, not the API load.

Why This Separation Exists #

YouTube’s priority here is maintaining platform quality. Bulk uploading thousands of videos in a short window can look like spam (even if your content is legitimate), so this quantity limit acts as a guardrail. It’s unrelated to your API project’s quota, which is meant to prevent overloading YouTube’s API servers with too many requests.

What You Can Do Next #

1. Verify the Exact Limit: Check the error message you’re getting—if it explicitly mentions "daily upload limit exceeded" (not "quota exceeded"), this confirms it’s the quantity cap. You can also check your account’s restrictions in YouTube Studio under Settings > Channel > Advanced > Features.
2. Request a Limit Increase: If you’re uploading legitimate, non-spam content (e.g., educational clips, licensed short-form content), you can apply to YouTube to raise this daily upload cap. You’ll need to reach out through YouTube Creator Support, explain your use case clearly, and provide evidence that your content complies with community guidelines.
3. Adjust Your Upload Schedule: For the short term, split your uploads across multiple days (e.g., 100 videos per day until you’re done). Since this is an account-level limit, using different API credentials won’t bypass it—you’ll need to stick to the cap per your creator account.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Junaid Malik