Microsoft, really, really, really wants you to log in with a full, connected Microsoft account for Windows 11. It’s essential for tracking user data, feeding people ads, and generally making your PC experience much more frustrating (though it also enables ease-of-life features like OneDrive and account syncing between PCs). Users have been finding ways around this requirement for a while, and sharing their results. This is apparently a “harmful or dangerous” act, according to YouTube.
That’s the inescapable conclusion one must draw from the fact that YouTube creator CyberCPU Tech has reportedly had a video on this topic removed from the platform, and all appeals to YouTube and Google have been denied, according to the creator. The same thing happened a week later for a guide on how to install Windows 11 25H2 on older, unsupported hardware, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. Both videos were flagged by YouTube’s automated system as a violation of its “Harmful or dangerous content policy.” Again, when the creator asked for a manual review, the appeal was denied.
YouTube’s policy outlaws obvious things like “instructional theft” (piracy, defeating retail store theft prevention, etc), “hacking” with the intent to steal information, bypassing payment systems, and phishing. I haven’t seen the videos, of course — they’re gone. But as far as I can tell, none of CyberCPU’s instructions would have included any of this, assuming it was just telling people how to install Windows 11 on older hardware or install it without a connected user account, something Windows has been able to do for decades.
According to the policy, a channel that gets three such strikes in a 90-day period can be terminated permanently. CyberCPU says that only one strike was applied to the channel, with the second video included in the original warning.
The CyberCPU Tech channel is five years old and has 300,000 subscribers, which is considered mid-range for the platform, but many creators make a living from channels that size. After taking a class provided by YouTube, the channel will be in good standing with the platform by January 2026, and the creator has applied to get a personal representative assigned from YouTube.
In a follow-up video posted two days ago, CyberCPU Tech claims that the second appeal was denied in less than a minute. Other YouTube creators that have covered similar Windows topics have also had their videos removed, according to yet another video from the channel. While they didn’t initially believe that Microsoft had anything to do with the takedowns, instead blaming YouTube’s “AI-enhanced” and notoriously unreliable automated system, they now think otherwise. “In fact, I believe they [Microsoft] are entirely responsible for this.”
After outlining alternative video options, the creator said, “Are we not allowed to make videos about installing Windows on unsupported hardware because of some backroom deal with Microsoft? If that’s the case, then Microsoft’s own website shows how to do it. But fine, we won’t make those videos anymore, we just need to know the rules and make them clear.”
No evidence for direct Microsoft involvement was offered, though YouTube’s labyrinthian processes for creators aren’t helping to assuage those fears. Copyright strikes, a separate but easily exploitable system, are often used by IP owners to shut down unfavorable YouTube videos even when they clearly fall under fair use. YouTube channel operators have to navigate an inscrutable system that offers little to no guidance on what specific part of a video constitutes a violation, whether actions were taken automatically or due to reports from viewers or third parties, and how they might avoid getting strikes in the future.
CyberCPU Tech intends to continue making videos on similar Windows topics, though they may be posted elsewhere. The creator mentioned X/Twitter, Floatplane, a tech-focused platform owned and operated by Linus Media Group (owner of Linus Tech Tips), and Rumble, an alternative video site made for right-wing influencers. Rumble provides hosting for U.S. President Trump’s personal social network Truth Social, and is popular with influencers who have been banned from more mainstream platforms, like game streamer “Dr Disrespect” and alleged human trafficker Andrew Tate.
The creator said that Rumble is not a realistic option for tech creators who want to move off YouTube. “…After two years and hundreds of videos, I’ve made a total of 43 cents.” Non-political content on YouTube alternatives struggles to maintain viewers (though more generalized competitors like TikTok and Instagram Reels are faring better). “But as long as people continue to upload to YouTube,” says CyberCPU, “YouTube will still be able to abuse their creators, because they have no incentive not to.”
Whether automated or guided by human hands, YouTube’s policies continue to frustrate many of the creators who make the platform successful. Regular viewers are also becoming tired of the site’s many problems, including rising prices for ad-free viewing and a massive influx of AI slop, much of which is provided by YouTube itself. Even as the platform gets measurably worse in many different ways and faces increasing competition from services like TikTok, it remains the de facto home of user-uploaded video on the web.