To file a DMCA takedown notice, you send a written notice with the details US law requires to whoever controls the copied content: the website, its hosting company, or the platform. Each one has its own process, and many ignore the first notice.
Filing a DMCA notice is how you report copyright infringement online. Finding the right contact and getting every detail right is where most people get stuck. Use our DMCA takedown request form and our team files the notices and follows up for you, from $199 per site. New to takedowns? Start with What is a DMCA takedown?
Reviewed by the DMCA.com Takedown Team · Last reviewed November 2026
How to file a DMCA takedown notice, step by step
- Find every copy. Stolen content often spreads. Search for other copies (a reverse image search helps for photos) and save each link.
- Gather proof it is yours. Your original link or file, and a short note on how you made or own it.
- Find where to send it. Every site, host, and platform has its own contact and process, and many sites hide theirs. See "Who receives a takedown notice" below.
- Write the notice. US law requires six items, including your signature, your contact details, and two statements. The full list is in What a DMCA takedown notice must include. Platform copyright forms ask for these for you.
- Send it and keep a copy. Note the date and who you sent it to. Sites often reply with questions, and an unanswered question can stall the request.
- Follow up. If the content is still up, the notice has to go further: to the hosting company, and to search engines so the page drops out of results.
- Watch for a counter notice. If the uploader says the notice was a mistake, they can send a counter notice and the content may go back up.
Good to know: only file for content you own, or that you are allowed to act for. You sign the notice under penalty of perjury, so make sure it is accurate.
DMCA notice, complaint, claim or request?
They're the same thing. Platforms and hosts use different names: a DMCA takedown notice, a DMCA complaint, a copyright claim, a takedown request or a copyright report. Whatever it's called, it's a formal request to remove content that copies your work, and it needs the same parts. One thing that is different: a DMCA counter notice is the uploader's reply after their content comes down.
Is a DMCA notice the right tool?
A DMCA notice is for copyright: original work someone created, like photos, videos, writing, music, artwork, designs and code. If someone copied something like that from you, it's the right tool. It's the wrong tool for a few common problems:
Copyright protects how something is expressed, not the idea behind it, so an idea, a title or a short phrase usually isn't covered.
Who receives a takedown notice
- The platform. YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other big platforms each have their own copyright process, and each asks for different details.
- The website owner. Some sites list a DMCA or copyright contact. Many do not, or never answer.
- The hosting company. When the owner ignores you, the host can remove the content or take the whole site offline. Finding the real host takes some digging, especially when the site hides behind a service like Cloudflare (see Can you file a DMCA notice if the site uses Cloudflare?).
- Search engines. Google can remove the page from its results even when the site does not respond, though the content stays on the site.
Our team handles all of this on a managed takedown: we find the right contacts, send the notices, and follow up until the content comes down.
What happens after you file
The law asks sites to act "expeditiously" but doesn't set a number of days. In the cases our team handles, most come down within 24 to 48 hours, and the average is 5 to 10 business days. Rare cases can take a month or longer.
- The content comes down. That's the goal, but copies often reappear on the same site or new ones, and each one needs its own notice.
- The uploader sends a counter notice. If a US service provider gets a valid counter notice, it can put the content back after 10 to 14 business days unless you tell it you've filed a court action.
- Nothing happens. The case then needs to go further, for example to the hosting company or to search engines. Each route has its own rules and follow-up, and this is where most cases stall. Our Premium Takedown ($399 per site) covers sites that ignore notices, and Google search removal is part of our Platinum Takedown ($599 per site).
Why takedown notices get ignored
- It went to the wrong place, like a sales inbox, a social media DM or a host that no longer serves the site.
- Something was missing: the signature, one of the two statements, or a clear link to your original.
- The copies weren't identified precisely, so the site couldn't find them.
- Nobody followed up. Unanswered notices and unanswered questions from the site both stall.
- The site is built to dodge requests, with a hidden or overseas host.
Closing these gaps is the work our team takes on when you hand a case to us.
What to gather before you file
Every copied link
The exact page, image, or video link for each copy. Take a screenshot of each one too.
Your original
The link where you first posted it. If it was never online, upload the original file to cloud storage and share that link.
Proof it is yours
How you made or own it, and when. For example: "I took this photo on my camera and posted it on my Instagram."
DMCA.com Fast Tip
Do not send passport copies, driver's license numbers, or other private documents through takedown forms on sites you do not know, especially the site that is using your content.
Can you file a DMCA takedown notice yourself?
Yes. Anyone who owns the content, or is allowed to act for the owner, can send one, and you do not need to register your copyright first. More in Who is authorized to send a DMCA takedown notice?
You own the copyright to work you create as soon as you create it. A few things change that: if you made it as part of your job, your employer may own it; if you paid someone to make it, your contract decides who owns it; and if you're filing for a client or family member, you need their permission to act for them.
Some uses are allowed without permission, like commentary, criticism, news reporting and parody. Think honestly about whether the use could be fair use before you send a notice. Under US law, anyone who knowingly makes a false claim in a takedown notice can be held liable for the damage it causes. We're not a law firm and can't give legal advice.
Doing it yourself means tracking down each contact, writing a notice that meets the law, and following up when nothing happens. That is where most people get stuck. The DIY Takedown Toolkit gives you notice templates and host lookup tools for $10 per month. Or let our team handle it: a Standard Takedown is $199 per site with a money-back guarantee on qualifying cases.
Can I file a DMCA takedown notice if I do not live in the USA?
Yes. The DMCA is a US law, but many hosts and platforms around the world accept DMCA notices. Some countries have their own removal rules, so the notice sometimes needs to be adapted. Our team handles that for you on managed takedowns. More in Will a DMCA takedown work in other countries?
What if the website does not mention the DMCA?
You can still send a takedown notice. Many sites never mention the DMCA but still remove content when they get a complete notice. If the site does not respond, the notice can go to its hosting company and to search engines. We do that for you on managed takedowns.
Can I send one notice for several websites?
No. Each website or host needs its own notice. You can list several links from the same site in one notice.
Will the person who posted it see my name?
Often, yes. Sites may pass your notice to the uploader, and some companies share notices with public transparency databases, usually with contact details removed. If privacy matters, use a business email address.
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File it yourself or let us do it
Do it yourself
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The DIY Takedown Toolkit gives you templates and host lookup tools, and you send and track the notices.
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