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 October 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.
- 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.
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 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?
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.
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File it yourself or let us do it
Do it yourself
$10 per month
The DIY Takedown Toolkit gives you templates and host lookup tools, and you send and track the notices.
See the DIY Toolkit
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Related DMCA takedown FAQs