How To Keep Youtube Videos Private

Change YouTube Video Privacy Settings During Upload

If you haven’t uploaded your video yet, but you’re in the process or about to start the process, follow these steps to make sure it isn’t shown to the public.

Change YouTube Video Privacy on Existing Videos

Your other option is to make your existing videos private. That is, to pull your video out of the public eye and make it obey one of the options mentioned above.

Unlisted: Keep your video public but don’t allow people to search for it. This lets you easily share the URL with anyone you want but prevents people from finding it through search results. Private: Doesn’t let the public see the video. Only you can see it, and only when you’re logged in under the same account that uploaded the video. This option makes YouTube work more like a video backup service rather than a sharing service.

Differences Between Private, Unlisted, and Public Videos

Private, Unlisted, and Public videos all have different features. Compare these characteristics to determine which setting is best for your needs.

Unlisted: Keep your video public but don’t allow people to search for it. This lets you easily share the URL with anyone you want but prevents people from finding it through search results. Private: Doesn’t let the public see the video. Only you can see it, and only when you’re logged in under the same account that uploaded the video. This option makes YouTube work more like a video backup service rather than a sharing service.

If you didn’t opt out and your older unlisted videos became private, you can make the videos public or re-upload them as new unlisted videos using the steps outlined in this article.