How to Watch Private YouTube videos

Introduction

As of today, YouTube is the leading website to view and upload professional videos as well as individual videos with the ability to set and watch private YouTube videos.

Considering that there is a multitude of videos as well as billions of people to view them with unlimited access to a broad array of content, it is paramount for users to review You Tubes’ privacy policy as well as how they will be protected as far as use is concerned.

In this post, two important themes are discussed, the first being how to watch YouTube videos privately, and the second being how to protect oneself and modify one’s YouTube privacy settings.

Several videos restricted by age are on the platform mandating users to log in to their Google account to view content. Regardless of that, there are ways for users that do not have Google accounts to view content without having to sign in to view private videos.

Google owns YouTube, an American internet video streaming and social networking platform. YouTube was started by Jawed K, Steve Chyen, and Chad Hurley in February 2005. Today YouTube is the second most visited website surpassing over a billion users a month who view approximately a billion hours of video per day.

Why can’t you watch private videos on YouTube?

Private videos are only visible to viewers who have been invited to view them by content owners or users authorized to share such content. A YouTube user may also decide to set their videos settings as unlisted or private.

Credible reasons as to why a user may not view a video privately shared by another user will typically include the following:

• When attempting to access the video, viewers must be signed in to YouTube.
• Users must log in to the account where the video was shared and there are cases where a viewer owns more than a single account.
• Private videos will not be seen in search results and will not feature as a suggested video, which is why you cannot search for them.
• Because private movies do not display on a channel’s homepage, the individual must utilize the exact link to access the private video.  Upon invitation, YouTube will send the user an email with and the same link may be shared with the user by the content owner.
• Subscribers as well are unaware of privately posted videos. This will allow company profiles to submit films ahead of schedule aiding their campaign initiatives thereby releasing the video at the opportune moment.

How do private YouTube videos work?

Only those you invite to see the video can see it if it is set to private and they must have their own YouTube account. You can share private videos with a maximum number is 50 YouTube users.  Videos set to private do not appear in search results or your channel video list. Uninvited users who attempt to view private videos will not be able to do so. When you upload videos, it is at your discretion to set them as private videos.

What is an unlisted video on YouTube?

Unlisted YouTube videos are those that will not display in the Videos section of your channel’s homepage. Only if someone adds your unlisted video to a public playlist, will it appear in YouTube’s search results. One can proceed to share the URL of an unlisted video. Anyone with the URL can see and share unlisted videos and playlists.

How do I invite people to view private videos on YouTube?

If you don’t want your latest YouTube video to be viewed by lots of people, you can keep it private. You may share private videos with up to 50 people using a shareable link, and each individual will receive a customized invitation to watch your video. Your friends may then use your private video link to log in to their own YouTube accounts and watch the video.

1. Enter your YouTube username and password to log in to your YouTube account. If you haven’t previously uploaded the video you wish to make private, do it now and select “Private.”
2. Move your cursor over the name of your YouTube account in the upper-right corner of the screen and select “My Videos.”
3. Find the private video you wish to share and select “Edit.”
4. Navigate to the “Broadcasting and Sharing Options” section and choose “Limited access URL” under “Private” videos.
5. Copy the URL by pressing “Ctrl” and “C” concurrently or right-clicking and picking “Copy” after selecting the private URL that is shown in the box.
6. Share the private URL with up to 50 people through email, instant chat, or any other method you want. They will then see your private video by clicking the link only if they have a YouTube account or register for one.

Can subscribers see private videos?

Private YouTube videos are only accessible to those who have been invited to see them by the uploader of the content.

The user or channel with the content can pick up to 50 individuals with whom to share the video. To see the videos, individuals invited must own or have access to an active Google Account and be signed in. For invited users with several Google Accounts or a Gmail account, log into the one with which the uploader user or channel has shared the video to see it.

Private videos do not show in search results, video suggestions, or the video tab of the content uploader therefore channel subscribers are not notified when private videos are published.  Even when one of the users invited tries to share it with another user they will not be able to do so as they can only view it using their account.

Will YouTube delete private videos?

Youtube will only delete your videos regardless of whether they are private or not if they violate YouTube terms upon conducting the following Checks to make sure the terms of use are met.

• If a video is flagged as containing hate speech, incitement, nudity, or pornography as well as infringement of copyright. All videos are cross-referenced to existing ones in the YouTube database and stricter policies may apply especially when monetizing videos and enabling them for advertising.
• A private video may also be deleted if its K-frames are scanned and it is found to contain logos, trademarks, or branding. You may be required to prove you are an actual representative of the company or organization.
• If your videos contain copyrighted material like video clips and audio, they may be deleted even when private. Cross-referencing is done to ensure they adhere to the rules.

Just to be clear there are situations where a private video may be deleted by the supreme DMCA tool and you can directly contact YouTube support with proof of ownership. Original videos that do not violate the rules will not be deleted.

It is important to note that regardless of whether a video is private or not, it will not be deleted as long as it does not violate the set YouTube terms of use.

How to watch private YouTube videos without permission?

One only requires to follow these simple steps if they desire to view any private video without obtaining permission from the owner.

• Go to the private YouTube video that you’d want to watch.
• Remove watch? From the URL.
• The result will be as follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b5nlvL1rfA
• Enter the Enter key.
• Using this approach will aid in the unlocking of the secret video, and the seeker will be able to see it in its entirety without having to sign in.
• Please keep in mind that not all users may succeed.

How to watch private YouTube videos with a link?

• Click the mail you will receive from the video owner notifying you of the video having been shared with you.
• In your email, you will see a rectangular box, along with a smaller-sized red box containing three white horizontal dots informing you to click to view the video on the YouTube platform.
• The target video will then start playing on YouTube. Please note that you must be logged into the YouTube account with the same email address that the private link was shared with.
• Try clicking the link in your email or logging into your account in case you get a YouTube error or if the video fails to play.

Conclusion

It is left at the users’ discretion to set videos on their YouTube Channel to private and therefore often review their settings and preferences to make sure they are as desired. One can check out their page to make sure their content is not publicly visible by first logging out of their account. 

Furthermore, if you observe inappropriate behavior or abuse, please report it to YouTube support. YouTube has terms of use that guide the community therefore if there is hаrаssmеnt, inаррrорriаtе behavior, or if another user is violating another’s рrivасу, it is important to contact the YouTube support teams as soon as you notice such behavior.