YouTube is constantly refining and reorganizing even its most basic functions in an effort to make the platform easier and safer for creators and viewers alike. Recently, they announced a change that will be coming to unlisted videos in the near future.
Here’s what it means for your channel.
It only impacts unlisted videos that were uploaded before January 1, 2017.
If you started your channel in 2018 or later, then you don’t need to worry about the impending changes to unlisted videos. However, if you’ve had your channel since 2017 or before, then you might be affected. It won’t impact your public or private videos, though; you only need to be concerned about your unlisted videos.
An unlisted video is different from a private video because it can be viewed by anyone who has the link. So, if your longtime subscribers have saved the links to old videos you’ve unlisted, then they can still watch them. To see if you have any unlisted videos on your channel, go to YouTube Studio. Then, select the “Content” tab. Filter your videos by visibility and select “unlisted.” Finally, look at the date next to each video to find out when it was uploaded.
All of the applicable videos will be switched to private.
On January 23, 2021, any unlisted video that was uploaded before January 1, 2017 will have its privacy settings changed automatically. All of these videos will go from “unlisted” to “private.” Therefore, as the channel owner, you’ll be the only one who can access them.
YouTube is taking this measure as part of a security update. It’s a good thing if you’ve lost track of the people who have links to your unlisted videos or if you’d rather people not have access to old videos you feel no longer reflect your channel. However, if you have videos that are unlisted so that you can restrict access to Channel Members or Patreon supporters, then you may need to take action.
You can opt out of the change if you’d prefer for your videos to remain unlisted.
The switchover from unlisted to private will be carried out automatically, but if you act before July 23rd, then you can opt-out of it. Then, all of your unlisted videos will remain unlisted. Anyone with the links will still be able to access them, but they still won’t appear in search results or on your channel’s videos page.
To opt out of the change, fill out this form. Otherwise, you can change the privacy settings on the videos manually. You can also share a private video with up to fifty different email addresses if necessary. You can read YouTube’s full announcement here.
YouTube is changing the privacy settings for old unlisted videos as part of a security update to unlisted videos as a whole. You can either allow your videos to become private or manually opt-out of the change.
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
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