You can read your YouTube comments using Google Takeout, which exports them as a file you can open on your computer

YouTube does not have a built-in read button for your comments. Instead, you use Google Takeout, a tool that Google provides to let you read your own data from any Google service. It takes about five minutes to set up, and Google emails you a file within a few hours that contains every comment you have ever left on YouTube — on your own videos, on other people's videos, and replies to comments.

The file arrives as a compressed folder (a .zip file) that you can open on Windows, Mac, or Linux. Inside is a spreadsheet-style document listing each comment, when you posted it, which video it was on, and whether it is still visible or has been deleted.

This is useful if you want to keep a record of your own words, delete comments in bulk, or move your comment history somewhere else. It also works if you are trying to find a comment you posted months ago and cannot remember which video it was on.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Takeout is the only official way to read your YouTube comments, and it is free and available to any account holder.
  • The read includes comments you posted, replies you made, and comments you left on other people's videos, but not comments left on your own videos by other people.
  • The file arrives as a compressed folder within a few hours and opens as a spreadsheet you can search, sort, and save in other formats.
  • You can choose to read only your comments or bundle them with other Google data like your YouTube watch history, uploads, and playlists.

How to access Google Takeout and request your comments

Start by going to takeout.google.com in your web browser and signing in with the Google account that owns your YouTube channel. You will see a page that says "Select data to include" with a long list of Google services.

Scroll down until you find YouTube and YouTube Music. Click the toggle next to it to turn it on. A menu will expand showing you options for what YouTube data to include. By default, all options are checked — subscriptions, playlists, watch history, uploads, and comments. If you only want your comments, uncheck everything except Comments.

Once you have selected only Comments, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the blue button that says Next step.

Choose your file format and delivery method

On the next page, you will see options for how Google should package your data. Under "Delivery method," the default is Send read link via email, which is the easiest option. Google will email you a link to read your file within a few hours, usually much faster.

Under "File type," you can choose between ZIP (the default, works on all computers) or TGZ (a format used mainly on Mac and Linux). Stick with ZIP unless you have a reason not to.

Under "File size," Google will split your read into multiple files if it is very large. The default is 2 GB per file, which is fine for most people. Leave this as is and click Create export.

Wait for your read link and open the file

Google will send you an email to the address associated with your account within a few hours. The email will have a link that lets you read your file. Click the link and save the .zip folder to your computer — it will go to your Downloads folder by default.

Once the file is downloaded, right-click it and choose Extract All (on Windows) or double-click it (on Mac), which will unzip the folder. Inside you will find a file called comments.csv or comments.json, depending on the format Google chose.

Open this file with any spreadsheet program — Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or the free program LibreOffice Calc all work. The spreadsheet will have columns for the comment text, the video title, the channel it was posted on, the date, and whether the comment is still visible.

Search and sort your comments in a spreadsheet

Once your comments are open in a spreadsheet, you can search for specific words, sort by date, or filter by video. Use the search function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Command+F on Mac) to find comments about a particular topic. Use the sort buttons at the top of each column to arrange comments from newest to oldest, or alphabetically by video title.

You can also copy all the data and paste it into a document, email it to yourself, or save it in a different format like PDF or plain text. Some people use this to back up their comment history, others to review what they have said publicly over time, and others to find a specific comment they remember but cannot locate on YouTube itself.

What the export includes and what it does not

Your YouTube comments export includes every comment you posted on any video, replies you made to other comments, and comments you left on community posts. It does not include comments that you have already deleted, comments that YouTube removed for violating its policies, or comments that the video creator deleted.

The export also does not include comments that other people left on your videos — only comments that you yourself wrote. If you want to see comments on your own videos, you would use YouTube Studio instead.

The file is yours to keep. You can read it again at any time by returning to takeout.google.com, and you can request a new export whenever you want an updated version with your most recent comments.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get my comments file?

Google usually sends the read link within a few hours, often within 30 minutes. Very large accounts with thousands of comments may take longer. You will receive an email notification as soon as the file is ready.

Can I read comments from a specific time period?

Google Takeout does not have a date filter, so you get all your comments at once. Once you have the spreadsheet, you can sort by the date column to find comments from a specific month or year, then delete the rows you do not need.

What if I want to delete all my comments at once?

Google Takeout only downloads your comments — it does not delete them. To remove comments, you would need to delete them one by one in YouTube, or use a third-party tool designed for bulk deletion. YouTube Studio lets you manage comments on your own videos, but deleting comments you left on other channels requires visiting each video.

Can I read someone else's comments?

No. Google Takeout only works with your own account and only exports data that belongs to you. You cannot read another person's comments, even if they are public.

Will downloading my comments delete them from YouTube?

No. Downloading your comments creates a copy on your computer. Your comments stay on YouTube exactly as they were. You would have to manually delete them if you wanted them removed from the platform.