What unlisted means and when to use it

An unlisted video on YouTube is one that does not appear in search results, your channel page, or YouTube's recommendations. Only people who have the direct link can find it and watch it. You control who sees it by deciding who gets the URL.

Unlisted is different from private (which only you can watch) and public (which anyone can find). Use unlisted when you want to share a video with specific people — a family recording, a work presentation, a tutorial for a small group — without making it discoverable to the entire internet.

YouTube does not limit how many unlisted videos you can have, and unlisted videos stay on your account indefinitely unless you delete them. The video itself works exactly the same as a public one; only the visibility changes.

Key Takeaways

  • Unlisted videos do not show up in search, your channel, or recommendations, but anyone with the link can watch them.
  • You can make a video unlisted when you first upload it or change an existing public video to unlisted at any time.
  • Changing a video from public to unlisted does not delete comments, likes, or view counts — those stay attached to the video.
  • If you share an unlisted video link and later change it back to public, people who saved the link can still watch it.

How to make a video unlisted during upload

When you upload a new video to YouTube, the visibility setting appears before the upload finishes. Open YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com), click the Create button in the top left, and select Upload videos. Drag your video file into the box or click to browse your computer.

While the video uploads, you will see a section labeled Visibility on the right side of the screen. By default it is set to Public. Click on Public and a dropdown menu appears with three options: Public, Unlisted, and Private. Select Unlisted.

Fill in the title, description, and any other details you want. You can add tags, choose a thumbnail, and set age restrictions if needed — these work the same way whether the video is public or unlisted. When you are ready, click Publish or Schedule (if you want it to go live at a specific time). The video will upload as unlisted.

How to change an existing video to unlisted

If you have already published a video as public and want to make it unlisted, go to YouTube Studio and click Content in the left menu. Find the video in your list and hover over it. Click the three dots that appear on the right side of the video row, then select Details.

On the Details page, scroll down to the Visibility section. Click on the current setting (usually Public) and select Unlisted from the dropdown. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save. The change takes effect when ready.

When you change a video from public to unlisted, YouTube keeps all the comments, likes, and view count that the video already has. The video does not reset or lose any of its history. Anyone who bookmarked the link or saved it can still watch it, even though it no longer appears in search or on your channel.

Sharing an unlisted video safely

Once your video is unlisted, copy the URL from the address bar or click Share below the video player and copy the link that appears. Send this link only to the people you want to watch it. You can paste it in an email, text message, private message, or anywhere else you communicate with that person.

YouTube does not send notifications to people when you share an unlisted video with them, so they will not know it exists unless you tell them. If you want to stop sharing it, you can change the video back to private (which removes access for everyone except you) or delete it entirely.

Be aware that if someone you share the link with posts it publicly — on social media, in a forum, or anywhere else — other people can watch it. The unlisted setting only hides the video from YouTube's search and recommendation systems, not from people who have the direct link. If you need to prevent sharing, use private instead.

The difference between unlisted, private, and public

YouTube offers three visibility levels, and each serves a different purpose. Public videos appear in search results, on your channel page, and in YouTube's recommendations. Anyone can find them without a link.

Unlisted videos do not appear in any of those places, but anyone with the link can watch them. There is no password or permission system — if someone has the URL, they can view it. This is useful for sharing with a group of people you trust or for videos you want to keep off YouTube's main discovery systems.

Private videos can only be watched by you and by people you specifically invite through YouTube Studio. You can add their email addresses and control exactly who has access. Private is the right choice if you are sharing something sensitive or if you want to prevent the link from being shared further.

What happens to comments and engagement when you change visibility

If your video was public and had comments, likes, or a view count, those all stay attached to the video when you make it unlisted. The numbers do not reset, and existing comments remain visible to anyone watching the video (including people you share the link with).

After you change a video to unlisted, new viewers can still leave comments if you have comments turned on. You can manage comments the same way you would for any other video — approve them, delete them, or turn off comments entirely in the video's Details page.

If you later change the video back to public, the view count, comments, and likes are still there. YouTube does not erase engagement history when you toggle visibility settings.

Troubleshooting unlisted videos

If you shared an unlisted video link and the person says they cannot watch it, the most common reason is that they are not signed into a YouTube account. Some videos have age restrictions that require the viewer to be logged in. Ask them to sign in and try again.

If the video still will not play, check that you copied the full URL correctly. The link should look like youtube.com/watch?v=[video ID]. If you accidentally shared a shortened or modified link, it might not work. Copy the link again directly from the address bar and resend it.

If you changed a video from public to unlisted and someone says they can no longer find it in search, that is working as intended — unlisted videos do not appear in search. They can still watch it if they have the direct link.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can people find an unlisted video if they search for the title?

No. Unlisted videos do not appear in YouTube search results, even if someone searches for the exact title. The only way to find an unlisted video is to have the direct link. If you want to keep a video completely hidden from search, unlisted is the right choice.

What if I share an unlisted video link and then delete the video?

Once you delete a video, the link stops working. Anyone who tries to visit it will see a message saying the video is no longer available. Deleting is permanent and cannot be undone, so make sure you want to remove it before you do.

Can I change an unlisted video back to public?

Yes. Go to YouTube Studio, find the video in your Content list, click Details, and change the Visibility setting back to Public. The video will then appear in search results and on your channel page. All comments, likes, and views stay with the video.

Do unlisted videos count toward my watch time or subscriber requirements?

Yes. Unlisted videos count the same as public videos for YouTube Partner Program requirements. If you need 4,000 watch hours and 1,000 subscribers to monetize, watch time on unlisted videos counts toward that total.

Is there a way to password-protect an unlisted video?

No. YouTube does not offer password protection for unlisted videos. If you need to restrict access beyond just hiding from search, use Private instead and invite specific people by email address.