Making subscriptions public shows your subscriber list to anyone who visits your channel
By default, your YouTube subscriptions are private — only you can see the channels you follow. If you want other people to see which creators you subscribe to, you can change that setting in your account. This takes about one minute and affects how your channel appears to visitors.
The setting lives in your YouTube account preferences, not in individual subscription settings. Once you turn it on, your entire subscription list becomes visible on your channel's "Channels" tab. You cannot make some subscriptions public and keep others private — it is all or nothing.
Key Takeaways
- Your subscriptions are hidden by default, and only you see them unless you change your privacy settings.
- Making subscriptions public displays your full subscription list on your channel under the "Channels" tab for anyone to view.
- The setting is in your account privacy settings, not on individual channels or subscriptions.
- You can switch between public and private subscriptions at any time — the change takes effect when ready.
- Making subscriptions public does not affect your watch history, liked videos, or any other part of your account.
How to change your subscription privacy setting
Sign in to YouTube and click your profile picture in the top right corner. Select "Settings" from the menu that appears. On the left side, click "Privacy" — this is the third option down, after "General" and "Notifications".
Under "Privacy", you will see a section called "Subscriptions". The toggle next to "Make my subscriptions public" is currently off (gray). Click it once to turn it on (it will turn blue). YouTube saves this change when ready — you do not need to click a separate "Save" button.
If you change your mind later, return to the same spot and click the toggle again to turn it off. Your subscriptions will go back to private within seconds.
What happens when you make subscriptions public
Once your subscriptions are public, anyone who visits your channel can click the "Channels" tab and see every creator you subscribe to. They will see the channel names, profile pictures, and subscriber counts for each channel. They cannot see when you subscribed or how often you watch.
This does not change anything about the creators themselves — they do not get notified that you subscribe to them, and they cannot see whether your subscription is public or private. It only affects what other YouTube users can see when they look at your channel.
Your watch history, liked videos, and playlists remain private regardless of this setting. Making subscriptions public does not expose any of those.
Why you might want subscriptions to be public
Some creators use public subscriptions as a way to recommend channels to their audience. If you run a channel and want viewers to know which creators inspire you or which channels cover similar topics, a public subscription list serves that purpose.
Public subscriptions can also help other users discover new channels. If someone visits your channel and sees you subscribe to creators they have never heard of, they might check those channels out.
For most personal accounts, keeping subscriptions private is the safer choice. There is no benefit to making them public unless you specifically want to share your viewing interests with others.
Privacy considerations before making subscriptions public
Think about what your subscription list reveals about you. If you subscribe to niche communities, sensitive topics, or channels that reflect personal beliefs or struggles, those subscriptions become visible to anyone who visits your channel — including people you know in real life if they find your channel.
YouTube does not let you hide individual subscriptions while keeping others public. If you want to keep some subscriptions private, you will need to keep all of them private. The only workaround is to use a separate account for subscriptions you want to hide.
Once you make subscriptions public, there is no way to hide your subscription history from that point forward. Creators you subscribed to in the past will all appear on your public list.
How to turn subscriptions back to private
Return to Settings > Privacy and click the "Make my subscriptions public" toggle again to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray, and your subscriptions will be hidden from your channel when ready.
Turning subscriptions back to private does not delete your subscription list or change which channels you follow. It only hides the list from other people. You will still see all your subscriptions in your own subscription feed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make some subscriptions public and hide others?
No. YouTube's privacy setting is all or nothing — either all your subscriptions are public or all are private. If you need to hide specific subscriptions, you would need to unsubscribe from those channels or use a separate YouTube account for sensitive subscriptions.
Do creators know if I make my subscriptions public?
No. Creators cannot see whether your subscription to them is public or private. They also do not get notified when you change this setting. The only thing that changes is what other YouTube users can see on your channel.
If I make subscriptions public, can people see when I subscribed?
No. Your public subscription list shows only the channel names and basic information. It does not show subscription dates, how often you watch, or any other viewing data.
What if I delete my channel — do my public subscriptions disappear?
Yes. When you delete your YouTube channel, your subscription list is deleted along with it. If you straightforward deactivate your channel instead of deleting it, your subscriptions remain private and hidden from view.
Can I see other people's subscriptions if they make theirs public?
Yes. If someone has made their subscriptions public, you can visit their channel, click the "Channels" tab, and see their full subscription list. This works the same way other people can see yours if you make subscriptions public.