How to view your watch history on YouTube (PC or Mac)
If you're a fan of YouTube, you probably spend hours watching videos on the site. However, you may not be aware that every time you watch a video, it's recorded in your YouTube viewing history.
The viewing history is a useful feature that allows you to see all the videos you've watched on YouTube. You can use it to easily resume watching a video where you left off or quickly find a video you've previously watched.
In this article, we'll explain how to access your YouTube viewing history and how to use this feature to enhance your browsing experience on the site.
How does YouTube viewing history work?
Every time you watch a video on YouTube, the site automatically records the title of the video, the channel it came from, and the date you watched it. This information is then saved in your viewing history.
However, if you don't want your viewed videos to be saved in your viewing history, you can disable this feature from your account settings. Alternatively, you can also manually delete individual items from your viewing history or clear your entire history.
- Note: If you use multiple devices to access YouTube, your viewing history will be synced across all devices associated with your account.
Now that you have an overview of the YouTube viewing history feature, let's proceed to accessing your personal one.
How to access your viewing history
To access your YouTube viewing history, follow these simple steps:
- Open your preferred browser and go to www.youtube.com.
- Click on your profile icon in the top right corner of the screen.
- From the dropdown menu, select "History".
- On this page, you can find all your recent activities on YouTube, such as videos you've watched, comments you've left, and searches you've made.
- You can also filter your history by activity type using the menu on the left side of the page. For example, you can choose to see only the videos you've watched or only the searches you've made.
Remember that your viewing history can be private or public. If it's set to private, only you will be able to see it. If it's set to public, anyone can access it. You can change this setting in your privacy preferences.
Maintaining an accurate viewing history can be helpful for keeping track of videos you liked or for easily finding a video you've previously watched. Additionally, if you use YouTube primarily for educational or work-related purposes, your viewing history can be an important source of information.
How to Delete Items from Your Viewing History
If you want to remove one or more items from your viewing history, follow these simple steps:
- Sign in to your YouTube account on your computer.
- Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select "History" from the drop-down menu.
- Find the video you want to remove and click on the three dots next to it.
- Click on "Remove from Watch History".
Alternatively, if you want to delete your entire viewing history, you can do so by following these steps:
- Sign in to your YouTube account on your computer.
- Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select "History" from the drop-down menu.
- Click on "Clear all watch history" at the top of the page.
Remember that once you delete items from your viewing history, they cannot be recovered. Additionally, deleting items from your viewing history will not affect future recommendations provided by YouTube.
How to Turn Off Your YouTube Viewing History
If you want to keep your viewing activity private on YouTube, you can turn off your viewing history. This way, the videos you watch will not be saved in your viewing history and will not be used to recommend other content to you.
Here's how to turn off your viewing history:
- Sign in to your YouTube account
- Click on your avatar in the top right of the main screen
- Select "Settings" from the drop-down menu
- Click on the "Privacy" tab
- Scroll down to find the "History" option and click on "Manage all activity"
- Click on the blue "Pause" button located at the top right of the page
- A confirmation message will appear. Click "Ok" to confirm turning off your viewing history.
Remember that if you choose to turn off your viewing history, you will no longer be able to access a list of videos you have previously watched. Additionally, since YouTube will no longer record your viewing activity, recommendations for related videos may be less accurate.
However, if you believe that privacy is more important than personalized content, turning off your viewing history may be a good choice for you.
Conclusion
Knowing how to view and manage your viewing history on YouTube can help you better control your viewing experience. You can use the information gathered in your viewing history to find videos you've watched in the past or discover new content related to your interests. Additionally, you can also turn off your viewing history if you want to keep your viewing activity private on YouTube.
Remember that, regardless of whether you decide to keep your viewing history active or not, it is always important to protect your online privacy and pay attention to the information you share on the Internet.
Michael Anderson - Software Engineer
My name is Michael Anderson, and I work as a computer engineer in Midland, Texas.
My passion is sharing my knowledge in various areas, and my purpose is to make education accessible to everyone. I believe it is essential to explain complex concepts in a simple and interesting way.
With GlobalHowTo, I aim to motivate and enrich the minds of those who want to learn.
