How to Hide Your YouTube Account From Others
By Naomi Bolton
While you don't need a YouTube account to watch content by others, it is required if you want to upload your own videos. If you prefer to keep your videos and YouTube activity private, it is possible to hide certain aspects from other users. This prevents unauthorized users from watching the clips that you upload or seeing your likes and subscriptions.
Step 1
Sign in to your YouTube account and click the down-arrow icon next to your profile picture on the upper right corner of the screen.
Step 2
Click the "YouTube" settings link in the "YouTube" section of the options that are shown.
Step 3
Click "Privacy" on the left column of the account settings page that opens.
Step 4
Click the check box next to "Keep all my likes private" to prevent others from seeing which videos on the service you like.
Step 5
Click the check box next to "Keep all my subscriptions private" to prevent others from seeing which YouTube channels you are subscribed to.
Step 6
Click the "Allow only my contacts to send me messages and share videos" to prevent random YouTube users from sending you private messages or videos.
Step 7
Uncheck the "Let people find my channel on YouTube if they have my email address" if it is checked to prevent someone from using your email address to locate your channel on YouTube.
Step 8
Click the blue "Save" button at the top of the page to commit to the privacy setting changes.
Step 9
Click "Overview" from the left column of the account settings page and then click the "View additional features" link.
Step 10
Click "Defaults" from the "Channel Settings" section on the left column and then select "Private" from the "Privacy" drop-down list.
Step 11
Click the "Save" button to save the default upload settings. All videos that you upload to YouTube are private and can only be seen by the people that you choose. When uploading videos, enter the names or email addresses of the people allowed to view the video.
References
Tips
- Using "Unlisted" instead of "Private" for your video privacy settings allows anyone to see the videos, provided he has the link to the video. This is less secure than the "Private" setting, but enables you to share content with viewers that do not have a YouTube or Google Plus account.
Writer Bio
Virtually growing up in a computer repair shop, Naomi Bolton has held a passion for as long as she can remember. After earning a diploma through a four year course in graphic design from Cibap College, Bolton launched her own photography business. Her work has been featured on Blinklist, Gameramble and many others.