Introduction

Youtube Logo

As we are aware of the fact that Youtube these days is one of the most popular public video streaming sites, But sometimes you cannot see a video. What happens is when you attempt to see some video and the screen shows a message saying that the video is private. 

What does it mean?

On the one hand, where Youtube provides a lot more options, on the other hand, it also provides privacy on a variety of levels. Sometimes for multiple reasons, some of the artists want to have their videos posted but not made public. Hence, this is the reason some videos are private on Youtube.

Even in search results, the private Youtube video does not appear. As we have discussed above, the owner of a private video does not want the entire world to watch it or see it. And if you are willing to see the private Youtube video, you require a link for that. This private video link you can get from the uploader of the video.

What is a Private Youtube video?

A private Youtube video does not appear in the search results. The owner of a private video does not want the entire world to watch it or see it. Maybe the uploader just wants the video to watch for himself. Also if he wants to share the video, the uploader may share it with some people.

You can’t just simply watch the private Youtube video, even if you are having its title, the video will not be appearing on Youtube or Google search as well. Also it may happen sometimes that the search results are not updated yet. In such cases, either way, you won’t be able to watch the video, even if that is listed. 

Must be wondering what if a video was public at first, then afterward it was made private. So here is the fact that the next time you want to open the video, you won’t be able to access it. Within seconds, a public video can be made private within seconds by the uploader. The owner just needs to simply change the visibility status of the Youtube video through their dashboard. One important thing to mention here is that you will not be receiving the notification of a Youtube private video even if you are a subscriber to the channel.

Private, Public and Unlisted Videos

Let’s first know a little about what it means. So whenever any user wants to upload a video to the platform Youtube, the user will get the option to change the privacy settings for that particular video to be Public, Private, and Unlisted.

Public, Private & Unlisted youtube videos
  • Private Videos – which means only those who have been invited by the owner through the link can watch the video also the video will not be appearing under any search results and as well as on your recommended video lists. The users must have their own Youtube accounts to log in, and the maximum limit to it is 50 usernames. And even if you try to share the video with a person who was not invited by the owner, he/she will not be able to watch it.
  • Public Videos – Public is the default setting in Youtube which means that anyone can watch the video and it will also be visible in your recommended lists or the Google search.
  • Unlisted Videos – It means the video will not come up either in search results or on your channel. Only selective people will be able to watch the video. The unlisted videos can be shared with anyone, even with those who do not have the Youtube account or any username. This type of video can be seen by every person but should have the link to it.

Note – Even if the user has already uploaded the video on Youtube, he/she still will be able to change the settings or delete the video permanently whenever the user wishes to. Just visit the video manager under the drop-down menu and change to whatever privacy settings you want.

Just not these, Youtube has several features that we are not even aware about for e.g, we can see whosoever is watching our videos and many more.

Why you cannot watch Private videos on Youtube?

Any private Youtube video does not appear in the search results or the Google search results, if the uploader of the video does not want everyone to watch it. For that they need to set the video settings as private or unlisted, you will be able to watch the unlisted video if someone shares the video link with you. However, if you are willing to watch the private videos on Youtube you must contact the content creators, because only they can add you to the list of authorised users. A private Youtube video can only be watched by any user who the owner has permitted the video setting page of that particular video.

As we have discussed the private video will not appear as a recommended video, hence you will not be able to search it. Only the subscribers of the channel will receive the notification whenever a private video will be uploaded, which is also a fabulous advertising tool for the video.

By using such a feature, it will be helpful for business profiles to upload videos before time and will be able to use them later during any campaign move. And whenever they feel it is the right time, they can make that content public within a few seconds.

Steps to watch Private Youtube videos

As we all are aware of the fact that nowadays, Youtube is considered as the most popular platform to watch different kinds of videos online. Youtube contains billions of videos and is continuously expanding by every passing day. Although, if a content owner or uploader sets the video’s visibility status as Private, that clearly means that the uploader does not want everyone to watch the video by chance or be able to search the video. For such cases, you will be able to watch the video by following the below mentioned methods:

By default settings, the content creators who upload the video on Youtube will be able to watch it. As it is the part of privacy settings which helps them to protect their data. But also the video owners can add persons manually to a list of authorised users. These selected authorised persons are allowed to access or to watch a private video. You need to contact the creator to watch the private Youtube video. After that it will ask for your Google account username that Youtube uses to authenticate you. And if the owner of the video refuses to share the video URL with you, you can try the other methods as well.

Without the permission of the Youtube creator as well you can watch the private video. However, this method may not work for most people. Below we are mentioning the method to do, you can have the try with these: 

  • Through the search engine, open the private Youtube video.
  • Copy the link and erase the watch? From its URL.
  • You will get the link as https://www.youtube.com/v=nhSRe5UbCIY.
  • Now simply click on the Enter key to unlock or start the video.

Following method allows you to watch the private video in the full window without the owner’s permission. It would be better to be careful with age restricted videos.

Another additional method to watch the private video is by signing in to your Youtube account. You will get an email from the video creator in your inbox of Youtube. It will make you aware that the video has been shared with you. A rectangular box will appear, whenever you open the email. That box contains a smaller red box with three white horizontal dots. Click them to move to the video on Youtube. The video will play on your browser or the Youtube application.

However, use the exact same email address on which the private link was sent to sign in to your Youtube account.

Ways to watch Private Youtube videos with or without permission

Whereas several videos are made to gain more Youtube subscribers and to increase the total number of views, other than these remaining videos are made with the intention of remaining private.

The platform Youtube has made it a feasible option to make any video private and also limit the number of people who may watch it for several reasons.

Below we are mentioning the few methods you my try to watch them, as follows: 

1. With Permission

As Private Youtube videos are not visible to everyone, you must be on that list of the owner to view those uploaded videos. And this you will be able to accomplish by having contact with the video creator directly through Youtube or through other social media platforms and by sharing with them your Gmail address.

And then the creator will add you to the list of viewers and will grant you access to the video. To be able to identify it and go to the video, you need to use the same Google account address as your Youtube account.

2. Without Permission

Whereas we all are aware of the fact that asking the creator for permission is considered the ideal approach to view private videos, her we are with one more method to gain access to private videos without permission: 

Once you are on the Youtube private video, you can change the URL by following below mentioned steps:

  • Open or access your Youtube account.
  • Now find that particular private video you want to watch.
  • Once you are done finding it, change the URL by removing the “watch”.
  • Now press enter to see the video.

Note – There is no assurance of the fact that surely it will work, but the majority of people found this method beneficial.

If this option does not work as well, we have got one more alternative for you.

3. View Video Cache

This alternate video cache view is able to save all of the video you have seen, which means that if you have watched a particular video and the creator changes settings of the video to private, you can look for that video in the video cache.

And if you find that video, use a third-party program to convert it to MP4 so that you  will be able to watch it even when you are not connected to the internet.

Which is an absolutely amazing feature for already seen videos and are not public anymore. 

The time period of the Youtube video on your channel, depending on the verified account

These are some important facts that you must be aware about, one of them is that in case your Youtube account is not verified, you will just be able to upload a limited video that is up to 15 minutes long. 

Youtube verified account

As per our Google research, it says if your account on Youtube is verified you can upload a video upto 12 hours long or you can say 128 GB video file.

And not to worry if you are not aware about the verification process for your Youtube account, just visit your account features page and if you are verified, you’ll see “verified” under the name of the channel. The “Longer Videos” box will also be showing “Enabled”. 

So as a result, you will need a verified account to upload longer videos.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Is it possible to watch Youtube videos without any identification?

The answer is yes! You can watch the Youtube videos anonymously. There are a total of three popular services available on the market, which allows the people to watch Youtube videos without an account. Those apps we are mentioning below, have a look:

  • FreeTube – Desktop app
  • NewPipe – Android app
  • Invidious – Website service

All of the above mentioned apps offer a similar interface. They all are good for maintaining privacy while Youtube streaming.

  • Is any way possible to watch private or deleted Youtube videos?

Yes, it is possible to watch private or deleted Youtube videos. Just by default settings, the uploader or the content creator who uploads the private video can watch it. It is a part of privacy stings on Youtube to protect your data. Although the owners of the video have access to add people to a list of authorised users. Then all these selected users will have access to be able to watch a private video. So to watch any private Youtube video, you need to contact the video’s owner. He will ask your Google account username that Youtube uses to authenticate you. If the video’s uploader refuses to share the actual video URL with you, you can try the other method as well. 

However, Youtube does not provide the official way to watch the deleted videos. But we can also apply a few tricks to watch deleted Youtube videos. And one of the easiest methods to watch the deleted Youtube videos is the wayback machine – Archive.org. which is a digital Internet archive. It contains over 500 billion pages and continues to expand by every passing day.

  • Simply find the link of the deleted video in your history. Liked videos contain all the videos which you have liked. You can check the Already-Watched videos to find the link.
  • Tap on the video listing. It will take you to the deleted video. The video will not be played, but you’ll find the link.
  • Now, move to the Wayback machine. Paste the URL in the search bar. It will display the years and dates on which the page was opened.
  • You can click on any one of them to view an archived page. The Youtube page with the video will most likely appear on the screen and may even play.
  • Is it possible for a Private Youtube video to have copyrighted music on it?

Yes, you are correct with the statement here, a private Youtube video has copyrighted music on it. Youtube has a system named Content ID, which allows copyright owners of that particular song to decide how to manage or handle their content.

Final Words

After reading this entire article, we all are aware that Youtube is a social media platform to watch different types of videos. And it has millions of videos and is continuously expanding by each passing day. Although, these private Youtube videos do not appear on search results. When a video maker sets the video visibility as private, it will not appear in the search results, through which we understand that the user does not want anybody to watch it just by chance or just by a search. However, it is possible to watch private videos without permission of the content creator. You can ask for the video link as well from the owner. Or else you can watch the video by methods which we have mentioned above in the article. You can also watch these Youtube videos anonymously.