Hey there! Have you ever wondered how to make your YouTube channel private? If you want to limit viewership of your videos or use YouTube primarily for private sharing, privatizing your channel is the way to go.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll provide step-by-step instructions to make your YouTube channel private, using images to highlight each selection. By the end, you‘ll have the expertise to privatize any YouTube channel.
Why Go Private on the World‘s Biggest Video Platform?
As you probably know, YouTube has over 2 billion monthly active users who watch over 1 billion hours of video daily. With availability in 104 countries and in 80 languages, YouTube has become the de facto place to share and view video content globally.
But what if you don‘t necessarily want all those people seeing the precious video memories and candid moments you share with friends and family? That‘s where making your channel private comes in handy!
Here‘s a comparison of public and private YouTube channels:
| Feature | Public Channel | Private Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility in search/recommendations | Yes | No |
| Shareability via link | Yes | Yes |
| Viewable by subscribers | Yes | Only approved |
| Eligible for monetization | Yes | No |
As this table shows, private channels retain shareability via direct link but limit visibility based on your explicit permissions. Keep reading as I show you how easy it is to convert any YouTube channel over to private.
Step 1: Access YouTube Studio
First, log into the YouTube account connected to the channel you want to make private. Once signed in, click on your profile picture in the top right corner.
From the dropdown menu, select "YouTube Studio". This is your one-stop-shop to manage your channel, content, monetization and more!
Now you‘ll want to navigate to the settings area to change your channel‘s privacy.
Step 2: Click "Settings" in the Sidebar
On the left sidebar of YouTube Studio, click the "Settings" link to access all your account and channel configuration options.
This is where we‘ll tweak specific privacy settings for your channel.
Step 3: Go to the "Channel" Tab of Settings
In the Settings page, click on the "Channel" tab up top to configure public-facing details.
It‘s within the Channel submenu we‘ll be able to restrict viewership.
Step 4: Enable "Advanced Settings"
While in the Channel Settings tab, scroll down until you see the blue "Advanced Settings" link and click it.
This exposes additional configuration preferences. Now we‘re getting close to the private-making action!
Step 5: Choose "Remove YouTube Content"
Scroll down all the way to the bottom of the Advanced Settings until you see the "Remove YouTube Content" option.
Go ahead and click it to initiate a channel removal.
Don‘t worry, this won‘t actually delete your channel! We want to keep it, just make it private.
Step 6: Choose "Hide My Channel"
After clicking that "Remove" link, you‘ll be presented with two options:
- "I want to hide my channel" – Makes your channel private
- "I want to permanently delete my content" – Fully deletes the channel
Select the first option to simply privatize while retaining all your channel details.
Hiding is ideal rather than full deletion.
Step 7: Confirm Selections to Hide
On this page, you must check a few mandatory boxes to confirm you want to hide your channel:
- Hide channel visibility
- Delete YouTube comments
- Remove data from other Google services
Verify each option then click "Hide my channel" at the very bottom to confirm!
Step 8: Double Check Channel Privacy
That‘s it! Your channel is now 100% private. To double check, go back into Channel Settings then scroll down and verify the "Videos are private" text displays.
Now only specifically invited viewers can see this content. Well done!
Sharing Private Videos on a Hidden Channel
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So in summary, I‘ve shown you how to:
- Access YouTube Studio
- Get to Video Settings
- Enable Advanced configurations
- Hide Your Channel with just a few clicks!
I expand on sharing videos, troubleshooting, metrics and more in this complete guide. Let me know if you run into any issues privatizing your channel!