YouTube private vs unlisted vs public visibility

1–2 minutes
a flowering tree beside a wooden fence

There are three visibility options for each video you upload to YouTube: Private, Unlisted, and Public. You choose this setting when first uploading, but can always change it later as well.

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Here’s how each visibility status is different from one another:

PrivateUnlistedPublic
Can be found via search engine✔️
Can be found via YouTube search or browsing✔️
Can be viewed from a shared direct link✔️ ✔️
Can be embedded and viewed by others✔️✔️
Private to you only✔️As long as you haven’t shared the link
A table comparing private vs unlisted vs public YouTube video visibility

So to summarize:

  • Private – only you can view
  • Unlisted – viewers must have a link to the video to view
  • Public – anyone can search for and find your video

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