YouTube Public vs Private vs Unlisted Video – Explained and Compared
YouTube is a video streaming platform that lets its users watch, upload videos, and share it with people all over the world. Here the question arises: what if I don’t want someone to see this video?
Or to be precise, “I want a specific group of people to see this but not everyone.”
To meet this requirement, YouTube has added many features throughout the years. Public videos, Private videos, and a special kind of option called Unlisted videos. So many names, but they are really simple to understand.
Let’s dig deep and find out more about these settings. After reading the blog, you will find the answer to questions such as: what does “unlisted” mean on YouTube? And so on.
Public Videos
These are the videos that anyone can see, comment, and share because it’s public. YouTube can put it in someone’s preference or their news feed as it is public.
You don’t have to have a special link or a device to see this.
Private Videos
From here, things are about to get spicy. YouTube private videos are certain videos that you don’t want to show everyone.
For example, you and your friends are on a tour to Thailand, or maybe to a Coldplay concert. You guys created or compiled the video, and wanted to keep it to you guys so that you can cherish those moments whenever you wanted.
But you also don’t want anyone to search for, find, and watch your video. This is where these settings come in handy.
You and the people that are specially invited can only watch this video, cool right? Remember, this is a special setting that only allows the uploader to send invite up to 50 people, and each of them requires a proper Gmail account to view it.
These videos will not show up when someone is searching for it or in someone’s preferences or their subscription or any tab. YouTube private videos are not shareable, and these cannot be added to the channel.
YouTube private videos will not show up in the search results, recommendations, or even related videos as these are only for the people who are invited.
If the uploader does not invite you, then you will not have access to the video and that’s how YouTube private videos work.
Unlisted Videos
If you think, what does unlisted mean on YouTube? Or what is unlisted on YouTube? Well, unlisted means something that is not listed.
Unlisted videos on YouTube are a unique and different kind of feature. It is right between the public and private video settings.
Unlisted on YouTube means it’s viewable to the person who has the link, it’s shareable to the person who has the link, but it won’t show up on your search results, news feed preferences, or even channel section. This one is different from both but sitting between them.
How? Well, these videos are not listed anywhere, and only the person who has the link can view them. And here is a fun fact, you don’t even need a Google account here.
Unlisted videos are watchable as long as you have the link, and it can also be shared on third-party video streaming platforms.
As long as you have the link to the video, anybody can watch it without a Gmail account.
Now a question might arise where are these kinds of videos used? Or What are unlisted videos on YouTube?
Well, you will be amazed to know there are so many examples around us that we don’t even know that these are unlisted videos.
For example, you can embed the videos on your blogs, surveying, and even schedule uploads, etc.
So, if someone asks what does unlisted mean of YouTube? You know exactly what to tell them.
If you are wondering what does unlisted mean on YouTube and what are the differences between these settings, the following summary will clear a lot of questions.
Here is a summary of the things that we discussed but made it easy for you to understand. Now comes a debate.
Which one should we choose over another? What is the difference between public, private, and unlisted? Which one is better?
The Difference Between Public, Private & Unlisted
If you want to differentiate between these three, let’s start by a versus battle.
Let’s start with Public vs. Private, Public vs. private is an easy and understandable matter.
The videos that are posted on YouTube public settings are the ones that can be seen, found, and even shared by anyone on the YouTube platform.
He/She mustn’t need a special privilege or a special kind of invitation to watch the video.
Whereas the person with YouTube private video settings has the power to control the video, and he can invite people to see the video. Even with the link, not everyone can see this video as the viewer must be invited by the uploader.
After this, we got Public vs. Unlisted, we know what YouTube public videos have to offer, but YouTube unlisted videos are something else.
Previously we got to know the key difference is that unlisted videos are not found on the search results, news feed preferences, or anywhere where you didn’t want it to be.
The person who has the link to this video will be able to see this even share it on another platform. The use of unlisted videos is huge and we can’t even finish the things that these YouTube unlisted videos help us to achieve.
Now we are going towards YouTube private videos vs. YouTube unlisted videos; this is also really simple. The YouTube private videos are only watchable to the viewers that are invited.
On the other hand, the unlisted viewers are the ones who have the link to the video. Not only that, YouTube Private videos can’t be watched by someone who doesn’t have a Gmail account.
You must have a Gmail account if you want to watch private videos. On the contrary, for the unlisted video, you can watch a video even if you’re not a part of YouTube or even if you don’t have a Gmail account.
You can also share the YouTube unlisted video as long as you pass on the link; there isn’t a moderator or something like this but YouTube private videos have this feature and only the uploader can send you the invitation.
To summarize, Public videos are generally set in public settings, and everyone can see it, search and comment on it. But Private videos are not for everyone.
If you are not invited to watch it, it’s not possible to watch this video. It won’t even show up on someone’s search results or video feed.
And finally, unlisted is similar to that, but you don’t need to have a YouTube account for this; instead, you can upload it, and people with the link to the video can see it.
But keep in mind, even these videos won’t show up on the news feed or search results or news feed preferences.
That is not all about the differences between public, private, and unlisted videos on YouTube, the videos that are posted in private settings can not be shared like the ones with public and unlisted settings. It’s controlled by the uploader.
Conclusion
Many people use YouTube in their day-to-day activities, but they are not aware of the fact that YouTube offers so many diverse features for its users.
It doesn’t matter if you are a student or a singer or even a person who loves to goof around and entertain people; YouTube has added so many features and understood its audience.
They have listened to them, and they have added updates and features to create a better experience for everyone.
After all of these obstacles and rigorous years, YouTube has reached a point where it just can’t be touched as it is adored by so many people.
The values that YouTube adds to everyone’s life can’t be measured on any scale and we must use it to its maximum potential wisely.
YouTube Public videos, YouTube private videos, and YouTube unlisted videos, despite their differences, provide a sense of security. It includes features to cater to a niche audience.
With diversified features, YouTube is one step ahead to grab the attention of the users. YouTube wants to give you the excellent service that you need.
YouTube has its taste and style, and it is trying its best to keep it intact while providing us the proper solution to our problem.
So, even after so many differences and so many years, YouTube has added proper safety and security and made us feel that the platform that we love and adore. It is helping us grow and target that niche segment while fulfilling that proper target of making videos watchable to everyone.
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