Changes to Unlisted YouTube Videos
Jack Ogston 9th of July 2021
On the 23rd of July 2021, any unlisted YouTube videos that were uploaded before the 1st of January 2017 will be moved to private unless you decide to opt-out. This is an optional change, so don’t panic, and it will not apply to videos uploaded on or after 1st January 2017.
This will affect any clients that use unlisted YouTube videos anywhere on their websites, whether these are embedded on a page or linked in a blog post. Unless you make changes, the video will no longer display and anyone trying to watch it will be unable to do so.
YouTube have put together a really useful video about the changes and the options available. We would recommend watching this in full to get all of the information available.
Why is this happening?
In 2017, YouTube rolled out a security update which generated new unlisted video links, making it even more difficult for someone to be able to find unlisted videos if you haven’t shared the link with them. This new change is YouTube making changes to older videos that were uploaded before the 2017 update took place.
What do I need to do?
If you don’t use any of your unlisted videos anywhere and you‘re happy for them to be private, then you don’t need to do anything. Also, if your videos are public, this is not a problem that will affect you. However, if you want to opt out and keep your videos as they are now, you need to do so by heading here.
It’s worth noting at this point that any videos kept as unlisted will not benefit from the security update. If you want to use the same videos but also ensure they’re secure, you can re-upload them as unlisted. Again,
The final option is, if you’re happy with people being able to find and view them, to make the videos public.
YouTube go into more detail in their video about what happens to comments, notifications and each video’s legacy, so we would recommend giving that a watch to see if it solves any initial questions.
Get in touch
As always, if you have any concerns about this affecting your website, or if you have any questions in relation to this update that can’t be answered by any of the videos above, get in touch with us on 01576 526 900.
