How to watch private YouTube videos, using a viewing link sent to your email

Private YouTube videos are not included in YouTube search results or picked up by external search engines.
The uploader of a private YouTube video can choose to make it public at any time by changing its status on the YouTube site.
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Most people upload videos to YouTube with the purpose of making them viewable to everyone.

However, there are occasions in which a user might want a video to be shared with certain people, but not the general public. When that happens, the uploader may set the video's status to private.

Private YouTube videos can be viewed by the uploader, as well as anyone they decide to share it with via the recipient's email address. That person will then receive an email letting them know a private video has been shared with them.

If you get one of these emails, here's how you can watch the private YouTube video in question.

How to watch private YouTube videos

1. In your inbox, click the email from the video's uploader letting you know the video has been shared with you.

2. In the email, a rectangular box will appear with a smaller red box with three white horizontal dots in it. Click this to be taken to the video on YouTube.

How to watch private YouTube videos Jennifer Still/Business Insider

3. The video will now begin to play on the YouTube site. However, it should be noted that you have to be signed into your YouTube account using the same email that the private link was sent to.

If you find that the video doesn't play or you get to a YouTube error page, sign into your account and then try clicking the link from your email again.