Getting Started on YouTube

Navigate YouTube on mobile

Signed in? How you navigate YouTube depends if you are signed in. You can determine if you’re signed in by touching the  menu. If you’re signed in you’ll see your name or username, if you’re not, you’ll see the prompt to Sign in. This article covers navigation while signed in.

When you open the YouTube app, you’ll land on What to Watch. What to Watch highlights recent uploads and activity from your subscriptions and videos recommended for you. You will also see popular content and YouTube Mixes if you’ve previously watched music videos. You can navigate back to this feed at any time from the Guide.

Guide

You can access the Guide at any time, by touching the  menu at the top of the screen. The Guide lets you switch between What to Watch and My Subscriptions, your watch history and watch later lists, all of the playlists you’ve created or saved, and the channels you’ve subscribed to.

In the Guide you can also click your name or email address to switch accounts. This is useful if you’re switching between two different Google accounts or if you’re managing the YouTube channel for your Google+ page.

Settings

You can access your settings in the menu,   or . From Settings you can update the settings for your particular device. This includes connecting to TVs, search filtering, and accessing Help.

Search

The other icon you’ll see is the search icon . Enter what you’re searching for and then filter the results by videos, channels, or playlists.

Navigate YouTube on desktop

If you’re new to YouTube or haven’t signed in, the homepage will display the most popular videos and highlights from categories like Music, Sports, and Gaming.
Once you’ve signed in, the navigation bar at the top of every YouTube page allows you to easily find the stuff you care about. To sign out or change account settings, click on your channel icon in the top corner of YouTube.

Guide

Open the Guide to access your channel, playlists, subscriptions, history, videos you’ve saved to watch later, and purchases (if applicable). Learn more about the features accessible within the Guide.

What to watch / My Subscriptions

If you’re on the YouTube homepage, the center navigation items allow you to switch views of your homepage. What to Watch highlights videos recommended for you from your subscriptions and watch history while My Subscriptions allows you to view recent uploads and activity from your subscriptions.

Channel icon

To access the Creator Studio or switch between channels, select your channel icon in the top corner of the page. The Creator Studio includes your Dashboard, Video Manager, Analytics, and more.

Build playlists of videos you like

Do you have a group of videos that you like? Maybe it’s a gym mix that really gets you moving or highlights of your favorite comedians. Put them in a playlist, so you can watch them anywhere, whenever you want.

Make a new playlist

When making a new playlist, start with the first video you want to add.

Android and iOS

1. Touch the menu icon. When a video is playing, you may need to tap on the video to see the icon appear.
2. Touch New playlist… 
3. Type in a name for your playlist and select if you wish to keep it private or public.
4. On a video, touch the   icon at the bottom of the screen when in portrait mode (device held vertically).
5. In the menu that appears, choose an existing playlist, or scroll to the bottom to create a new one.

Desktop or Laptop

Watch and share

You can find your playlists from your Guide. To access the Guide on a computer, visit the homepage or click Guide on the left side of any video page. To find the Guide on mobile devices, touch the Guide icon at the top left when not watching a video.

To share your playlist with others, click on the playlist name and then click Share.

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Subscribe to the channels you love

Subscriptions are an important part of your YouTube account. If there are specific channels that you like, subscribe to them. Once you do, you’ll receive updates whenever they upload new videos, making it simple to keep up with the content you care about.

How to subscribe

First, make sure you’re signed in. Take a look at the top right corner of the YouTube screen. Click Sign In. If you’re already signed in, you’ll see your name here.

Don’t have a YouTube account? If you have a Google account, your YouTube account will be ready to go. If you don’t have a Google account, signing up for one is easy. Just click here.

To subscribe to a channel, just click the Subscribe btn wherever you see it.

Finding channels to subscribe to

Channels you already like

If there are channels you already watch on a regular basis, try subscribing to them.

Get recommendations from the homepage

You can find recommended channels on your homepage, in the What to Watch section.

Recommended channels appear in the feed.

They also appear on the right side of the page.

Browse by category

If you want to see channels about a particular subject – like music, sports, comedy, or games – go to http://www.youtube.com/channels to browse popular channels across different categories. Search!

Do a search

Interested in something? Try searching it on YouTube. You can then use a filter on your search results to show channels relevant to what you searched.

Once you’ve subscribed

When you subscribe, the channel is added to your guide (the menu that appears on the left side of the homepage and video pages).

Now whenever you visit your homepage, new videos from your subscriptions will appear in the My Subscriptions feed. The What to Watch feed also shows videos from your subscriptions, along with recommendations for channels or videos you may be interested in. To get to your My Subscriptions and What to Watch feeds from a computer:

1. Visit the YouTube homepage while logged in
2. Click on My Subscriptions in the guide
3. You can also find the Guide on a video page, to the left of the player

How to find your subscriptions on mobile

When not watching a video, swipe from the left edge to the right to open the Guide, then touch My Subscriptions.

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YouTube Kids

The official YouTube Kids app is designed for curious little minds. This free app is delightfully simple and packed full of age-appropriate videos, channels, and playlists. YouTube Kids features popular children’s programming, plus kid-friendly content from filmmakers, teachers, and creators all around the world. Learn more about YouTube Kids.