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About this tool
26-point YouTube privacy audit — private subscriptions and playlists, watch and search history retention, public comment history, ad data and channel access.
This checklist covers the 26 YouTube settings that decide what your channel publishes about you and how long YouTube keeps your history. Two toggles on the Privacy tab hide subscriptions and saved playlists, but playlists you created, your Liked videos list and your entire comment history are governed separately — and comments carry your channel name and photo on every video you have ever replied to. Watch and search history retention is a Google account setting with 3, 18 and 36-month options, and ad personalisation lives in My Ad Center rather than in YouTube itself.
Open YouTube Privacy Settings Checklist on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Add your input to the workspace.
Adjust the options until the result looks right.
Copy or download the output and put it to work.
Your own playlists, Liked videos and comment history are not covered by YouTube's global privacy switches.
History retention is a Google account control and ads live in My Ad Center — the checklist says which page each item is on.
Someone with an accidental channel is graded on exposure; a creator is graded on moderation and channel access.
Go to youtube.com > Settings > Privacy and turn on 'Keep all my subscriptions private'. Subscriptions are public by default and appear on your channel page, which for most people is the most revealing thing on the account.
Yes. Every comment carries your channel name and photo, is visible on the video permanently, and the full list is at youtube.com/feed/history under Comments. Renaming the channel changes the name shown on all of them at once, but does not remove the comments themselves.
Until you change it. YouTube History sits in your Google account with auto-delete options of 3, 18 or 36 months; older accounts often have auto-delete switched off entirely and hold everything. Pausing history stops new entries but does not remove what is already stored.
No. Unlisted means it does not appear in search or on your channel, but anyone holding the link can open it and links get forwarded. Private is the only setting that limits access to you and people you explicitly invite.