If you have any unlisted videos that were uploaded before January 1, 2017
they'll be marked as private starting in July, 2021
unless you take action.
Let's walk through what's happening, why this is happening, and what you can do.
First, what's happening?
As part of a security update, all unlisted videos
that were uploaded before January 1, 2017 will be moved to private on July 23, 2021.
This is an optional change
and if you don't want it to happen to your old unlisted videos
we'll show you how you can opt out.
These videos are not new and therefore receive less traffic
which we hope will minimize disruption.
And we're giving you time to make adjustments to your videos
before this change will start to take effect.
Unlisted videos that were uploaded on or after January 1, 2017
will not be affected.
Why is this happening?
In 2017, we rolled out an update to the system
that generates new unlisted links, which included security enhancements.
We're now making changes to older unlisted videos
that were uploaded before this update took place.
How can you check which of your videos will be impacted?
To see your videos affected by this change, sign in to YouTube Studio from a computer.
Then, from the left menu, select content, click filter, then visibility
then select unlisted and click apply.
Then, you can sort by date, in reverse chronological order
and see what videos were uploaded before January 1, 2017.
For a helpful shortcut we've included a link in the description
that should help you filter by all of your applicable videos
in YouTube Studio.
Now let's dive into the four different options you have
for your legacy videos.
Here's a quick breakdown.
If you're OK with letting your older videos turn private
then no action is needed from you.
You can choose to opt out
to keep your legacy links working as they do today
but they won't get the benefit of a security update.
You can choose to make your impacted videos public
or you can reupload them and keep them as unlisted
to benefit from the security update.
Now let's walk through what each option means for your videos.
First, what happens if you let this change go through
and your video becomes private?
Viewers who previously had the link to your video
will no longer be able to watch or share it.
If you embedded the video in a website or app it will no longer work
and comments posted while the video was unlisted
will no longer be visible on the video watch page
but they will still be associated with your video
should you ever decide to change the visibility out of private.
Private videos can only be shared with up to 50 email addresses
and anyone you share it with must have a Google account.
Next, what can you do if you'd like to keep your videos as unlisted?
You can opt out of this change for all of your impacted videos
by filling out the form linked in the description by July 23, 2021.
With this option, viewers who had the unlisted link
will continue to be able to see it.
If you embedded this video, it will continue to play as usual
and your video will keep all the data associated with it
such as views or comments.
If you choose to opt out
your legacy links will continue working as they do today
but they won't get the benefit of the security update.
This is only recommended if you treat your unlisted videos like public videos.
For example, they're embedded on third-party sites or social media.
As a third option, you can choose to turn your impacted videos public.
If you do this, your video will be available to anyone using YouTube
and can show in search results and recommendations.
The video's URL will stay the same
and your video will keep all the data associated with it
such as views or comments.
But as a word of caution, if it's the first time making the video public
notifications will be sent to your subscribers
and the video will appear in their subscriptions feed.
You can update your videos to public individually, or in bulk in YouTube Studio
by selecting all, then going to edit, then visibility.
Your fourth and final option is to reupload your impacted videos
as new unlisted videos to benefit from the security update.
If you do this, the reuploaded video will get a new URL
and your original videos will turn private, once the update happens.
Any data associated with the original upload, such as watch time, views, and comments
will be in your reports but won't be attached to the new upload.
And you'll need to share and embed the video again, with the new URL.
If you no longer have a copy of the video, you can download it from Creator Studio.
The download will be MP4, in either 360p or 720p
depending on your original upload.
Or a higher-quality version of the file may be available using Google Takeout.
But for both of these options
videos with a copyright claim won't be available to download.
For more info on this update, check out all the links in the description below.
Thanks for watching.