- YouTube's default privacy for the channels you subscribe to
- Who sees your YouTube subscriptions when they're public
- Who sees your YouTube subscriptions when they're private
- How to make YouTube subscriptions private or public on a computer
- Liked videos and saved playlists on YouTube: related privacy switches
- What YouTube subscription privacy means for your business channel
- Stopping a YouTube channel seeing or reaching you
- Frequently asked questions
Not unless you've made them public. YouTube's subscription privacy setting is private by default, so other people can't see which channels you follow and creators don't see your name. If you switch it to public, your subscriptions show on your channel page and your name appears on each creator's subscriber list. You can change it under Settings, then Privacy.
Last checked October 2026.
The channels you follow on YouTube say a lot about you: your hobbies, your politics, the side project you haven't told anyone about. So it's fair to ask who else can see them. I've gone through YouTube's own help pages on subscription privacy so you can check your setting in a couple of minutes. If you run a channel for your business, the same setting matters in reverse, because it decides which of your followers you can see by name.
YouTube's default privacy for the channels you subscribe to
YouTube's help page on subscription privacy says that by default, all settings are set to private. In plain terms, unless you've changed something, other people can't browse the list of channels you follow, and your account doesn't appear in the subscriber lists of those channels.
Older accounts are worth a quick check, though. If you or someone helping you switched the setting to public at some point, it stays that way until you change it back. It takes less than a minute to look.
Who sees your YouTube subscriptions when they're public
When you switch your subscriptions to public, two things happen, according to YouTube's help page:
- Other people can see the channels you subscribe to, and they appear on your channel's homepage.
- Your account is listed among the subscribers of each channel you follow, which the channel owner can see in YouTube Studio.
That second point is the one most people miss. Public subscriptions don't just show your list to visitors; they also put your name in front of every creator you follow. On the creator side, YouTube's help page on recent subscribers says the Recent subscribers card in Studio only shows people with public subscriptions who subscribed in the last 28 days.
Who sees your YouTube subscriptions when they're private
With private subscriptions, other users can't see which channels you follow, and your account isn't shown on the creator's subscriber list, even though you're still subscribed and still counted in their total. The creator sees the number go up by one; they don't see your name.
There's one exception the help page spells out. If you join a live chat that's limited to subscribers, or comment on a video or Short where comments are limited to subscribers and members, other viewers can see that you subscribe to that channel. Your private setting can't hide that, because taking part shows you're a subscriber.
How to make YouTube subscriptions private or public on a computer
- Sign in to YouTube on a computer.
- Click your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Click Settings.
- In the left-hand menu, select Privacy.
- Turn Keep all my subscriptions private on to hide them, or off to make them public.
YouTube's help page gives these steps for a computer and doesn't list separate steps for the phone app, so if you can't find the switch in the app, use a browser on your laptop or open YouTube in your phone's browser and request the desktop site. The change applies to your whole account, so you don't need to set it channel by channel.
| Setting | Visitors to your channel | Creators you follow |
|---|---|---|
| Private (the default) | Can't see your subscriptions | Don't see your name; you still count in their total |
| Public | Can see your subscriptions on your channel homepage | Can see your name in their subscriber list |
Liked videos and saved playlists on YouTube: related privacy switches
Subscriptions aren't the only activity people worry about. YouTube has a separate help page on hiding or showing likes and saved playlists. It explains that you can choose whether activities such as liking videos and saving playlists are shown, and switch each one on or off in the Privacy section of your settings. On iPhone and iPad, the help page describes going to Your channel, then Edit channel, and changing the switches under Privacy.
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The same help page notes that hiding likes doesn't stop you liking videos, and videos still show their like totals. It also says that if you remove a saved playlist from your library, you can still see saved playlists in your channel, but other viewers won't. For your own playlists, you can set each one to public, unlisted or private in YouTube Studio under Content, then Playlists. If you're curious what creators can see on their side about likes, I've covered who liked a YouTube Short separately.
What YouTube subscription privacy means for your business channel
If you run a channel for your business, your viewers' privacy choices shape what you can see. Most subscribers keep the default, so your recent subscribers card will only ever show a small slice of the people who follow you. That's normal, and it doesn't mean the rest are missing. YouTube's help page notes that someone not appearing on the list may simply have private subscriptions.
It's also worth checking your own account. If you use one Google account for your business channel and your personal viewing, public subscriptions could show clients and competitors every channel you follow. Keeping them private is the safer choice. If you share your channel link with partners or tools, knowing what a YouTube channel ID looks like helps you share the right address.
Stopping a YouTube channel seeing or reaching you
Privacy settings hide your list, but they don't stop a channel turning up in your recommendations or comments. If there's a channel you want out of your viewing altogether, my guide on how to block a YouTube channel you're tired of seeing covers the options. And if you're cleaning up because you plan to leave a few channels, unsubscribing is quiet: YouTube shows the confirmation on your own screen, not theirs.
Frequently asked questions
Are YouTube subscriptions private by default?
Yes. YouTube's help page says all subscription privacy settings are set to private by default, so others can't see the channels you follow unless you change it.
Can a YouTube creator see that I subscribed?
Only by name if your subscriptions are public. With private subscriptions you still count in their total, but your name doesn't appear on their subscriber list.
Can I change subscription privacy in the YouTube app?
YouTube's help page gives the steps for a computer: profile picture, Settings, Privacy, then Keep all my subscriptions private. Use a browser if you can't find it in the app.
Can people see the YouTube videos I've liked?
That's a separate setting. You can hide or show likes and saved playlists in the Privacy section of your settings.
Does a subscriber-only live chat show I'm subscribed?
Yes. YouTube says that if you join a subscriber-only chat or comment where comments are limited to subscribers, other viewers can see you subscribe to that channel.
