- Steps to customize the YouTube TV live guide
- If your custom guide isn't showing on the TV
- Why a new channel isn't in your guide
- Hiding a channel doesn't block it
- Ideas for a guide that's easier to use
- Customizing with a remote versus a phone
- Each family member can set their own
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To customize the YouTube TV live guide, open the Live tab, select Sort, then Edit, and reorder or hide channels on the Live guide settings page. You can also get there from your profile photo, Settings, Live guide. Then choose your Custom list on each device, and remember new channels arrive hidden at the bottom.
The YouTube TV live guide shows every network in your plan, which is a lot of scrolling to reach the five channels you watch. You can trim and reorder it so your favourites sit at the top. The setting is easy once you know where it lives. The confusing parts are why a custom guide sometimes doesn't show on the TV, and why a new channel you've been given never appears.
Steps to customize the YouTube TV live guide
- Open YouTube TV and go to the Live tab.
- Select Sort.
- Select Edit.
- On the Live guide settings page, drag channels into the order you want and hide the ones you don't watch.
- Save, then make sure Custom is chosen as your sort option.
On a phone or in a web browser there's a second route: select your profile photo, then Settings, then Live guide. YouTube TV says that once your preferences are set, they're reflected in YouTube TV on all your devices. In practice it's easiest to do the editing at tv.youtube.com or in the mobile app, where dragging channels is quicker than with a remote.
If your custom guide isn't showing on the TV
Your custom order is saved to your account, but each device still needs to be set to use it. A YouTube TV Product Expert in the official help community explains where:
| Device | How to switch to your custom guide |
|---|---|
| TV or streaming device | On the Live screen, select the three-lines icon above the guide, then Custom |
| Phone or tablet | Select Sort above the live guide, then Custom |
| Computer | Select Sort above the live guide, then Custom |
Why a new channel isn't in your guide
This is the catch most people hit after YouTube TV adds a network or after they add a package. If you've customized your guide before, YouTube TV says you need to add any new networks to your customized lineup yourself. The community guide adds that new channels usually appear at the very bottom of the custom guide settings, and they're usually hidden by default. So the channel is there, just switched off. Open Live guide settings, scroll to the bottom, and unhide it.
One exception: some add-ons are on-demand only, with no live channel. Those can't be added to the guide at all. You'll find them through search or the circular channel logos instead.
Hiding a channel doesn't block it
Worth knowing before you hide something you'd rather nobody watched. The community guide is clear that hiding a channel from your guide doesn't stop it being watched, and doesn't stop it being recommended elsewhere in YouTube TV. Recommendations on the Home tab are based partly on what's popular at that moment and partly on your own history. So a hidden channel can still appear on Home. Hiding is about tidying your guide, not controlling access.
Ideas for a guide that's easier to use
- Put your top five channels first, so the guide opens on something you'll watch.
- Group news, sport and entertainment together, rather than leaving them in the default order.
- Hide channels you've never opened, such as networks in a language you don't speak.
- Check the bottom of the list every few months for new channels that arrived hidden.
Customizing with a remote versus a phone
You can do the editing from the TV, but it's slow. Every channel move is several presses, and with a long lineup that adds up. The phone app or tv.youtube.com lets you drag channels into place in seconds and hide a whole row of networks quickly. Since YouTube TV carries your preferences across your devices, there's no downside to editing on the phone and then just switching the TV to Custom. If you share a TV with someone who has their own account, check whose profile is signed in before you start, or you'll end up rearranging their guide instead of yours.
Each family member can set their own
Because a family group gives each person their own YouTube TV account, everyone can customize a guide for themselves. Your partner's sports-first lineup won't overwrite your news-first one, as long as each of you is signed in as yourself on the TV.
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If the guide won't load at all, or channels won't start, look at the connection side first: my guide to YouTube videos not playing covers the basic checks. And if you're trimming the guide because you're questioning the whole lineup, read how to cancel YouTube TV to see what happens to your recordings if you stop.
My verdict
Customize the guide once at tv.youtube.com or in the app: Live, Sort, Edit, then drag and hide. Then select Custom on each TV, because that's the step most people miss. And whenever a new channel seems to be missing, check the bottom of your guide settings, where it's probably sitting hidden.
Frequently asked questions
How do I customize my YouTube TV guide?
On the Live tab, select Sort, then Edit, and reorder or hide channels on the Live guide settings page.
Why isn't my custom guide showing on my TV?
Each device needs Custom selected. On a TV, select the three-lines icon above the guide and choose Custom.
Why is a new channel missing from my YouTube TV guide?
If you've customized your guide, new networks must be added yourself. They usually sit hidden at the bottom of the guide settings.
Does hiding a channel block it on YouTube TV?
No. A hidden channel can still be watched and can still be recommended on the Home tab.
Can I customize the YouTube TV guide on my phone?
Yes. Go to your profile photo, Settings, Live guide, or use Sort, then Edit on the Live tab.
