YouTube Music Recap: How to Find It and Why It's Missing

YouTube Music Recap is the app's answer to Spotify Wrapped: your top songs, artists and podcasts packed into shareable cards and a playlist. Unlike Wrapped, it isn't only a once-a-year thing. You also get seasonal Recaps through the year. The most common question is why it isn't showing, and the answer is nearly always one of a handful of eligibility rules most people never hear about.

How to find your YouTube Music Recap

1. Open the YouTube Music app and make sure you're signed in to the account you listen on.
2. Tap your profile photo.
3. Tap Your Recap.
4. Tap Get your Recap. You can then download or share the story cards.

If you use both YouTube and YouTube Music, you can also see top artists and songs from the YouTube Recap banner under the You tab in the main YouTube app. On a computer, go to youtube.com/recap.

Why your YouTube Music Recap isn't showing

YouTube spells out the rules on its help page, and they're stricter than people expect:

Requirement	What you need
Seasonal Recap	At least 4 hours of music listening in the season
End of year Recap	At least 10 hours of music listening from 1 January to 15 November
Repeat listens	At least 5 songs you've played more than once
Podcast cards	At least 2 hours of podcast listening in the same period
History settings	Watch history not paused, and no auto-delete for activity older than 3 months

The cut-off date catches people out. Anything you listen to after 15 November doesn't count towards the end of year Recap, so your December binge won't change it. The history rule is the other big one. If you paused your YouTube history, or set it to auto-delete after 3 months, there's nothing for YouTube to build a Recap from. YouTube even warns that turning auto-delete off recently may still leave you without a Recap.

Other reasons you're not eligible

• You're signed in to a different account. If you listen on a Brand account or a second Google account, switch to it.
• You mostly play music made for kids. YouTube says Recap isn't available for users who mostly listen to made-for-kids music or podcasts.
• Your podcasts came from somewhere else. Podcasts migrated from Google Podcasts, or added to your library by RSS feed, aren't included.
• Your app is out of date. Update YouTube Music and try again.

YouTube Music Recap vs YouTube Recap

They're two different things, which confuses a lot of people, especially when friends post one and you go looking in the wrong app. YouTube Music Recap covers your music and podcast listening. The main YouTube Recap covers everything you watched on YouTube, including long-form videos and Shorts. YouTube's own help page notes that YouTube Music listeners get a separate Recap inside the Music app.

	YouTube Music Recap	YouTube Recap
Where to find it	YouTube Music app, profile photo, Your Recap	YouTube app or youtube.com/recap
What it covers	Songs, artists, podcasts	Videos, Shorts, creators, music
How often	Seasonal and end of year	End of year

YouTube Recap has its own rules too. You must be 13 or over, and supervised accounts and Brand account delegates can't get one.

What's inside a YouTube Music Recap

Your Recap is built from your music and podcast listening across YouTube platforms, so plays in the main YouTube app can count as well as plays in YouTube Music. YouTube says the yearly and seasonal Recaps include personalised playlists and stats on your top songs, artists and podcasts. It has also been adding extras, such as a calendar of how many days you listened to your top artist and a musical passport showing how many countries your artists come from.

Add your photos to your Recap

If you use Google Photos, YouTube Music can match your favourite tracks to your pictures and build a musical photo album on the Recap page. Tap Connect on the Google Photos banner on the Recap page, then pull down to reload. If you'd rather keep your photos out of it, use Manage Photos on the Recap page to opt out. It's a lovely touch for sharing, but check which photos it picked before you post anything publicly.

How to share your Recap

The story cards can be downloaded or shared straight from the Recap page. Your Recap playlist can be shared like any other playlist. If you're on Spotify too, you might like my guide to seeing who follows your Spotify playlist, and if you're thinking of moving your library across, here's how to make a playlist on Spotify.

How to get a better Recap next time

• Listen while signed in to one account, rather than spreading plays across profiles.
• Keep YouTube history on and avoid the 3-month auto-delete.
• Remember the 15 November cut-off for the end of year Recap.
• Save each seasonal Recap playlist. YouTube says you can always save previous stats and playlists, and it's the easiest way to keep a record of your year in music.

My verdict

If your YouTube Music Recap is missing, check your history settings first, then the listening thresholds: 10 hours before 15 November and at least 5 repeat plays. Fix those and next season's Recap will appear in the app under your profile photo.

I keep every related walkthrough in the YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I see my YouTube Music Recap?

In the YouTube Music app, tap your profile photo, then Your Recap, then Get your Recap.

Why is my YouTube Music Recap missing?

You may not have enough listening: 10 hours between 1 January and 15 November and at least 5 repeat songs. Paused history or 3-month auto-delete also blocks it.

When does YouTube Music Recap come out?

There are seasonal Recaps through the year plus an end of year Recap based on listening up to 15 November.

Is YouTube Music Recap the same as YouTube Recap?

No. YouTube Music Recap covers your music and podcasts. YouTube Recap covers videos and Shorts you watched.