You’re watching a video on YouTube, and then suddenly it changes.
What happened? Why is the video no longer available? And what can you do about it?
We’ll answer all these questions and more in this article.
Why are some videos unavailable on my YouTube playlist?
There are several reasons why a video may not be available on your playlist.
- The owners of the original content, who are often people or companies, have claimed copyright ownership of the video. This means that they own exclusive rights to any copies of their work, so if you’re watching something that has been uploaded by someone else (even if it’s just a re-upload) they can make it unavailable to you.
- A user may have removed their videos from YouTube for various reasons; this could be because they want to take them down permanently, or because they want to prevent others from using their content without giving credit where it’s due (for example, by putting ads in front of your video). When you try playing one of these videos on your playlist and get an error message saying “This video is no longer available”, this is what happened: The owner took away permission for anyone else to upload their video(s).
- If you’ve tried playing a “publicly accessible” clip from within another playlist/channel page but got an error message saying “This video was removed by its author” instead—that means YouTube took action against it themselves! You might see this happen when there’s too much-copyrighted material mixed into one post; when creators violate community guidelines (such as posting spam); when users upload inappropriate content; etcetera…
How can I check and see if a video is unavailable?
You can check the video’s status in the video manager.
If you’re a channel owner, you can see if your channel is monetized and what type of ads are running on your videos.
If you’re not a channel owner, then you’ll only see whether or not the video has been approved for the YouTube Partnership Program (YPP).
Check the privacy settings for each individual video.
This will tell you who has access to each individual video and what they can do with it: whether or not they can embed it on other websites, use it commercially without permission from rights holders, etc.
Check sharing settings for every individual video that’s part of your playlist—the “share” button will be available when it’s turned on by the person who uploaded each particular clip from within their account settings page
Is it possible to make a video available again?
Yes, it is possible.
- You can ask the video’s owner to make your video available again by emailing or messaging them on YouTube. If you have a mutual connection with the owner, you may also want to try sending them a friendly message in your network.
What’s the difference between “unavailable” and “private”?
- Available: The video is available to all viewers, worldwide.
- Unavailable: The video is blocked in at least one country on YouTube, and may be blocked in others. A video can become unavailable for many reasons including a copyright claim or legal complaint from the rights holder, or if it was removed by the uploader themselves. Learn more about why videos are unavailable on YouTube’s help center page.
- Private: Only people who have been granted access by the owner of a private video can watch it. This means that only approved viewers will see these videos in their recommended playlists and search results (if applicable).
How do I know if a video is private or unavailable?
If a video isn’t available to you, it means that the account that owns the video has made it private.
If you can see and play a video on a playlist, but not add it to your own YouTube account, then that video is unavailable.
There’s no way to tell if a particular video is private or unavailable without actually trying to play that specific video.
What happens to a private video after it’s been shared with someone else?
Let’s say you’ve shared a private video with your friend.
He can now see that it’s been shared with him in his list of videos, and he can watch it if he chooses.
But what happens if you decide not to share your video again?
Or, worse yet, what if you change your mind about sharing it at all?
You’re going to want to know how (and why) YouTube is preventing some videos from being viewed on certain devices or in certain countries.
Can I prevent someone from sharing my private videos with others?
No, you can’t prevent someone from sharing your private videos with others.
Only the person who uploaded a video can share it with other people.
If you want to share a video with someone else, you need to make it public by clicking on the Settings menu and selecting Privacy settings > Share this Video button at the top of the page.
Are there other ways to share a private video besides sharing it with someone else?
There are a few other ways to share private videos.
- You can email the video directly to someone. This is useful if you have a friend or family member who doesn’t have an account, but would still like to watch your video.
- You can post it on your blog or website, which will allow anyone with access to that site (not just people with YouTube accounts) the chance to watch it.
- There are some third-party services such as Sendvid and Vimeo that allow you to share private videos without giving up control of distribution rights.
Can I still watch a private video if its owner has blocked me from watching it?
Yes, you can watch a private video if the owner has blocked you from watching it.
You might not be able to see the video in your own account, but there are still ways to view it.
- If you or someone else has a link to that video, you can use that link to watch it online.
- If you have access to someone else’s YouTube account (for example, if they’ve shared their username and password with you) and they’re one of the people who has blocked your access to their videos, then all of their videos will also be unavailable on your YouTube channel. However, since this person allowed their friend access into their account via shared credentials – even though they’ve blocked them from watching certain videos – those friends may still use this method to view those private videos even though said friends aren’t actually signed into the same account!
Conclusion
We hope you found these answers helpful and that you can now watch more of the great content you love on YouTube.
