As far as video sharing platforms go, YouTube is definitely the world’s largest one. The types of videos hosted on YouTube are endless. From videos of jumping puppies to crazy conspiracy theories about lizard people ruling the earth in secret, YouTube has everything that a person might want to see. It also provides a great platform for you to showcase your hidden talents (or your dog’s). However, there might be times that you don’t want the entire world to see a certain video of yours. There’s an easy way for you to achieve that. You can make your video “private” or “unlisted”. Now, if you are wondering about the difference between the two, this post has got you covered. We will try to answer all the questions you might have about the difference between private and unlisted YouTube videos.

Difference Between Private and Unlisted YouTube Videos

Prior to getting into the private vs unlisted discussion, let’s find out what exactly does it mean when a video is “public”.

What is a Public YouTube video?

This is the default setting for all the videos uploaded on YouTube. If you have no problem with everyone watching your video or if your video appears in Google search results, you should go ahead with the public setting.

Some advantages of a public video are:

• A huge subscriber count is great for a business, and it can attract more customers.
• It creates effective brand awareness.
• As long as you have the right strategy and execution, you can generate a lot of profit.
• It can make you a superstar on YouTube.

Some disadvantages of a public video are:

• It would be open to trolls and other commenters with malicious intent.
• It can jeopardize future job prospects if you have compromising videos.
• Anyone can find your YouTube videos, even if you delete them.

What is a Private YouTube video?

This is the most secure form of video available on YouTube. Private videos can only be viewed by people who have been invited to view it (maximum 50 people). Private videos are not mentioned in recommendations or search results. Invitees don’t have the power to share the video with other users. Even if they share the link with someone else, the video won’t run unless the viewer has received an invitation from the uploader.

What are the advantages of making a video “private”?

If you want a select group of people to watch the video that you have uploaded (a private family gathering or a secret company presentation), you should consider making your video private.

Here are some more advantages:

• You can share private videos with family members without exposing it to the rest of the world.
• It can serve as your very own private video library. Only you (and people you choose) can have access to it.
• This is an excellent option if you have business strategies you want to share with employees, but you don’t want your competitors to see them (like important training videos).
• The private setting is a great place to store tons of videos (funny cats) instead of running out of room on your phone.

What is an Unlisted YouTube video?

The unlisted video setting exists between the private and public video settings. While unlisted videos don’t appear in search results/recommendations/subscriber feed, they can be viewed by anyone with a link (an invitation is not required). Unlisted videos can sometimes end up being shared on other sites. Also, unlisted videos will appear publicly if they belong to a playlist.

What are the advantages of making a video “unlisted”?

In case you want to share your video to a larger group but prefer to not have it appear in search results and recommendations, you should make your video unlisted.

Here are some more advantages:

• If you have a large company (with over 50 employees), then sharing unlisted videos is perfect.

• In case you need to share your video resume with multiple prospective employers, use the unlisted option.
• In case you want to test out your video with a selective group of people before making it public, you can do that as well. The feedback will help you decide whether you want to go ahead with the video or not.
• You want to organize your page and get rid of those old embarrassing videos. In case you want to preserve the video for someone who has embedded it on another platform, you can make the video unlisted. It won’t delete the video, but it will stay invisible on your channel.