Privacy on the internet feels like a relic of the past, honestly. You click one video about vintage synthesizers or cat grooming, and suddenly, the whole world—or at least anyone looking at your profile—knows exactly what you’re into. It’s a bit much. People often ask me why YouTube makes everything public by default. The truth is, Google loves engagement. They want people to see what you like so they can find new things too. But maybe you don't want your boss, your ex, or your weird cousin seeing that you’ve subscribed to thirty different "conspiracy theory" channels or a niche fitness influencer who screams at the camera. You want to know how to hide subscriptions on YouTube because, frankly, your digital footprint should be your business alone.
It's actually a pretty quick fix, but the menus are buried just deep enough to be annoying.
Getting Your Privacy Back Under Control
Let's get right into the "how-to" part. If you’re on a desktop, it’s a different vibe than the mobile app. Open up YouTube. Look at that little round picture of your face in the top right corner. Click it. You’ll see "Settings" near the bottom of that dropdown menu. Once you’re in there, look at the sidebar on the left. There's a tab called "Privacy." This is where the magic happens.
✨ Don't miss: Where Is Trump Phone Made: What Most People Get Wrong
You’ll see a toggle for "Keep all my subscriptions private." Make sure that thing is blue. Or moved to the right. Whatever the current UI design language dictates today.
Basically, once that's flipped, your subscription list vanishes from your public channel page. Gone. Poof.
Mobile is slightly different. You open the app, tap your profile icon, and then hit "Your channel." You’ll see a little pencil icon—that’s the edit button. Tap that, and you’ll find the privacy toggles right there. It’s almost too easy, yet most people leave it on the default settings for years without realizing their interests are a public book.
The Weird History of Public Subs
YouTube wasn't always this way. Back in the early 2000s, the platform was basically a social network built around video. Sharing was the point. Having a public "Sub Box" was a badge of honor. It showed you were part of a community. Over time, as the platform matured and became a professional space for creators, the "fan" aspect became more sensitive.
We’ve seen actual drama break out because of this. Remember when fans would track who a famous YouTuber was subscribed to just to find "clues" about upcoming collaborations or personal beefs? It’s wild. By learning how to hide subscriptions on YouTube, you’re essentially opting out of that scrutiny.
Why the Default Setting is a Trap
Google’s ecosystem thrives on data transparency. If I can see what you’re watching, and you can see what I’m watching, we stay on the site longer. It's the "social proof" concept. If "User A" follows "Creator B," then "User C" is more likely to click. But this creates a "filter bubble."
Sometimes you just want to subscribe to a channel to save it for later without making it part of your public identity. Maybe you're researching a sensitive health topic. Or maybe you're a professional gamer who doesn't want the competition to see which strategy channels you're studying.
Common Misconceptions About Hiding Your List
A lot of people think that if they hide their subscriptions, they’ll stop getting recommendations. Not true. YouTube’s algorithm still knows exactly what you’re doing. It’s still watching you. Hiding your subs only hides them from other people.
Another one: "If I hide my subs, the creator won't know I'm subscribed."
Also wrong.
Creators can still see their total subscriber count. They can even see a list of their "Recent Subscribers," though only if those subscribers have their own settings set to public. If you hide your subscriptions, you won't show up in their "Recent Subscribers" list. You become a ghost. A metric, but not a name.
Managing Your Public Presence
It’s not just about the subscriptions. If you're going down the privacy rabbit hole, you should probably look at your playlists too. Have you ever noticed that when you "Like" a video, it sometimes ends up in a public "Liked Videos" playlist? That’s a massive privacy leak.
In that same "Privacy" menu where you found the subscription toggle, there's usually an option for "Keep all my saved playlists private." Use it.
I’ve seen people lose jobs because of public playlists. Okay, maybe that’s extreme, but I’ve definitely seen people get embarrassed because their "Workout Jams" or "Political Debates" playlists were visible during a screen-share or to a curious friend.
Desktop vs. Mobile: A Comparison of Steps
Desktop Users:
- Click Profile Picture.
- Go to Settings.
- Click Privacy (Left Sidebar).
- Toggle "Keep all my subscriptions private" to ON.
Android and iPhone Users:
- Open YouTube App.
- Tap "You" (your profile) at the bottom right.
- Tap "Your Channel."
- Tap the Edit (Pencil) icon.
- Toggle "Keep all my subscriptions private" to ON.
It takes roughly fifteen seconds. Honestly, the hardest part is just remembering where the "Privacy" tab lives because Google likes to move things around every few months during their "UI refreshes."
When You SHOULD Leave Subscriptions Public
There are actually a few cases where you might want people to see who you follow. If you’re a creator yourself, showing your subscriptions can act as a "recommended" list for your fans. It shows your influences. It builds a sense of community.
Think of it like a digital bookshelf. If I walk into your house and see your books, I know who you are. Some people like that.
But for the average person? The person just trying to watch some Minecraft tutorials or cooking videos in peace? There is almost zero benefit to having a public subscription list. It just invites judgment or data scraping.
The Google Account Connection
Remember that your YouTube account is tied to your Google account. This means your privacy settings might be influenced by your overall Google "My Activity" settings. While how to hide subscriptions on YouTube is a specific fix for the video platform, it’s worth checking your global Google privacy check-up.
Go to myaccount.google.com. Look at the "Data & Privacy" tab. It’s eye-opening. You can see your "YouTube History" and decide if you want Google to auto-delete it every three months. I highly recommend doing this. It keeps your "Home" feed from getting stale and prevents a decade-old obsession with a forgotten hobby from haunting your recommendations forever.
Specific Scenarios: Brand Accounts
If you use a YouTube "Brand Account"—which is common for businesses or creators—the steps are nearly identical, but the permissions might be managed by multiple people. If you’re a manager of a Brand Account, keep in mind that changing this setting affects how the brand appears to the public.
A brand following competitors might look weird. Or it might look like market research. Either way, it's a strategic choice. For personal accounts, it's just about comfort.
A Note on "Sub-for-Sub" Culture
Years ago, people would leave their subs public to prove they followed someone back. This "Sub-for-Sub" culture is mostly dead (and against YouTube's terms of service if done via automation), but the legacy of public lists remains. If you’re still doing this, stop. It kills your channel's "click-through rate" because the people subscribing to you don't actually care about your content. And keep your list private so you don't look like you're participating in those old, dusty growth hacks.
Actionable Next Steps
Privacy isn't a "set it and forget it" thing. It’s a habit.
- Audit your channel today. Go to your own channel page while logged out (or in an Incognito window) and see what the public sees. If you see a "Subscriptions" tab with 500 channels listed, you haven't fixed it yet.
- Check your playlists. Ensure that "Watch Later" and "Liked Videos" are set to private. These are often the most revealing parts of a profile.
- Review your comments. While you can't easily "hide" all your past comments, you can see your comment history in the YouTube "History" section. Sometimes it’s worth deleting old, cringey comments from five years ago.
- Use Incognito Mode. If you’re about to watch something that you absolutely don’t want associated with your profile—even if your subs are hidden—just use Incognito. It’s the only way to ensure it doesn't touch your algorithm or your history.
Privacy is a right, but on YouTube, it's a setting you have to actively claim. Go flip that switch.