While some of your videos could be seen on every corner of the internet, others you may want to create for specific clients or to share with your team before publishing: That’s when you need an unlisted or private video that lets you limit visibility.
Uploading a private or unlisted video on YouTube or Vimeo is easy — you just need to select the right privacy settings. What’s less clear is the difference between unlisted and private videos. This guide will explain the difference so you can upload videos with confidence.
Differences between private and unlisted videos
Whether you’re using Vimeo, YouTube Studio, or another video hosting platform, the definition of private or unlisted videos remains the same:
- Private videos are published but only visible to people you grant access to. Even if they have a link to the video, they won’t be able to access it unless they’re on the allowlist.
- Unlisted videos are published, but they don’t appear in search results. Anyone with a link to an unlisted video can view them.
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How to create private and unlisted videos
Marking your video as private or unlisted depends on which platform you’re using — each one places these options in a different part of the UI. Here’s how to create private or unlisted videos in the two most popular video-sharing platforms: Vimeo and YouTube.
How to make unlisted and private Vimeo videos
To mark a video as unlisted or private on Vimeo, first navigate to it in your video library. Then:
1. Click the “Share” button on the top right.
2. Click the drop-down under “Link privacy” at the bottom of the window that appears.
3. Select the option that best suits the privacy settings you want:
- Unlisted: Only people with the link can view.
- Password: Only people with the password can view.
- Hide from Vimeo: Private on your account but embeddable anywhere.
- Private: Only you and people with access can view.
- Public: Anyone on the internet can view.
People with access to your video are listed under “People with access.” If you made your video private, you can add or remove people from this list to change their access.
Upload unlisted or private videos →
How to make unlisted and private YouTube videos
YouTube gives you fewer options for privacy settings on your videos, but unlisted and private videos are among them. To create an unlisted or private YouTube video, navigate to your YouTube account. Then:
1. Click “Manage videos” at the top of the screen.
2. Click the “Visibility” drop-down menu on the right.
3. Select which privacy setting you want to use for the video:
- Private: Only people you grant access to can watch a private YouTube video.
- Unlisted: Only people with a direct link can watch an unlisted YouTube video.
- Public: Anyone browsing YouTube can find this video on your channel, whether they’re subscribers or not.
4. Click the “Save” button at the top-right of the YouTube Studio screen.
How Vimeo and YouTube unlisted videos differ
If you’re interested in embedding your videos on your website, pay close attention here. YouTube and Vimeo differ greatly in how they treat unlisted videos. If your video SEO strategy is based around unlisting the video where it’s hosted and then embedding it on your webpage to gain traffic to your site rather than YouTube, read on.
If you unlist your YouTube videos, they will not be eligible to show up in search engine results pages like Google even if you embed that video on your website. This significantly limits the video's search engine visibility and prevents traffic from being directed to your site.
In contrast, Vimeo's paid accounts allow unlisted videos to be indexed and appear in search results when embedded on your website. This advantage allows you to control video visibility on Vimeo while also benefiting from video SEO and driving traffic to your website through embedded content.
Learn about Vimeo SEO →
How to share private and unlisted videos
After you set a video to unlisted or private, if you need to share it with anyone, they’ll need a link. Here’s how to share private and unlisted videos on Vimeo and YouTube.
Sharing unlisted or private Vimeo videos
To share an unlisted video on Vimeo, you must copy the link and send it directly to the person who needs it. First, navigate to the video you want to share. Then:
1. Click the “Share” button at the top right.
2. Click “Customize” to configure the link. You can change the URL and set a specific start time.
3. After it’s customized, click “Copy Link.”
4. Send the link to the person you want to share the video with.
To share a private video on Vimeo, you must grant access to the person who needs to see the video. Privacy controls for video sharing are a premium feature, so you’ll need at least a Starter subscription. If you have one, navigate to the video you want to share. Then:
1. Click the “Share” button at the top right.
2. Click the “Add name or email” field and enter the email address of the person you want to give access to.
3. Enter their email address and click “Invite.”
4. Add an optional message that’ll notify the person that they have access to the video.
5. Click “Send Link.”
You can also configure the access privileges for everyone you’ve shared the video with. Different options grant the recipient different privileges:
- Can view means a person can only watch the video and leave comments.
- Can edit means they can change video settings.
- Can manage means they’re able to invite other people or even delete the video.
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Sharing unlisted and private YouTube videos
To share an unlisted YouTube video, you have to open the video in YouTube Studio. Then:
1. Click the “Copy” icon next to the video link. You can’t customize the link to direct viewers to specific timestamps.
2. Send the link to the person who needs to see the video.
To share a private YouTube video, you must navigate to the video in YouTube Studio and configure access controls:
1. Click the “Visibility” drop-down menu.
2. Select “Private” and click the “Edit” button.
3. Enter the email address of the person you want to share the video with. Check the “Notify via email” checkbox to send them an automated email.
4. Click “Done.”
You can’t configure access privileges for private YouTube videos like you can with Vimeo. Anyone who can access your private video can download it, but they can’t edit its settings or delete it.
FAQ
What does unlisted mean on YouTube and Vimeo?
When you mark a video as “unlisted” on YouTube or Vimeo, it won’t appear in search results. It exists in your channel, but subscribers won’t find it listed among your other videos, even if they search for its exact title. Similarly, the video won’t appear in any search engine results.
Does unlisting a video reset its views?
No. When you unlist a video, it still preserves its data, such as views, shares, and impressions. You must upload it again as a new video to reset its data.
How do I make content private on YouTube?
On YouTube, private videos are only accessible to people you grant access to. In order to make a video private on YouTube, you must navigate to the video in your YouTube channel and set its visibility to “Private.” Then, click the “Edit” button to grant access to anyone you want to see the video.
Elevate your videos and reach the right audience with Vimeo
While some of your videos will reach a wide audience, private and unlisted videos still serve a unique purpose in your content library. You might use an unlisted video to keep some videos aside for subscribers with direct links from other sources, whereas private videos allow you to share content only with specific people.
With Vimeo Marketing, you can effortlessly share your videos across social channels, emails, and the web and then carefully control who accesses them. Try it free to see how Vimeo can help you reach the right audience with private and unlisted videos.
