Do Unlisted or Private Videos Affect Channel Health?
Last updated:
Changing public videos to unlisted or private removes their watch hours from the 4,000-hour metric. Cleaning up can improve averages but may lower the total.
Unlisted and private videos are not recommended on Home or Suggested and their watch time does not count toward the 4,000 valid public watch-hour requirement.
If you switch a public video to unlisted or private, the watch hours that video contributed will stop counting toward that total.
YouTube defines what counts as valid public watch hours in YPP docs: .
Visibility and metrics at a glance
State
Counts toward 4,000 hours
Eligible for recommendations
Public
Yes
Yes, depending on viewer response
Unlisted
No
FAQ
Do Unlisted or Private Videos Affect Channel Health?
Last updated:
Changing public videos to unlisted or private removes their watch hours from the 4,000-hour metric. Cleaning up can improve averages but may lower the total.
Unlisted and private videos are not recommended on Home or Suggested and their watch time does not count toward the 4,000 valid public watch-hour requirement.
If you switch a public video to unlisted or private, the watch hours that video contributed will stop counting toward that total.
YouTube defines what counts as valid public watch hours in YPP docs: .
Visibility and metrics at a glance
State
Counts toward 4,000 hours
Eligible for recommendations
Public
Yes
Yes, depending on viewer response
Unlisted
No
No, only via direct link or embeds
Private
No
No
When cleaning up helps
Pruning low-retention public uploads can improve your averages, for example CTR and average view duration, since those videos stop drawing impressions. The tradeoff is that their watch hours will no longer contribute to the 4,000-hour threshold. If an old upload drives unsubscribes or negative feedback, consider unlisting it, then point viewers to a refreshed version that better reflects your current quality.
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Pruning low-retention public uploads can improve your averages, for example CTR and average view duration, since those videos stop drawing impressions. The tradeoff is that their watch hours will no longer contribute to the 4,000-hour threshold. If an old upload drives unsubscribes or negative feedback, consider unlisting it, then point viewers to a refreshed version that better reflects your current quality.
Today: $600 Ad Credit Welcome Bonus
Join the smartest music marketers
Launch multi-ad-platform campaigns in minutes, not hours.
