From watching to streaming: this is how you use YouTube for your needs

Do you also spend many hours watching interesting YouTube videos? You’re not the only one. The video platform is immensely popular and more and more ‘creators’ are making full-fledged productions that they then distribute via YouTube. Fortunately, you can control the flow of videos and how you organize them, so you can be sure that you don’t miss any interesting content.

Watch later

You may come across an interesting video, but you don’t have the time to watch it (in full) at that moment. Then make smart use of the function to save the video. Press the button Save. The video is added to the list Watch later. In the web version you can also directly choose a different playlist. If you use the mobile app, choose na Save in the pop-up at the bottom of your screen Modify to save the video to another playlist.

The option to create your own playlists is interesting. To do this, use the YouTube mobile app on your Android device, iPhone or iPad. Tap your profile photo and choose Look at everything bee Playlists. Choose Create new playlist if you want to set up a new list. YouTube presents an overview of recently viewed videos. Select the videos you want and choose Next one. You then give the list a name and determine whether the list can also be seen by others. Choose Privately if you don’t appreciate that. A middle path is also possible: choose Hidden if you only want to share the playlist with people who have the direct link to the list. If everyone can see the list, then you choose Public. Do you prefer to use the desktop version? You will see the playlists in the section you (left side of the window).

Nice clean up

The mobile version of YouTube gives you the option to delete history at regular intervals, such as every 90 days. Tap your profile photo and Institutions (recognizable by the gear). Choose Manage all history / Options. By default you will see that automatic deletion is disabled. Tap on Choose an automatic deletion option and activate the option Automatically delete activity older than. In the menu, choose the desired period and tap Next one. Additionally, in this section you will find the option to also save your search terms in the search bar, so you can see what you have searched for in the past. Place a check mark next to it Including your searches on YouTube.

Just subtitle

Subtitles on videos are often useful, for example if you want to watch the video without sound. Of course, you can always enable subtitles manually, but it is more convenient to have them appear automatically. Open YouTube settings and choose Playback and performance. In the section Subtitles put a check mark next to it Always show subtitles. If subtitles are not available, YouTube can often generate the subtitles automatically. If you want to use this, activate it Including automatically generated subtitles.

Notifications under control

As a video fanatic, you may be subscribed to a large number of channels and you may also be active in posting comments. To stay informed of all the news and changes, YouTube shows various notifications, both on desktop and mobile. You can also stay informed via email notifications. You pay for which notifications are relevant. Open the settings on the website and choose notifications. We’ll start with the section General. Do you want to receive notifications, even outside of YouTube? In that case, put Receive notifications in this browser On. Regardless of whether YouTube is open, the browser will show a message for new items. Then you take a look Your preferences. Here you will find an overview of the topics for which you can be notified, for example when recommended videos appear or when your name is mentioned in a comment. Finally, check with Email notifications which messages may be sent by email.

You can view the notifications at any time. You will find the button at the top right notifications, recognizable by the alarm bell icon. Click here for the overview.

Create clip

Do you come across an interesting segment in a video or in a live video? You can make a clip of this. You can then share such a clip in your network. YouTube remembers who created the original video and continues to give credit to the original creator, including playback statistics. Below the video, click the button with the three dots (…) and choose Fragment. Use the slider to determine which segment of the video you want to highlight. At the bottom you can read how long the fragment will be. If you want to be more precise, you can enter the time code in the boxes above. Give the clip a name and finally click Share excerpt. The clips are kept in a separate section. You open this by clicking on the left you. An overview of all playlists appears. Now scroll down. Here you will find the section Your clips with all previously made clips.

Don’t want to create a new clip, but want to share the entire video and start it from a specific point? Play and pause the video at the point before it gets interesting. Now right click on the video and choose Copy video URL from current time.

Just download

Do you have a nice flight in prospect or are you in an area where you may not have (fast) internet access? With a Premium account you can download YouTube videos so you can watch them offline. Below the video click on the button with the three dots (…), after which you choose To download. In the status window, click To look at to see the progress. You will find the option at the top right of the window Download settings. This determines the download quality (and therefore file size) of the videos. Videos are downloaded at standard quality (480p), but you can also choose a Full HD resolution (1080p) or a scaled-down resolution of 144p. If you prefer to decide per video, then choose Always ask. YouTube automatically deletes downloaded videos if you are offline for more than 30 days. You can also clean house yourself by clicking on the button Delete all downloads.

More control

You will find the option at the bottom of the video player Autoplay. This ensures that a new video is automatically started as soon as the current one is completed. YouTube chooses the video that, according to the algorithm, is related to the current version. The automatic switching to the next video stops automatically after 4 hours of inactivity if you use a wireless network. If you use a mobile data connection, Autoplay will stop after 30 minutes of inactivity. Good to know: Autoplay is disabled by default for children aged 13 to 17. You can also enable or disable Autoplay per device. The option is specific to the device used.

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Take a break

YouTube’s app offers a number of options that you won’t find in the desktop version. One of the most important is its ability to help you manage your screen time. Click on your profile photo and then on the button Institutions (recognizable by the gear). Choose General. To take regular breaks and avoid long viewing sessions, activate the option Remind me to take a break. You will also find the option here Send me a reminder when it’s bedtime. You can link this to a possible bedtime mode on the phone: then choose the first option. Instead, you can also use a custom schedule and set the start and end times yourself. If you do not want to be disturbed in between, please tick this box Only show reminder when the open video has ended.

Curious about the average time you spend on YouTube? In the app you will find a separate section with detailed information. Tap your profile photo and then tap at the bottom Viewing time. At the top you can see how many minutes you watch on average per day. A distinction is made between today and the past week.

Studio boss

Of course you can watch plenty of videos, but you can also contribute with your own content. In the main window of the app you will see a plus button at the bottom, in the middle: To make. If you want to upload your own video and make it visible to others, choose from the drop-down menu Upload video. If you use the desktop version of YouTube, you can easily drag videos into the browser window. With both the desktop version and mobile version you can select the files via a file selector. Under the button To make you will also find the option Create a post. This allows you to make short announcements, for example by referring to a video that you will soon put online.

Also read: Step-by-step plan: start your own YouTube channel

Go live

Besides a pre-recorded video, you can also create a live video (option To make / Go live). For example, you use the option Webcam and you can make a live broadcast. You then indicate when you want to go live (choose between Now and Later). This is also the recommended route for beginners. If you are more advanced, choose Stream. This gives you additional functions. This way you can add titles, merge images and use visual effects. You choose Webcam, then you provide the details in three main steps. You choose, among other things, the title and video category, and configure the webcam settings. At the end of the step-by-step plan you are ready for the stream.

Additional options

If you choose a live video, YouTube Studio will open. This environment offers even more options for your video material. Press the button To make top right of the page. In addition to the well-known options, such as uploading a video or streaming a live broadcast, you can also set up a podcast here. click on New podcast. A wizard will open to help you create a new podcast. But you can also use an existing playlist as a podcast.