Subscribing to YouTube Channels: Mobile & Desktop Guide

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Stay up to date on your favorite YouTubers by subscribing to their videos
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When you subscribe to someone's YouTube channel, you'll receive notifications when new content is added. Subscribing to a creator's YouTube channel also shows your support for the channel, which can be extremely helpful to the creator. This wikiHow guide will teach you how to subscribe to a YouTube channel using the YouTube mobile app or a computer.

Things You Should Know

  • You will need to sign in to your Google account to subscribe to a YouTube channel.
  • To subscribe to a channel, click or tap the "Subscribe" button below one of its videos or on its homepage.
  • To view and manage your YouTube subscriptions, click Subscriptions, then select "All" (mobile app) or "Manage" (on a computer).
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using a Phone or Tablet

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  1. It's the red rectangle icon with a white triangle inside. You'll find it on the home screen, in the app list, or by searching.
  2. If you're not signed in to YouTube, you'll need to do so before you can subscribe to a YouTube channel.
    • On Android, you'll automatically be logged in to the Google account linked to your phone or tablet.
    • On iPhone or iPad, tap the profile icon at the top-right corner. If you're signed in, you'll see your account info. If not, tap SIGN IN to log in now.
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  3. You can subscribe to a channel from its home page or any of its videos.
    • To search, tap the magnifying glass at the top of YouTube, enter the name of the channel or one of its videos, and then tap the search key.
    • If the channel name appears, tap it now. If you searched for a video, tap the video's name.
  4. You'll see this oval button below the channel's name. Once tapped, the button will change to "Subscribed."
    • If you're subscribing from a video, you'll need to scroll down below the video to find the channel's name and the Subscribe button.
    • When you subscribe to a channel, the text on the "SUBSCRIBE" button will change to "SUBSCRIBED." You can unsubscribe at any time by tapping this button on any of the channel's videos or its home page and selecting Unsubscribe .
  5. You'll see this tab at the bottom of the YouTube app. This displays a selection of videos from channels you're subscribed to.
  6. From here, you can manage your notifications and unsubscribe from channels.
    • Tap the bell icon next to a channel to view your options.
    • If you want to receive notifications each time the channel shares new content, select All . If you receive too many notifications, tap Personalized or None instead.
    • To unsubscribe, tap Unsubscribe at the bottom.
  7. If you want to change how you receive notifications for the channels you subscribe to, it's easy:
    • Tap your profile photo or initial at the top-right and select Settings .
    • Tap Notifications .
    • To enable or disable YouTube channel subscription notifications entirely, toggle the "Subscriptions" slider.
    • You can also tap Channel settings here to manage your notifications for each channel individually.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using a Computer

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  1. Go to https://www.youtube.com in a web browser. This opens the YouTube website.
  2. You must be signed in to a Google account to subscribe to YouTube channels. If you're not signed in, click the blue "Sign In" button at the top-right corner and log in with your Google account.
    • If you don't have a Google account, you can create one easily .
    • If you're already signed in and want to switch accounts, click the profile photo at the top-right corner and select Switch account . Then, click another account in the list, or click Add account to sign in to a different account.
  3. You can check out what's Trending in the left panel, search for a particular channel, or find something new by searching for keywords.
    • If you know the name of the YouTube Channel you want to subscribe to, type it into the search bar at the top of YouTube and press Enter or Return . To see just channels, click Filters at the top-right corner of the search results and select Channel under "Type."
    • You can also subscribe to a channel from any of the channel's videos. Type the name of a video into the search bar and press Enter or Return . Then, click a video to start watching it—the channel's name will appear below the video's title.
  4. You'll see this oval button in the upper-right area of the channel's home page or below one of the channel's videos.
    • Now that you're subscribed, the "Subscribe" button will turn gray and change to SUBSCRIBED . You can click the button at any time and select Unsubscribe if you don't want to be subscribed to this channel anymore.
  5. If you don't see this tab on the left side of YouTube, click the three-line menu at the upper-left corner first. This displays a selection of videos from all of the channels you're subscribed to, though you'll need to do one more thing to see a list of your YouTube subscriptions .
  6. You'll see this option at the top-right corner of the Subscriptions page. If you want to change your subscription notifications or unsubscribe from a channel, you can do so easily from this page:
    • Next to each channel, you'll see a menu icon that says "Subscribed." Click Subscribed next to a channel to view your notification and subscription preferences.
    • If you want to receive notifications each time the channel shares new content, click All . If you get too many notifications for this channel, select Personalized or None instead.
    • To unsubscribe, click Unsubscribe at the bottom of the menu.
  7. If you want to change how you receive channel notifications, it's easy:
    • Click your profile photo or initial at the top-right.
    • Click Settings .
    • Click Notifications .
    • To enable or disable YouTube channel subscription notifications entirely, toggle the "Subscriptions" switch at the top.
    • If you want to receive an email when your subscribed channels share new content, toggle on the "Permission" switch at the bottom of the page.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I subscribe to a YouTube fan channel?
    Community Answer
    Click the red "Subscribe button" on their channel's page. It's no different than subscribing to any other channel.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 7
  • Question
    I just opened a new channel on YouTube that my viewers can't subscribe to. Why does it ask to sign in?
    Community Answer
    You need to have a YouTube account to be able to subscribe to channels. You can't do anything on YouTube without an account other than watching non-private videos.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 4
  • Question
    How do I publicly subscribe to a YouTube channel?
    Community Answer
    Click your channel icon, click "Settings", go to the section "Privacy", and on the setting for subscription visibility, toggle the "On" option. Then, any channel you subscribe to will publicly show in the "Channels" section on your profile.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 5 Helpful 5
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open YouTube.
      2. Sign in with a Google account.
      3. Search for a channel or video.
      4. Tap the channel or video.
      5. Tap SUBSCRIBE .

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