How to Watch Videos on YouTube

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: March 15, 2023

Viewing and watching YouTube videos is a relatively straightforward process! To do so, you'll need access to the YouTube website or the mobile app for your smartphone.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using the YouTube App (iOS)

1
Open your "App Store" app.
2
Tap Search. This is the magnifying glass icon on the bottom of your screen.

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3
Type in "youtube".
4
Tap "youtube". It should be the first result in the drop-down menu.
5
Tap "YouTube".
6
Tap GET. This is in the top right corner of your screen.
- If you've downloaded YouTube before, this will be a cloud icon with an arrow facing down.
7
Tap INSTALL.
8
Enter your Apple ID and password if prompted.
9
Wait for YouTube to finish downloading.
10
Open the "YouTube" app.
11
Tap the magnifying glass. This is in the top right corner of your phone screen.
12
Type in a search query.
13
Tap Search.
14
Tap a video you want to watch. It should start automatically!
- Tap anywhere on the video to pause it. Click again to un-pause.
15
Tap the Share button. This is the right-facing arrow below your video.
16
Tap a sharing option. Your options are:
- Copy link
- Share on Facebook
- Share on Gmail
- Share on Twitter
- Share through email
- Share in a message
- Share through WhatsApp
- More (share through your phone's messaging app}
17
Follow your option's provided steps. You have successfully viewed and shared a YouTube video!

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using the YouTube App (Android)

1
Open the Google Play Store.
2
Tap the search bar.
3
Type in "youtube".
4
Tap Go.
5
Tap "YouTube".
6
Tap Install.
7
Tap Accept if prompted.
8
Wait for YouTube to finish downloading.
9
Tap your "YouTube" app.
10
Tap the magnifying glass. This is in the top right corner of your phone screen.
11
Type in a search query.
12
Tap Search.
13
Tap a video you want to watch. It should start automatically!
- Tap anywhere on the video to pause it. Click again to un-pause.
14
Tap the Share button. This is the right-facing arrow at the top of your video window.^{[1]
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- If you can't see this option, tap the video window once.
15
Tap a sharing option. Your options are:
- Copy link
- Share on Facebook
- Share on Gmail
- Share on Twitter
- Share through email
- Share in a message
- Share through WhatsApp
- More (share through your phone's messaging app}
16
Follow your phone's on-screen steps. Now you know how to open and share a YouTube video on Android!

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using the YouTube Site (Desktop)

1
Navigate to YouTube.
2
Click the "Search" field. This is at the top of the page.
3
Type in a search query.
4
Press ↵ Enter. You can also click the magnifying glass icon to the right of this search bar.
5
Click on a video you'd like to watch. Now you know how to watch a YouTube video!
- To pause the video, click anywhere on the video's display. Click again to un-pause.
6
Click the Share arrow. This is below your YouTube video.
7
Right-click the highlighted URL. You can also click one of the provided social media platforms.
8
Click Copy.
9
Paste your YouTube link onto your preferred site. Do this by right-clicking in a shareable field (e.g., an email or a status update field) and clicking Paste.
10
Return to your video. You have now viewed and shared a YouTube video!

Community Q&A

Question

How do I watch a YouTube video without signing in?

Linnie

Top Answerer

You don't need to sign in to watch a YouTube video. Just click the video you want to view, and unless it's been deleted or private, you should be able to watch it.
Question

What if I need to watch without anyone knowing?

Linnie

Top Answerer

You can mute the video and use captions if they are provided for that specific video. You can also go to another room so it's harder for other people to hear, or wear earbuds. If you're worried that someone will find out you watched a certain video, go to your device's "history" and clear it.
Question

How do l download videos from YouTube onto my laptop?

R2_d2000

Top Answerer

Check out the wikiHow article How to Download YouTube Videos for instructions on downloading a YouTube video.

Warnings

Attempting to access YouTube on restricted servers--such as at schools--may result in failure to load the site.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
Be aware of how much time you spend watching videos constantly, as it can cause you to waste huge chunks of time without you even knowing.

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