How to download your YouTube data

Your YouTube data is downloaded through Google Takeout. We only need your watch history and subscriptions, so the file stays small and usually arrives the same day.

On your phone (app)

The YouTube app has no data download option, but your phone’s browser works fine.

1. Open Chrome or Safari on your phone and go to takeout.google.com. Sign in with the Google account you use on YouTube.
   • On Android you can also go to Settings → Google → Manage your Google Account → Data & privacy → Download your data; it opens the same page.
2. Tap Deselect all at the top of the list.
3. Scroll down and tick only YouTube and YouTube Music.
4. Set the options described in “Which options to choose” below.
5. Tap Next step at the bottom.
6. Tap Create export.

On the web

1. Go to takeout.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
2. Click Deselect all.
3. Tick YouTube and YouTube Music.
4. Set the options below and click Next step.
5. Click Create export.

Tip: If you have more than one Google account, use the profile picture in the top right to make sure you’re in the one you use on YouTube.

Which options to choose

• Click All YouTube data included, then in the pop-up click Deselect all and tick only:
  • history (your watch and search history)
  • subscriptions
  • Then click OK.
• Click Multiple formats and set history to JSON. The default is HTML, which ScrollTwin can’t read. This is the most important step.
• Keep videos unticked. Your own uploads make the file huge and we don’t need them.
• On the next step:
  • Destination: Send download link via email
  • Frequency: Export once
  • File type: .zip
  • File size: 2 GB is plenty

You don’t need to pick a date range; Takeout includes all the history it has.

When the file arrives

• Google sends you an email when the export is ready. Most people get it the same day; occasionally it takes a few days.
• Click Download your files in the email. The archive is valid for about 7 days and can be downloaded up to 5 times.
• Don’t unzip it. Go to scrolltwin.com/en/upload and drop the ZIP as-is.

FAQ

Are my comments or chats uploaded? No. The file is opened inside your browser, and only a summary of interests from your watch history and subscriptions is created. Message or chat content is never read.

The file is huge. You probably left videos ticked. Create a new export and, in All YouTube data included, tick only history and subscriptions.

The link never arrived. Check your spam folder. You can also see the status under Manage exports on takeout.google.com and download it from there once it’s ready.

My watch history is empty. If YouTube history was turned off, Google didn’t save it. Check whether YouTube History is on at myactivity.google.com.