Everyone uses this service to watch videos. Many people have no idea that YouTube can do a little more than just show videos. Here are some very simple and interesting YouTube options that you may not be aware of.

1. Delete search and browsing history

If you watched one video on how to cook a delicious dinner and the recommended shows you videos about cooking and recipes, you can easily delete the viewing history (or just videos on topics that you no longer want to see in the recommendations).

Click on the icon of your name in the upper right corner and select “Personal data on YouTube”. There you will see the browsing history and search history. You need to click the “Manage YouTube Browsing History” or “Manage YouTube Search History” button.

2. Scroll through videos on your computer

If you watch video from a computer, you can very quickly flip the video, for example, in the middle or third. Keys from 0 to 10 will help in this. Button 1 rewinds the video by 10%, 2 – by 20% and so on. Zero will start playback again.

3. Customize your ads

The “Personal Data on YouTube” option has not only search and view history, but also personalization of advertising. If you are tired of the same video from a company you do not like, you can disable its advertising for 90 days (and then repeat).

Click “Change advertising preferences” and select the ones you plan to disable from the list of companies and common interests. By the way, this way you will disable advertising not only on YouTube, but also in all Google services.

4. Improve your search

If you can’t find the same video, try making your YouTube search more accurate.

Short and long: to search for short videos (up to four minutes) and long ones (more than 20 minutes). For example: nasa, long.

To search for words only in video titles (not descriptions), enter intitle. For example, intitle: nasa.

Quote the query if you want to find the exact name.

Write a comma or playlist if you only want to find channels or playlists.

Use “-” to exclude a word from a search query. For example, Ilon Mask -SpaceX.

You can also specify the query using the “Filters” button below the search bar.

5. Restrict traffic

In the settings, you can select the option “Watch videos in HD quality” only if there is a connection via Wi-Fi. You can save traffic on your phone by dragging the slider in the settings.

6. Watch the decryption of the video

If you need to copy a quote from a video or parse unintelligible words, you can use the decryption generated by YouTube. However, not all videos have such a transcript.

To check, click on the three dots below the title. If there is a transcript, there will be a button “View video decoding”.

7. Hide subscriptions and likes

By default, the service shows other users your subscriptions and videos or lists that you like. If you want to hide this information, go to “Settings” – “Privacy” and move the sliders.