What hiding subscriptions on YouTube actually does
When you hide your subscriptions on YouTube, you make your subscription list private so other people cannot see which channels you follow. By default, your subscriptions are public — anyone who visits your channel can click the Subscriptions tab and see every channel you are subscribed to. Hiding them removes that tab from view for other users, though you can still see your own subscriptions whenever you log in.
This is a YouTube account setting, not an extension. You do not need to install anything extra. The setting lives in your YouTube account privacy controls and takes about 30 seconds to change. If you have already installed an extension claiming to hide subscriptions, you can remove it — YouTube's built-in privacy option does the job.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube has a built-in privacy setting to hide subscriptions; you do not need an extension to do this.
- The setting hides your subscription list from other users but does not affect your own ability to see and manage your subscriptions.
- You can change this setting anytime from your YouTube account privacy page.
- Hiding subscriptions is different from making your entire channel private — other people can still see your videos and comments.
How to hide subscriptions in YouTube account settings
Open YouTube and sign in to your account. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select Settings from the dropdown menu. On the left sidebar, click Privacy. You will see a section labeled "Subscriptions" with a toggle or dropdown option.
Click the toggle or select the option that says Make your subscriptions private or Private (the exact wording depends on when YouTube updated your account). Once you change this setting, the Subscriptions tab disappears from your channel page for anyone who is not logged into your account. Your subscriptions remain visible only to you.
The change takes effect immediately. You do not need to refresh the page or log out and back in. If you ever want to make your subscriptions public again, return to the same Privacy settings page and toggle the option back.
Why someone might think they need an extension
Some browser extensions claim to hide YouTube subscriptions, but they are unnecessary. These extensions either do nothing at all or simply redirect you to YouTube's own privacy settings. YouTube's built-in option is free, requires no installation, and works across all devices where you are logged into your account.
If you have installed an extension for this purpose, you can safely remove it. Go to your browser's extension menu (usually accessible by clicking the puzzle piece icon in the top right), find the extension, and click the trash or remove icon. Removing it will not affect your subscription privacy — the YouTube account setting you changed will remain in place.
What hiding subscriptions does not do
Hiding your subscriptions does not hide your watch history, your liked videos, or your comments. Other users can still see videos you have uploaded, playlists you have made public, and any comments you leave on other channels. If you want to hide those things too, you will need to adjust separate privacy settings for each one.
Hiding subscriptions also does not prevent YouTube from recommending videos based on what you watch. YouTube's algorithm still tracks your viewing habits to personalize your recommendations — hiding subscriptions only affects whether other people can see the list of channels you follow.
How to hide other parts of your YouTube profile
If you want more privacy beyond subscriptions, YouTube offers several other settings. In the same Privacy section of your account settings, you can make your liked playlists private, hide your watch history from your account, and control who can see your channel.
To hide your entire channel from search results and from people who do not have a direct link, go to Settings > Channel > Basic Info and toggle Make this channel private. This is more restrictive than hiding subscriptions — it hides your channel page entirely. You can also set individual videos to private or unlisted so only people with the link can watch them.
Checking whether your subscriptions are actually hidden
To verify that your subscriptions are hidden, open your YouTube channel in an incognito or private browser window (or ask a friend to visit your channel while logged out). Navigate to your channel page and look for the Subscriptions tab. If the setting worked, that tab will not appear. You should see only the Home, Videos, Playlists, and Community tabs (if you have a community tab).
If the Subscriptions tab is still visible, go back to your Privacy settings and double-check that the subscription privacy option is set to Private. Sometimes the change takes a few minutes to appear across all YouTube servers, so wait a few minutes and check again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hide subscriptions on YouTube but keep my channel public?
Yes. Hiding subscriptions does not make your channel private — it only hides the Subscriptions tab. Your videos, playlists, and comments remain visible to everyone. Other people can still find and watch your content; they just cannot see which channels you follow.
If I hide my subscriptions, will YouTube stop recommending videos to me?
No. Hiding subscriptions only affects what other people see. YouTube will continue to recommend videos based on your watch history, likes, and search activity. The recommendation algorithm works the same way whether your subscriptions are public or private.
Do I need to hide subscriptions on each device separately?
No. The privacy setting is tied to your YouTube account, not to a specific device or browser. Once you change it in your account settings, it applies everywhere you are logged in. You do not need to change it on your phone, tablet, or computer separately.
What happens to my subscriptions if I make my entire channel private?
If you make your channel private, your subscriptions remain private as well. However, making your channel private is much more restrictive — it hides your entire channel page from people who are not logged in. Hiding only subscriptions is the less drastic option if you want to keep your channel visible but your subscription list private.
Can I hide subscriptions from specific people but not others?
No. YouTube's privacy settings are all-or-nothing. You can either make your subscriptions public to everyone or private to everyone. There is no option to hide subscriptions from certain people while keeping them visible to others.