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YouTube does not offer one guaranteed, permanent “lifetime subscription history” screen. Its Subscriptions page shows channels you follow now. Dated subscription actions may still appear in Google My Activity, while Google Takeout and the YouTube Data API can export available data. Channels you unsubscribed from, deleted, or removed activity for may not be recoverable.
First, decide which subscription record you need
The phrase “subscription history” can mean three different things:
| Record | What it means | Best method |
|---|---|---|
| Current subscriptions | Channels still followed by the selected YouTube account | YouTube Subscriptions page or the YouTube Data API |
| Subscription activity | Recorded events showing that the account subscribed, often with a timestamp | Google My Activity |
| Complete lifetime history | Every channel ever followed, including channels later unsubscribed from | Search My Activity and Takeout, but completeness is not guaranteed |
The ordinary Subscriptions area is a current-state view, not proof of every channel you have ever followed. The API’s mine=true option likewise returns subscription resources belonging to the authorized account; it is not an archive of past unsubscribes. See the official subscriptions.list reference.
1. View every channel you currently follow on YouTube
Desktop
- Open YouTube and sign in.
- Check the profile avatar, email address and active YouTube channel or Brand Account.
- Open Subscriptions in the left navigation.
- Select All, or the available channel-list control, to open the complete list rather than only the video feed.
- Open a channel when you need to verify its current subscription status.
YouTube describes Subscriptions as the place to see videos from channels you follow; its navigation also separates Subscriptions from video History. See YouTube’s navigation help.
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Mobile app
- Open the YouTube app and confirm the correct account and channel profile.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Tap All to view the channel list.
- Use any filter or sorting controls shown in your current app version.
The labels can differ between Android, iPhone and app releases. YouTube’s mobile instructions are documented at this help page.
This method does not normally show when you subscribed or channels you later unfollowed. A private subscription setting does not hide your own list; it mainly controls whether other people can see your subscriptions. See YouTube’s privacy explanation.
2. Search Google My Activity for dated subscription events
My Activity is the most useful place to look for older “subscribed to a channel” events, provided Google recorded them and still retains them.
Use the direct page
While signed in, try https://myactivity.google.com/page?page=youtube_subscriptions.
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- Open Google My Activity.
- Sign in to the relevant Google account.
- Filter activity by YouTube.
- Search for subscribed, subscription, or a channel name.
- Expand individual entries to inspect the channel and timestamp.
- Record or export useful results before deleting activity.
Treat the results as an activity record, not a guaranteed lifetime ledger. Google says deleted activity is removed from view and information no longer available through its tools may not be recoverable. Its data-export guidance is at Google Account Help.
3. Export the data with Google Takeout or the YouTube Data API
Google Takeout: easiest local backup
- Go to Google Takeout and sign in.
- Choose Deselect all.
- Select relevant YouTube data and My Activity data.
- Choose the available archive format and delivery method.
- Create the export and wait for Google’s download notification.
- Download the archive on a desktop computer.
- Open
archive_browser.htmlto see what the archive contains. - Extract the files and search for channel names, “subscription” terms and YouTube activity records.
Takeout exports data available for the selected account and categories; it does not promise that every historical subscription still exists. File categories can change, and a Google Workspace administrator may restrict downloads. You may need to inspect both YouTube files and My Activity exports. Google recommends using a desktop to view the archive; see its export instructions.
YouTube Data API: structured export for technical users
An authorized application can retrieve the current account’s subscriptions with this request:
GET https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/subscriptions?part=snippet,contentDetails&mine=true&maxResults=50OAuth authorization is required; this is not a public URL that reveals someone’s subscriptions. The API permits up to 50 results per request and returns a nextPageToken when more pages exist. A typical pagination process is:
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request a page with mine=true
save items[]
if nextPageToken exists:
request the next page with pageToken=nextPageToken
repeat until no nextPageTokenResponses include items[], pageInfo.totalResults, pageInfo.resultsPerPage and, when applicable, nextPageToken. The documented quota cost for this method is one unit per request. Read the API reference and official sample requests.
Because mine=true represents the authorized user’s subscription resources, the API is excellent for CSV, JSON or database processing of the current list. It does not inherently restore channels you unsubscribed from.
What to do if channels are missing
- Verify the account: Check the email address and avatar, especially if you use several Google accounts.
- Verify the active channel: Switch through personal and Brand Account channels under the same login. YouTube data can be associated with a Brand Account; Takeout may require selecting the relevant context. See Google’s Takeout guidance.
- Open the complete list: Make sure you selected All, rather than relying on the Subscriptions feed.
- Search My Activity: Look for the channel name and subscription terms, including date ranges.
- Inspect Takeout thoroughly: Check both YouTube-related files and My Activity files, plus
archive_browser.html. - Consider channel changes: A channel may have been renamed, deleted or suspended, making an old entry difficult to identify.
- Check retention: Deleted or auto-deleted activity may no longer be available.
- Separate current state from history: A shorter current list does not by itself prove that YouTube lost a historical record.
YouTube also notes that people with many subscriptions can miss videos in the feed even though the full channel list is separate; see its subscription-feed explanation.
Do not confuse channel subscriptions with paid memberships
A free subscription to a channel is different from YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium and paid channel memberships. Google Account subscription pages can also include Google Play or publisher subscriptions; they are not chronological records of every free YouTube channel followed. See Google’s subscription-management help.
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For paid YouTube products, open Profile picture → Purchases and memberships. Receipts and billing records are handled through Google Payments. See YouTube’s membership instructions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you recover every channel you ever subscribed to?
Sometimes partially, but not reliably or universally. The current list is usually available in YouTube or through the authorized API. Older subscription events may be found in My Activity or a Takeout archive if they were retained. No official method guarantees recovery of channels you later unsubscribed from, channels that disappeared, or activity that Google deleted or no longer provides.
For future protection, make periodic Takeout exports and save a dated copy of your current subscription list. Use YouTube, My Activity, Takeout and the official API before considering any third-party tool, and never enter Google credentials into an unverified “subscription history” website. A third-party service should use transparent OAuth permissions and clearly state exactly what data it accesses.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see the date I subscribed to a channel?
Only if a dated event remains in Google My Activity or an exported activity file. The current YouTube list usually does not display subscription dates.
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Can I see channels I unsubscribed from?
Search My Activity and Takeout, but neither is guaranteed to contain every past unsubscribe or subscription event.
Why is my YouTube list empty?
Check the signed-in Google account, active YouTube or Brand Account channel, and whether you opened the complete channel list rather than a feed. If all are correct, the data may belong to another account or no longer be available.
Can the YouTube API retrieve old subscriptions?
The API’s authenticated mine=true request retrieves the account’s subscription resources, generally the current list. It is not a guaranteed historical archive.
Can I export the list to CSV?
Takeout provides downloadable archives, while the API returns structured JSON that you can convert to CSV with your own script. Neither guarantees a complete lifetime history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does private subscription status prevent me from seeing my own subscriptions?
No. Privacy settings mainly control public visibility; the account owner can still use the Subscriptions area.
Are YouTube Premium and paid channel memberships part of channel-subscription history?
No. They are separate paid products with separate membership and billing records.
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