Adding a New Account to Your YouTube TV Household

YouTube TV lets you add up to six accounts to a single household plan, and each person gets their own profile, watch history, and recommendations. To add a new account, you go to your YouTube TV settings, select "Manage accounts," and invite the person by their email address. They then accept the invitation and set up their profile — the whole process takes a few minutes and doesn't cost extra.

The person you're inviting needs a Google account to join. If they don't have one, they can create one free at accounts.google.com before you send the invitation. Once they accept, they can sign in on any device where YouTube TV is installed — phones, tablets, computers, or streaming devices — and their watch history and settings will follow them.

Key Takeaways

  • You can add up to six accounts total to one YouTube TV household plan at no extra cost.
  • Each person needs their own Google account before you can invite them to YouTube TV.
  • Invitations are sent by email, and the person must accept before their profile becomes active.
  • Once added, each account has separate watch history, recommendations, and DVR recordings they can access.
  • You can remove an account anytime from the same settings menu where you added it.

Steps to Invite Someone to Your YouTube TV Account

Open YouTube TV on any device and go to your profile icon in the top right corner. Select "Settings," then look for "Manage accounts" or "Family members" — the exact wording depends on your device, but it's in the account section. Tap or click "Add a member."

Enter the email address of the person you want to add. YouTube TV will send them an invitation email. They need to open that email and click the link to accept. Once they accept, they'll be asked to create their YouTube TV profile — they can choose a profile name, a profile picture, and whether they want personalized recommendations.

After they finish setting up, their account is live. They can sign in to YouTube TV using their Google account on any device, and their profile will appear in the household list.

What Happens When Someone Joins Your Household

Each person in the household can watch different channels at the same time, up to the limit your plan allows — most YouTube TV plans let three streams run simultaneously. Their watch history stays separate from everyone else's, so their recommendations won't be mixed with yours.

If your household has a YouTube TV DVR, recordings are shared across all accounts, but each person can mark shows as watched or unwatched on their own profile. They can also create their own library of saved shows and movies.

Removing an Account from Your Household

If someone no longer needs access, go back to Settings and "Manage accounts." Find the person's name and select the option to remove them — usually a trash icon or a "Remove" button. They'll lose access when ready and won't be able to watch YouTube TV anymore.

Removing someone doesn't delete their Google account or affect anything outside of YouTube TV. They can still use Gmail, Google Drive, or any other Google service.

When You Need to Create a Google Account First

If the person you want to add doesn't have a Google account, they need to create one before you can send an invitation. They can do this at accounts.google.com by clicking "Create account" and following the steps. They'll need to provide a name, choose a Gmail address or use an existing email, and set a password.

This takes about five minutes. Once their Google account is set up and confirmed, you can invite them to YouTube TV using that email address.

Troubleshooting Invitations That Don't Go Through

If the invitation email doesn't arrive, check the person's spam or promotions folder — it sometimes lands there by mistake. Ask them to search for "youtube.com" in their email to find it. If it's still not there, go back to your settings and try sending the invitation again.

If the person accepts the invitation but can't sign in, make sure they're using the same Google account email address they used to accept it. If they're still stuck, have them sign out completely, clear their browser cache, and try signing back in. On mobile devices, signing out of the YouTube TV app and signing back in usually fixes login problems.

Household Rules and Account Limits

YouTube TV defines a household as people living in the same home. You can have up to six accounts, but only three can stream at the same time on most plans. If someone moves out, you should remove their account and add a new household member instead.

If YouTube TV detects that accounts are being used in different locations regularly, it may ask you to verify your household. This is to prevent account sharing outside your home, which violates YouTube TV's terms of service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add someone who doesn't live with me?

YouTube TV's terms say accounts should be for people in the same household. If you add someone in a different location, YouTube TV may ask you to verify your household or restrict access. It's designed to prevent sharing your plan with people outside your home.

What if someone forgets their password?

They can reset it at accounts.google.com by clicking "Forgot password?" and following the steps. They'll need access to the email or phone number connected to their Google account. This doesn't affect YouTube TV — once they reset their Google password, they can sign into YouTube TV with the new one.

Can I change someone's profile name after they join?

Each person can change their own profile name by going to their profile settings in YouTube TV. You can't change it for them. If they need help, they can go to Settings, select their profile, and look for "Edit profile" or "Profile name."

Do all accounts need to be added at once?

No. You can add people one at a time whenever you want. You don't have to fill all six slots right away — add accounts as needed and remove them if someone moves out or no longer watches.

What if someone's invitation expires?

Invitations don't expire, but if someone doesn't see the email after a few days, send a new one. Go back to "Manage accounts" and invite them again using the same email address.