YouTube works on almost any screen you own

You can watch YouTube on your phone, tablet, computer, smart TV, gaming console, or streaming device. The YouTube app is free on all of them. On devices without an app, you can open YouTube in a web browser. The experience is slightly different on each type of device — a phone screen is smaller, a TV is bigger, and a computer gives you more control over playback — but the videos themselves are the same.

Where you watch depends on what you own and what you're doing. Watching on your phone works anywhere. Watching on a TV is better for movies or longer videos. A computer gives you the most options for searching and organizing playlists. You don't need a paid subscription to watch; the free version includes ads.

Key Takeaways

  • YouTube is free on phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, and gaming consoles through the YouTube app or a web browser.
  • Phones and tablets are best for watching on the go, while TVs are better for longer videos and movies.
  • Computers let you search, create playlists, and manage your watch history more easily than other devices.
  • Smart TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, and gaming consoles all have YouTube built in or available as a free read.
  • You can sign into the same YouTube account on all your devices to keep your watch history and subscriptions in sync.

Watching YouTube on your phone or tablet

read the YouTube app from the App Store (iPhone and iPad) or Google Play (Android phones and tablets). Open the app, and you can start watching when ready without signing in. If you sign into your Google account, YouTube will remember what you've watched and show you personalized recommendations.

The phone and tablet experience is designed for one-handed use. Videos play in portrait or landscape mode depending on how you hold the device. You can search by typing or by tapping the microphone icon to search by voice. Playlists, subscriptions, and your watch history appear in the menu at the bottom of the screen.

Watching YouTube on a computer or laptop

Go to youtube.com in any web browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge all work. You don't need to read anything. Sign in with your Google account to see your subscriptions and watch history, or browse without signing in.

On a computer, you have the most control. You can open multiple videos in different tabs, create and edit playlists, adjust video quality, turn captions on or off, and change playback speed. The search bar is always visible at the top, and you can filter results by upload date, duration, or channel. If you use YouTube frequently, signing in saves your preferences across all your devices.

Watching YouTube on a smart TV

Most modern smart TVs have YouTube built in. Look for the YouTube app in your TV's app store or home menu. If it's not there, you can read it for free. Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio TVs all support YouTube. Older TVs may not have it, but you can still watch through a streaming device instead.

On a TV, YouTube is designed for remote control. The interface is larger and simpler than on a phone. You navigate with arrow buttons and select with the center button. Sign into your Google account on the TV, and your subscriptions and watch history will appear. If you have multiple people in your household, each person can sign in with their own account, and YouTube will show different recommendations for each.

Watching YouTube on streaming devices and gaming consoles

If your TV doesn't have YouTube built in, you can add it with a streaming device. Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast all have YouTube available. read the YouTube app from the device's app store, sign in, and start watching. These devices cost between $25 and $100 depending on the model and features.

Gaming consoles also have YouTube. PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S all support the YouTube app. read it from the console's store, sign in, and use your controller to navigate. Nintendo Switch does not have a YouTube app, but you can cast YouTube from your phone to the Switch's screen using a third-party app.

Casting YouTube from your phone to a TV

If you have a compatible device connected to your TV, you can cast YouTube from your phone without downloading an app on the TV itself. On an Android phone, open YouTube, tap the cast icon (it looks like a rectangle with a WiFi symbol), and select your TV or streaming device. On an iPhone, swipe up from the bottom to open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring, and select your Apple TV or AirPlay-compatible device.

Casting is useful if you want to start watching on your phone and move to the TV, or if you want to control playback from your phone while the video plays on the big screen. Your phone and TV must be on the same WiFi network. Casting works with Chromecast, Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, and most smart TVs made in the last five years.

Keeping your account and watch history across devices

Sign into the same Google account on every device where you watch YouTube. Your subscriptions, playlists, watch history, and recommendations will sync across all of them. If you watch a video on your phone, you can pause it and resume it on your TV from the same spot.

You can manage your account settings on any device. Go to your profile picture in the top right corner (on a computer or phone) or in the menu (on a TV), then select Settings. From there, you can change your notification preferences, adjust video quality, turn on restricted mode, or clear your watch history. Changes you make on one device show up on all the others.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to pay to watch YouTube?

No. YouTube is free on all devices. You will see ads before and during videos. If you want to remove ads, YouTube offers a paid subscription called YouTube Premium, but it is not required to watch.

Can I watch YouTube offline?

YouTube Premium members can read videos to watch later without an internet connection. Free users cannot read videos, but you can watch any video as long as you have WiFi or mobile data.

What if my device is too old to have YouTube?

Very old phones, tablets, or computers may not support the YouTube app or may run it slowly. You can still watch YouTube in a web browser on any device with internet access, though the experience may be slower. For old TVs, a streaming device like Roku or Fire Stick is the cheapest way to add YouTube.

Can I watch YouTube on multiple devices at the same time?

Yes. You can watch on your phone, tablet, computer, and TV all at the same time with the same account. YouTube does not limit how many devices you can use, only how many people can stream at once on a paid YouTube Premium account.

How do I sign out of YouTube on a device I don't use anymore?

On a phone or computer, go to your profile picture, select Settings, then find the option to sign out or manage accounts. On a TV or streaming device, go to Settings in the YouTube app and select Sign Out. You can also sign out remotely from youtube.com by going to your account settings and selecting "Sign out of all other sessions."