How to Make YouTube Recommend What You Actually Like

We spend more time on YouTube every day than on any other streaming service, but it's risky to trust its recommendations: the algorithm can easily lead you to strange or toxic topics. With a few simple tricks, you can take the reins and turn the feed into something you really want to watch.

Lifehacker writes about it.

How do the basic tools work?

If you like the video, give it a thumbs up; if you don't like it, give it a thumbs down: this way, you send a clear signal to the algorithm, although the buttons have more influence on your recommendations than on the video creator. Subscribing to a channel is a kind of "super like", but it doesn't guarantee that all new videos will appear in your feed, especially if you have a lot of subscriptions. The most effective way to keep up with everything is to turn on the bell: push notifications reach you instantly and provide important statistics for the channel.

It's worth remembering that if you subscribe but no longer watch content, YouTube will still stop offering it — the platform focuses on real views, not words.

Clean up your history and block unnecessary stuff

The algorithm holds you tightly to your views, and sometimes too tightly. All you need to do is accidentally turn on a cat video, and your feed turns into an endless stream of furry animals. The solution is simple: go to History and select Remove from Watch History for an unwanted video, and the service will no longer include it in its recommendations.

If the suggestions annoy you even before watching, click on the thumbnail menu and select Not interested or Don't recommend channel — the most reliable way to get rid of intrusive authors. It's also important to turn off thumbnail autoplay: even a few seconds of previewing sometimes counts as history and confuses the system.

Playlists and separate accounts for different interests

YouTube still doesn't offer full-fledged mood or genre profiles, so you have to improvise. The first approach is themed playlists. You add all the videos about, say, colour correction, and open the list when you need a dose of just such lessons. Third-party recommendations will still slip through, but the algorithm will already be pushing you in the right direction.

The second way is to switch Google accounts. You can create a "clean" account for humorous selections and not spoil your main feed. The downside is that YouTube Premium subscriptions don't apply to all accounts, so you'll have to put up with ads or duplicate your subscription.

As a reminder, the YouTube interface is constantly changing — the number of Shorts is growing, experimental layouts are appearing, and ads are becoming more and more annoying, which often interferes with the full enjoyment of viewing. However, there are simple solutions to make the platform more relaxed and customise it to your own preferences.

We also wrote that, despite the convenience of online viewing, sometimes you want to save YouTube videos to a device for viewing without an internet connection. There are easy and free ways to do this that don't require any third-party software or account creation.