YouTube has made all of the iconic YouTube Rewind videos private, meaning you are now unable to watch the original uploads.
Personalized end-of-year recaps have become a huge part of social media platforms. Everyone with a Spotify subscription looks forward to the release of Wrapped, and it’s something that the likes of Twitch and YouTube have jumped all over as well.
YouTube did, originally, set the bar high with’s end-of-year Rewind videos. While it wasn’t a personalized review of the videos you’d watched, the entertaining videos recapped the biggest moments, funniest memes, and starred some of the biggest creators on the platform in different roles.
Rewind was scrapped back in 2019 following backlash from viewers, but the videos had remained live for everyone to watch.
YouTube Rewind 2018 quickly became the most-disliked video on the platform.
YouTube’s official Rewind videos disappear in 2026
At the end of 2025, YouTube chose to unlist the Rewind videos. This meant that they would no longer show up in searches, but if you had a direct link to the videos, you’d still be able to watch. Essentially hiding them from view.
However, as of January 8, 2026, viewers have noticed that the Rewind videos have been made private – meaning you can’t watch the original uploads anymore.
“This sucks man, the earlier YouTube rewinds were a capsule of early 2010s culture which I had missed,” one disappointed viewer said. “Are they THAT embarrassed of their past?” another quizzed.
Some viewers suggested that the videos have likely been removed due to copyright issues and licensing deals potentially running out. Others pointed to the drama between YouTube and Ryan Higa after he said he was “lied to” when making the Rewind videos back in the day.
Unofficial reuploads of Rewind are still live, meaning you can watch the videos in a roundabout way. A number of these have already been updated to poke fun at the removal. “YouTube Rewind 2021, but it actually exists,” is the new title of one.
However, with YouTube taking down its own uploads, it remains to be seen just how long these reuploads will last, as they may have cause to issue takedown requests.
