How To See A Deleted YouTube Video With Or Without A Link

YouTube is becoming stricter these days, and the platform deletes or hides videos of anyone who violates its policies. Creators also delete their videos if they are not satisfied with the content, even though you are. Just because a YouTube video that you really liked has been deleted doesn't mean it has disappeared completely. Traces of it may still exist on the internet, and there are a few ways to track the content you love the most.

In this guide, we'll show you how to watch deleted YouTube videos if you have their links or failed to bookmark or save them on time.

Part 1. Why did YouTube Remove My Liked Videos?

YouTube removes liked videos for several common reasons you should know about.

Video creators sometimes delete their content from the platform, which automatically removes these videos from your liked list without any notification. The YouTube team also takes down videos that break their community guidelines as part of their regular content moderation process. Copyright issues force YouTube to delete videos that use unauthorized material, such as music, movie clips, or images, without permission.

Many creators choose to change their video status to private or unlisted. These videos still exist on YouTube but no longer appear in your liked videos section.

Your location affects which liked videos you can access. Some content works only in specific countries due to licensing agreements. Your account settings also play a role in what appears in your lists.

In rare cases, technical glitches or account syncing issues can cause videos to temporarily disappear. If this happens, try refreshing YouTube, logging out and back in, or checking from a different device.

Part 2. How to See a Deleted YouTube Video with a Link

The Wayback Machine offers a solution to watch deleted YouTube videos. This digital archive is more like an internet time capsule that stores web pages, videos, images, and other online content. With its collection of over 900 billion digital files, you might find the exact YouTube video you miss.

To use this service, you'll need the original YouTube video URL. Once you have it, the Wayback Machine checks its huge database for any saved version of your video.

Below is how to view a deleted YouTube video. Let's find that YouTube URL first and then use the Wayback method to watch the video:

Step 1. Find the Deleted YouTube Video URL

1. Search Browser History

Your browser history saves YouTube videos you watched before they got deleted. This trick works when you need to find that missing YouTube video URL and title.

Chrome makes this super easy for you. Just open your Chrome browser and look for the 3 dots at the top right corner. Click these dots, select History from the popup menu, then click History again. Too many clicks for you? Just hit Ctrl + H on your keyboard instead while the browser is open.

Now, you'll see a list of all the websites you visited. Scroll down until you spot YouTube links from when you watched your video. If you know the title of the video, type in the first few words, and Chrome will find it for you. Next, right-click on the link and select "Copy link address."

2. Search YouTube History In Google Account

Your Google account also keeps track of YouTube videos you watch. This method is better than browser history for finding those deleted YouTube videos.

First, head to accounts.google.com in your browser. Then, type YouTube in the search box at the top, which opens "Activity Controls." On this page, go to the bottom and click "Manage History" to open your complete YouTube activity.

Now comes the fun part. Your activity page shows all YouTube videos you ever watched with your account. However, you may have watched thousands of videos and may have lost track of when you viewed the one you got deleted. No problem. Click the Calendar icon at the top left page and type in specific dates when you think you watched that deleted video.

Once you find the video in your list, right-click it and select "Copy Link Address" from the menu. Now you have the exact URL of your deleted video to use with the Wayback machine. This trick saves you hours of searching through endless browser history.

3. Check Communication Platforms or Social Media Channels

It's possible that you've sent the YouTube video URL before it got deleted to someone on communication and social platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, etc. Therefore, it is best to check your messages, and you may be lucky enough to find the link.

While you're at it, check your older posts on social media platforms, as you or your contacts might have shared the link there.

Step 2. Search and Watch On the Wayback Machine Site

So now you have the URL, let's find out how to watch a removed YouTube video on the Wayback Machine website.

First, open the Wayback Machine website, paste the deleted YouTube video link you retrieved using the methods in step 1 above, and hit the enter key. Now, you'll see a calendar pop-up that shows when Wayback Machine crawled and archived the URL.

Next, click the latest year (showing with the upward line), and then check the months in the calendar to find and select the exact archive date. Click on the date and again click on the time stamp.

Your deleted YouTube video is now available on the Wayback machine archive server; click "Play" to watch it.

Part 3. How to Watch Deleted YouTube Videos Without Link

If you don't have the YouTube video link or there is a possibility that the URL you pasted on the Wayback Machine couldn't work because they did not archive the video, you need to look for other ways.

Here is how to watch taken down YouTube videos without URLs using 4 different methods:

1. Search by Video Title or Keywords on Google

If you remember the title of the deleted video, searching for it on Google is the best place to start. Even though the video itself is gone, the creator may have uploaded it with an alternative title, and you can find and watch it this way. With Google search, you may also see other websites that might have mentioned it, embedded it, or shared links to similar content.

For example, if the deleted video was called "Top 10 Hidden Places in Japan," you can type the exact title into Google with quotation marks like this:

"Top 10 Hidden Places in Japan" site:youtube.com

Using quotation marks tells Google to search for that exact phrase instead of similar words on YouTube only. This increases your chances of finding the deleted YouTube video with another title.

If you don't remember the full title, try searching for related words. Let's say you only remember that the video was about secret travel spots in Japan. You can search like this:

"Hidden travel spots Japan deleted YouTube video"

With this search, look for the title that resembles the deleted YouTube video and click to watch it. You may need to do this for several videos until you find the one you are looking for.

In case you know the creator's name, you can narrow down your search. Just type any of the search parameters, and when the search results are displayed, click "Vidoes" at the top. Now, you can see the YouTube creator and channel name to see if they have uploaded the same video with another title.

2. Search for YouTube Video Thumbnails on Google Images

Even if a video is deleted, its thumbnail might still be stored in Google's image database. This can help confirm that the video existed and provide clues about its content.

How to Find Thumbnails:

1. Go to Google Images.
2. Type in the video's title or a few keywords.
3. Click on the image and check if YouTube or another source website still has duplicate video information about the deleted content.

For example, if a YouTube documentary called "Top 10 Hidden Places in Japan" was deleted, searching for that title in Google Images might show its thumbnail. Clicking on the image could lead to newly uploaded content from the same YouTube creator, blog posts, news articles, or even alternative streaming platforms where the video has been re-uploaded.

3. Use Advanced Search Operators

If a basic Google search doesn't give you the results you need, advanced search operators can help refine your search to find information about the deleted YouTube video information.

Sometimes, people also discuss deleted videos on Reddit, Quora, or other forums. These discussions might include descriptions of the video, alternative links, or suggestions on where to find a reupload on other video hosting platforms, such as Facebook, Twitch, Dailymotion, etc.

To do this, search the deleted video title or a few of its keywords on Google followed by the forum sites like this:

"Japan 10 Hidden Gems to Visit site:reddit.com OR site:quora.com"

This search tells Google to only show results from Reddit and Quora. In these forums, the creator may have uploaded the same video with another URL, or other people may have posted it after downloading the deleted YouTube video for others to see.

4. Use a Third-party Video To Download Videos and View Without a Link

The best way to avoid all this fuss is to download your favorite YouTube video for later viewing. If you use the YouTube app to download the video, its link will be removed when the platforms decide to delete it.

However, there are several third-party online services to download YouTube videos to your device. One such most-used platform is ssyoutube.

Simply visit the website, paste the link of your favorite YouTube video, and you can download it to your device in many formats and resolutions, with or without sound.

Part 4. FAQs of How to Watch Deleted YouTube Videos

Conclusion on How to Watch Deleted YouTube Videos

In this detailed guide, we've discussed how to watch deleted YouTube videos either with or without their links. Most of the time, all of these methods work in your favor. However, if you can't remember the title of the deleted video or can't find its URL, your chances are slim to re-watch the content.