You open YouTube to find your Recap, but the banner is missing or you're looking for your music highlights instead. Your viewing Recap and YouTube Music Recap have separate entry points, and each requires an eligible account and an available Recap. Start with the route for the summary you want, then check your account, app, and history settings if it doesn't appear.
Open your Recap in the YouTube app
This opens your annual viewing Recap when your account is eligible and the Recap is available.
Sign in to the YouTube app on Android, iPhone, or iPad with the account you use to watch videos.
Tap You at the bottom of the screen.
Tap Your YouTube Recap is here! to open your Recap.
Use the Recap address on a computer
You can open your viewing Recap in a computer browser while the annual experience is available. It belongs to the account containing your viewing history.
Sign in to YouTube in your browser.
Open youtube.com/recap.
If you signed in to a different account, click your profile picture at the top right.
Choose Switch account.
Select your personal account or channel.
Return to youtube.com/recap to open that account's Recap.
Find your listening highlights in YouTube Music
YouTube Music has its own annual and seasonal Recaps. For your listening highlights, sign in to the YouTube Music mobile app with the account you use for music.
Tap your profile photo.
Select Your Recap.
Tap Get your Recap.
There is also a connection between the two summaries when both are available. In your viewing Recap, tap Get your Music Recap after the artist and song cards to open YouTube Music.
If the profile-menu route fails, type youtube.com/musicrecap into Siri Search on iOS or Android Home Screen Search, with the YouTube mobile app installed. Enter the address as a typed search.
Update an older app before trying again
Use the latest compatible release: Music Recap requires app version 8.47 or later, and YouTube's viewing Recap minimums differ between its US and UK help pages.
- 1.Open Google Play Store on Android or App Store on iPhone or iPad.
- 2.On Android, tap your profile icon. On iPhone or iPad, tap My Account or your photo.
- 3.On Android, select Manage apps & device, then See details under Updates available. On iPhone or iPad, select App Updates.
- 4.Tap Update beside YouTube or YouTube Music.
- 5.Open the updated app.
- 6.Return to You → Your YouTube Recap is here! in YouTube, or your profile photo → Your Recap → Get your Recap in YouTube Music.
Check the account behind a missing Recap
A missing banner alone doesn't establish an app problem: availability, account selection, history, and eligibility all matter. Switching accounts helps when your viewing or listening history belongs to another account.
In the YouTube mobile app, tap your profile picture.
Open Accounts.
Select the account or channel containing your personal watch history.
Return to You to check its Recap entry.
For viewing Recap, you need sufficient history, an eligible region, an eligible signed-in account, and an age of at least 13 or the applicable age in your location. Supervised accounts and Brand Account delegates are excluded. YouTube's Recap help asks for enough eligible watch history but doesn't specify a minimum amount.
Music Recap has specific listening requirements: at least four hours per season or ten hours from January through November 15 for the annual Recap. YouTube Music's desktop help also requires five repeatedly played songs.
Mostly made-for-kids listening and migrated or RSS podcasts are excluded. Podcast cards require music eligibility plus two hours of podcast listening.
Keep history enabled for future Recaps
These settings preserve future eligible activity; they cannot immediately generate a missing Recap or recover deleted history.
In YouTube, tap your profile photo.
Open Settings.
Select Manage all history.
Open Controls.
Select Include the YouTube videos you watch if it is unchecked.
To enable listening history in YouTube Music, tap your profile picture.
Open Settings.
Choose the privacy menu your app shows. Google's help lists Privacy & data on Android and Privacy on iPhone and iPad, while another help page names it Privacy & location.
Switch off Pause watch history.
To stop three-month auto-deletion from removing history needed for Music Recap, open YouTube History in My Activity.
Select Manage history.
Open Auto-delete.
Choose Don’t auto-delete activity to retain future history.
Select Next.
Select Confirm to save your choice.
Retrieve saved playlists after an older Recap disappears
YouTube automatically deletes annual viewing Recaps after year-end, so an older summary disappears when its availability ends.
An expired or manually deleted viewing Recap cannot be refreshed or recovered. A previously saved Music Recap playlist still gives you access to its songs, but it does not restore expired story cards.
To find a saved playlist in YouTube Music, tap Library.
Open Playlists.
Select your saved Recap playlist.
For an existing downloaded playlist, return to Library. Music downloads require the applicable Premium membership.
Tap the arrow beside Library.
Choose Downloads.
Open Playlists.
Select the downloaded Recap playlist.
To find a saved playlist in the YouTube mobile app, open You.
Select your saved Recap playlist.
On a computer, open YouTube's navigation guide.
Choose You.
Open Playlists.
Select your saved Recap playlist.
Save cards while your Recap is available
While viewing a YouTube Recap card, tap Download to save it to your device. The saved image remains separate from the live Recap experience and gives you something to keep after the annual summary expires.
To send a card through a sharing destination, tap Share while viewing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see my YouTube Music Recap stories on a computer?
YouTube Music's computer help doesn't include steps for opening Recap stories on desktop. Use the mobile app: tap your profile photo, then Your Recap, then Get your Recap.
What if my school or work account blocks YouTube?
If YouTube says access is restricted by your administrator, ask your Google Workspace domain administrator to enable YouTube as a service. Restoring access does not establish Recap eligibility or generate a Recap.
Which iOS version do the YouTube apps require?
The current App Store listings for YouTube and YouTube Music require iOS or iPadOS 17.0 or later. Operating-system requirements are separate from the app-version requirements for Recap.
Does watching YouTube on a TV count toward Recap?
TV viewing can contribute to your viewing history. YouTube's Recap help covers opening Recap in the mobile app or on a computer, not on a TV, so use the mobile app or the computer Recap address.