YouTube launched its first full Recap experience on December 2, 2025, and many viewers across the U.S. want to know how to access YouTube Recap and explore the new year-in-review feature. The platform’s rollout gives users a personalized summary of their viewing activity, showing top channels, trending interests, content patterns, and a unique “viewer personality” based on what they watched throughout the year.
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A New Way to See Your Year on YouTube
The Recap feature is built to give users a clear look at how their viewing habits changed and grew during the year. Instead of a single summary page, YouTube uses a series of interactive cards. These cards highlight your most-watched channels, categories you explored the most, how your tastes shifted, and the types of videos you kept coming back to. Users also receive a personality label that reflects their viewing preferences, such as Creative Spirit or Skill Builder, helping them understand how they used the platform over time.
Where to Find Your YouTube Recap on Mobile
Most users will see the Recap first inside the YouTube mobile app. The company placed it prominently to make access simple:
- Open the YouTube app.
- Tap the You tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Look for a Recap banner or card at the top of the page.
- Tap the banner to open your personalized year-in-review.
If the Recap doesn’t appear immediately, updating the YouTube app to the latest version may help. Many users who weren’t seeing the feature found that updating triggered the Recap card to appear.
Accessing Recap on Desktop
Desktop users can find the Recap by signing in to YouTube and checking the homepage. YouTube may display the experience as a highlighted tile. A dedicated Recap page is also available for signed-in users during rollout. If the page doesn’t load for you, it usually means the feature is still being released across accounts and should appear soon.
What the Recap Shows You
The YouTube Recap isn’t just a snapshot of your watching habits. It organizes your activity into multiple categories, including:
- Top creators and channels, ranked by your viewing time.
- Genres and topics that dominated your year.
- How your interests changed, showing shifts in viewing patterns.
- Your viewing personality, a brief label based on your habits.
- Music highlights, if you regularly watch music-related videos.
These elements help users see not just what they watched, but also how their interests developed and where they spent most of their time on the platform.
Why the Feature Might Not Appear Yet
Some users may not see their Recap immediately. Rollout is happening in stages, which means accounts are being activated gradually. Other factors may delay access as well:
- The app may need an update.
- You may be signed into the wrong account.
- Your watch history may be limited or paused.
- A browser refresh may be needed on desktop.
Users with cleared watch histories or those who paused tracking may see fewer Recap cards or none at all.
Privacy and Sharing Options
Recap uses only your YouTube watch history and follows your account’s privacy settings. You can download individual cards as images, share them on social platforms, or save them for personal use. None of the cards are automatically shared. You choose what to download and what to publish outside the app.
Understanding Your Viewer Personality
One standout part of the Recap is the personality profile. YouTube uses your viewing patterns to assign a descriptor that reflects how you interact with content. These labels offer a fun, light way of understanding your habits. If you watch a wide range of creators, you may get a personality tied to exploration. If you follow many instructional videos, your profile may reflect a learning-driven style.
How This Recap Differs From Other Platforms
YouTube’s approach is unique because it covers everything from short-form clips and long-form videos to podcasts and music. Instead of focusing on only one kind of content, the Recap gives a wide-angle view of your activity. The interactive cards make it easy to share highlights, save them, or compare them with past years.
What Users Can Expect During Rollout
The feature launched across North America first and will continue to reach more users over the following days. While small adjustments may appear as YouTube refines the experience, the main structure remains consistent: a set of personalized cards showcasing channels, topics, and trends that shaped your year.
Quick Checklist for Getting Your Recap
- Update to the latest YouTube app version.
- Sign in to the correct Google account.
- Open the You tab on mobile.
- Check the homepage on desktop.
- Refresh the app or browser if the card doesn’t appear.
Final Notes for Users
Once your Recap is available, you’ll have access to your personalized cards throughout the season. You can download them, share them, or keep them for your own records. It’s a simple way to look back at how you used YouTube in 2025.