If your gaming rerun is a finished YouTube live broadcast, change its visibility in YouTube Studio through Content > Live. Open the archive, choose Visibility, select Private or Unlisted, then save.
If the rerun is a normal video uploaded separately, manage it from YouTube Studio’s Content page as an uploaded video. The path is similar, but it will not appear under the Live tab as an archive.
First identify what YouTube has stored
The word “rerun” can describe two different things on a gaming channel. You may have ended a live broadcast and want to hide or restrict the replay that YouTube created. Or you may have recorded gameplay on your computer and uploaded the finished file as an ordinary video.
A live archive belongs to the broadcast that has already ended. YouTube’s guidance places past streams in the Live tab in Studio. A separately uploaded recording is managed with your other video uploads, not as a past live broadcast.
This distinction matters because searching the wrong part of Studio can make the video appear to be missing. If you want to turn a collection of existing recordings into a continuous channel rather than manage one replay, the separate process is covered in turning existing YouTube uploads into a 24/7 live channel.
The steps below concern the visibility of an existing video. They do not delete the archive, alter the recording, or change any other setting unless you deliberately edit that setting separately.
Open the archive in YouTube Studio
Sign in to the Google account that owns the YouTube channel. Then open YouTube Studio.
Use the channel switcher if your account manages more than one channel. The archive will only be available from the Studio account connected to the channel that hosted the gaming stream.
On a desktop browser, look at the navigation menu on the left. Choose Content. This is the main area for managing videos and live material after a broadcast has ended.
If the Studio layout looks slightly different from the wording in this article, look for the same Content area rather than relying on the position of a button. YouTube changes parts of Studio from time to time, but the relevant archive controls remain associated with the content-management page.
Select Content, then open the Live tab
After selecting Content, look across the top of the page for the content tabs. Choose Live.
The Live tab is where YouTube lists live broadcasts and their archives. YouTube’s encoder guidance also directs creators to the Studio Live tab for past, current and upcoming streams. You can read that guidance in the official YouTube Help instructions for live streaming with an encoder.
Do not use the ordinary Videos tab first if your goal is to find a completed broadcast replay. A live archive may not be presented alongside a normal upload in the way you expect.
If your channel has many broadcasts, use the available search or filtering controls and identify the stream by its title, thumbnail and date. A gaming channel may have several reruns with similar names, so check the details before changing anything.
The Live tab can contain different stages of streams, including past broadcasts. You are looking for the finished gaming stream whose archive you want to make private or unlisted.
Choose the gaming stream archive
Find the relevant finished broadcast in the list. Select its title or the associated details control to open the archive’s management page.
Check that the page refers to the correct game, broadcast and channel. If two streams have similar titles, compare the thumbnail and other identifying information before continuing. This is especially useful when a channel loops several recordings or runs a regular gaming schedule.
The archive is the replay YouTube has associated with the live broadcast. It is not the same as the local recording on your computer, and changing the archive’s visibility does not change that local file.
YouTube says live streams can be automatically archived, but it also cautions that a stream lasting more than 12 hours may not be captured. If a long rerun is not in the Live tab, first check whether the broadcast ended and whether an archive was created. YouTube recommends keeping a local recording as a backup. The platform’s current guidance is in its YouTube Help page about live stream archives.
If no archive exists, there is no finished live video on which to apply these steps. A local recording may still be available for upload and can then be managed as a separate video.
Open Details and find Visibility
With the correct archive selected, open its details. Look for the Visibility setting.
This setting controls whether the video is Public, Unlisted or Private. For this task, select the visibility control rather than changing the title, description, thumbnail, audience setting or other video details.
Choose Visibility, then review the available choices. YouTube’s general video-privacy instructions describe the same visibility categories for videos and explain what viewers can do with each one. You can check the current wording on the official YouTube video privacy help page.
The key decision is whether the archive should be accessible only to people you explicitly choose, or whether anyone who obtains a link may watch it.
Choose Private or Unlisted, then save
Select Private when you want the archive restricted to you and viewers you choose through YouTube’s private-sharing process. A private video does not appear in the channel’s ordinary Videos tab or in search results, and comments are not available in the usual way.
Select Unlisted when link-based access is suitable. An unlisted video is generally absent from search results and the channel’s Videos tab, but anyone who has the link can watch it and reshare that link. Viewers do not need a Google Account simply to watch an unlisted video.
Unlisted is therefore hidden from ordinary discovery, not confidential. Treat the URL as shareable beyond the person or group to whom you first send it. An unlisted video can also become discoverable in some circumstances, such as when somebody adds it to a public playlist.
| Choose | What it means for the gaming archive | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Access is limited to you and viewers you select. It is not shown in normal search or channel video listings, and comments are unavailable. | You need a restricted review copy or want to keep the replay away from viewers unless you invite them. |
| Unlisted | Anyone with the link can watch and pass the link on. It is generally not shown in normal search or the channel Videos tab. | You want convenient link sharing and accept that the link may travel further. |
After selecting the required option, choose Done, then Save. If YouTube shows a separate confirmation step, complete it before leaving the page. Wait for the save operation to finish rather than closing the browser immediately.
These steps change the archive’s selected visibility. They do not delete the archive or make a different visibility choice on your behalf.
Before changing an archive to Private, consider whether viewers have made clips from it. YouTube’s guidance says clips made from a Private source are removed, while clips made from an Unlisted source remain available. If clips matter to your channel, account for that consequence before saving the new setting.
If your wider concern is that the live broadcast itself stopped unexpectedly rather than what happens to its replay, that is a different problem. The guide to telling whether a YouTube live stream stopped because of the encoder or internet covers that diagnosis separately.
Manage a separately uploaded gaming recording
If “rerun” means a recording that you uploaded after playing, do not look for it under the Live tab. Open YouTube Studio > Content, then use the ordinary video list to find the upload.
Open the uploaded recording’s details and choose Visibility. Select Private or Unlisted, then select Done and Save, following the same general save sequence.
The practical choice is the same. Private is for access restricted to you and viewers you select. Unlisted is for link-based access where forwarding the link is acceptable. An uploaded recording may have its own title, description, thumbnail and comments, but those details do not turn it into a live archive.
You can also use the Content page to check whether you are editing a normal upload or a live archive. The Live tab identifies the latter; the ordinary video list contains separately uploaded files.
If the uploaded recording was intended to become part of an always-on channel, visibility is only one part of the publishing decision. For the streaming side, see how to create an always-on YouTube channel with pre-recorded videos. That process is separate from changing the visibility of one finished recording.
Confirm the archive’s updated visibility
After saving, return to the archive’s details and check the Visibility field again. It should show the setting you selected: Private or Unlisted.
You can also review the listing in the Content area. The purpose of this check is to confirm that the intended archive was edited and that the save completed. It is worth doing when several streams have similar gaming titles.
For an Unlisted archive, copy the link only if you are comfortable with link-based access. Anyone who receives it may pass it on. If you need tighter control over who can watch, Private is the more suitable setting.
For a Private archive, use YouTube’s private-sharing workflow if selected viewers need access. Enter the relevant email addresses through the controls YouTube provides, and check the current official instructions if the interface asks for a different confirmation.
You may want to test the link in a separate browser session, but do not treat an Unlisted link as a password. The test only confirms that the archive is available through the link; it does not prevent somebody else from forwarding that link.
Changing visibility is also different from deleting a stream, editing the file or changing the visibility of a future broadcast. If you are preparing a new gaming live stream, YouTube provides visibility choices during the live setup as well. The instructions here are for an existing archive after the broadcast has ended.
For channels that run continuous loops, remember that an archive is the result of a particular broadcast. If you need to replace the material in a currently running stream, that is a separate workflow from changing the visibility of a completed replay. See how to change the video in a running 24/7 stream for that different situation.
If the repeated work of uploading files, pasting the stream key and checking whether an overnight rerun is still running is the problem, StreamNeo removes that specific routine by letting you upload the file once and run the YouTube stream with your own computer switched off. It does not change the visibility of an archive for you, so manage the finished video in YouTube Studio as described above.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Does making a gaming stream Unlisted make it private?
No. An Unlisted video is not normally shown in search or the channel’s Videos tab, but anyone with the link can watch it and reshare it. Choose Private when link forwarding is not acceptable.
Where is a finished live stream replay in YouTube Studio?
Open YouTube Studio > Content, then select the Live tab. Past live broadcasts and their archives are managed there when YouTube has created an archive.
Can I change a separately uploaded gaming recording in the Live tab?
No. A separately uploaded recording is managed from the ordinary Content video list. Open its details, choose Visibility, select Private or Unlisted, and save.
What if the finished broadcast is missing from the Live tab?
Check that the broadcast ended and that YouTube created an archive. YouTube says streams under 12 hours can be archived automatically and warns that a stream exceeding 12 hours may not be captured, so keep a local recording when the footage matters.