Finding videos you’ve recently watched on YouTube or other video platforms can be useful for picking up where you left off or rewatching something you enjoyed. Luckily, most major video platforms make it easy to find your recently watched content.
YouTube
YouTube offers multiple ways to find and access videos you’ve recently watched. Here are some of the easiest methods:
- History feed – YouTube keeps track of all the videos you watch in your account’s History feed. You can access it by clicking on the History icon in the left sidebar or going to https://www.youtube.com/feed/history.
- Watch it again shelf – The home page will display a “Watch it again” shelf with thumbnails of your most recently watched videos.
- Recent searches – If you find videos through search, your recent search terms are saved so you can easily perform the same search to find those videos again.
- Library – The Library section stores playlists you create as well as your Liked Videos, Watch Later list, and Watch History. You can review videos here.
- Time watched – If you don’t remember the title but know approximately when you watched something, you can scroll through your History feed based on time watched.
YouTube makes it easy to get back to videos you’ve already seen. Between the History feed, Watch It Again shelf, and Library, you have multiple tools at your disposal.
Netflix
Netflix also tracks your viewing history and offers ways to find your recently watched shows or movies. Here’s how:
- Continue watching – The Continue Watching row on the homepage displays TV shows and movies you’ve recently started but haven’t finished yet.
- Viewing activity – The Viewing Activity page shows your full history for the past year, organized by month. Filter by movies or TV shows.
- My List – If you add a movie or show to My List, it’s easy to find it again later from that saved list.
- Search history – Netflix remembers what you’ve searched for and makes those terms easy to find again.
- Downloads – The Downloads section shows anything saved for offline viewing. Recently downloaded items will be at the top.
Although Netflix viewing history doesn’t go back as far as YouTube, you still have multiple options like Continue Watching and Viewing Activity to find what you’ve watched recently.
Hulu
Hulu has a couple main sections that house your recently watched content:
- Keep Watching – This strip at the top of the homepage displays TV shows and movies you’ve recently watched but haven’t finished.
- Watch History – Your full viewing history is available under the Watch History tab in your account menu. Content is organized by time watched.
Even if you don’t remember the show name, you can scroll through Watch History by date and time to jog your memory. Hulu makes picking up where you left off simple.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime members can use these features to find videos recently watched on Prime Video:
- Continue Watching – The Continue Watching carousel shows movies and TV episodes you recently started but haven’t finished.
- Your Watchlist – If you add titles to Your Watchlist, they are saved there for future viewing.
- Your Library – Everything you watch through Prime Video gets added to Your Video Library for easy access.
- Search history – Previously searched terms are saved to make searching easier next time.
Although Prime Video lacks a dedicated watch history page, the Continue Watching and Libraries sections provide an easy way to find your recently viewed content.
Disney+
Disney+ offers a couple helpful ways to see what you’ve been watching lately:
- Continue Watching – This strip on the homepage houses recently started movies and shows for quick access.
- Recently Watched – The Recently Watched channel within the Disney+ interface compiles your latest viewing activity.
Disney+ has robust profile support, so Continue Watching and Recently Watched are tailored specifically to your profile’s watch history. Switch profiles to view watch history for other members of your household.
Finding Recently Played on Other Video Platforms
Many additional video platforms also make it easy to find content you’ve been watching lately:
- HBO Max – “Continue Watching” and view histories by profile.
- Peacock – “Continue Watching” section and viewing activity page.
- Paramount+ – “Keep Watching” and profile-specific watch history.
- Discovery+ – “Continue Watching” and search history by profile.
- Pluto TV – “Continue Watching” channel on the home screen.
Most services understand the importance of easy access to recent watches. Features may vary, but they generally include a continue watching/keep watching area and full viewing histories.
Using Platform Histories Effectively
Here are some tips for making the most of video platform histories:
- Add titles to watch later lists or libraries for easy access later.
- Seek out watch history privacy options if desired. Some platforms allow history disabling.
- Use search histories for a shortcut to recent finds and searches.
- Clear histories periodically if they get cluttered with irrelevant or old watches.
- Browse viewing histories by date or time to uncover forgotten watches.
Platform viewing histories can serve as useful personalized databases of your watching activity. Use their various features and filters to optimize your ability to rediscover and rewatch content.
Conclusion
Major streaming platforms and YouTube all provide straightforward ways to uncover your recently watched videos. Features like continue watching rows, libraries, and viewing histories empower you to pick up where you left off or rewatch something you enjoyed. Keep these tools in mind next time you want to find that video you saw the other day but can’t quite remember the name.