YouTube Analytics: How to Read Your Channel Data
Open YouTube Studio and click Analytics in the left menu to see YouTube Analytics for your whole channel, or go to Content, point to a video and select Analytics for that video alone. YouTube’s own analytics tools also run on phones: the YouTube Studio app has the fuller reports, the YouTube app a basic view. Read 2026 numbers with one change in mind: since 24 August 2026, a view counts from the first frame.
YouTube also says it began gradually rolling out an updated YouTube Studio in July 2026, so your Analytics page may look different from older screenshots. Checked against YouTube Help: Get started with YouTube Analytics
Analytics shows what’s working while you’re growing a YouTube channel; for metrics across networks, see social media KPIs.
Table of Contents
- How do I open YouTube Analytics on a computer?
- How do I check YouTube Analytics on my phone?
- What do the YouTube Analytics tabs show?
- What’s the difference between views and engaged views?
- What do impressions and click-through rate mean?
- How do watch time, average view duration and retention work?
- Where do your views come from?
- Who is watching your channel?
- How do you analyze YouTube Shorts performance?
- How do you compare videos or export the data?
- Can you see analytics for someone else’s YouTube channel?
- Can Outfeed show your YouTube analytics?
- YouTube Analytics FAQ
How do I open YouTube Analytics on a computer?
Sign in to YouTube Studio and click Analytics in the left menu for your channel analytics; for one video’s analytics, select Content, point to the video and select Analytics. YouTube notes that some reports may not be available on mobile devices, so start on a computer when you can.
On a computer: Channel level:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- From the left menu, click Analytics.
On a computer: Video level:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- From the left menu, select Content.
- Point to your video and select Analytics.
Checked against YouTube Help: Get started with YouTube Analytics (Computer).
How do I check YouTube Analytics on my phone?
Use the YouTube Studio app: tap Analytics in the bottom menu for your channel, or tap Content, select a video and tap VIEW MORE in its Analytics section. The regular YouTube app shows basic channel analytics too, under your profile picture > View channel > Analytics; YouTube points you to the Studio app for more detail.
On any device: YouTube app:
- Open the YouTube app.
- Tap your profile picture > View channel.
- From the middle menu, tap Analytics.
- Or select an individual video, tap More > View analytics.
On any device: YouTube Studio app (channel):
- Open the YouTube Studio app.
- From the bottom menu, tap Analytics.
On any device: YouTube Studio app (video):
- Open the YouTube Studio app.
- From the bottom menu, tap Content.
- Select your video and in the Analytics section, tap VIEW MORE.
Checked against YouTube Help: Get started with YouTube Analytics (Android phone & tablet).
What do the YouTube Analytics tabs show?
YouTube Help lists seven tabs: Overview, Content, Reach, Engagement, Audience, Revenue and Trends. Some cover the whole channel, some a single video, and Revenue appears only for channels in the YouTube Partner Program.
| Tab | Level | What YouTube says you’ll find |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Channel and video | The Realtime report: early performance of recent uploads, plus your subscriber count |
| Content | Channel | How your content performs, including subscribers gained by content type |
| Reach | Video | Traffic sources, including the “Traffic source: YouTube Search” card, and A/B test results |
| Engagement | Video | Audience retention, with “Key moments for audience retention” |
| Audience | Channel and video | New, casual and regular viewers, and “When your viewers are on YouTube” |
| Revenue | Channel and video | Revenue data, for YouTube Partner Program channels only |
| Trends | Channel | What your audience and viewers across YouTube are searching for, to spot content gaps |
Checked against YouTube Help: Get started with YouTube Analytics (Computer).
For what Partner Program channels earn and the rules for joining, see how much YouTube pays.
What’s the difference between views and engaged views?
Since 24 August 2026, YouTube counts a view from the first frame on every format and calls the old definition an “engaged view”: the times viewers stayed to watch past the initial seconds, not including loops. YouTube says click-through rate, average view duration, retention, recommendations and the YouTube Partner Program did not change. Checked against YouTube Official Blog: What are 'Engaged' Views on YouTube? (19 Aug 2026)
What that means when you read your reports:
- Duration metrics keep the old basis. Average view duration, average percentage viewed and unique viewers are calculated from engaged views. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube content performance
- Shorts changed first. From 31 March 2025, a Shorts view has counted every time a Short starts to play or replay, with no minimum watch time; YPP eligibility and Shorts revenue sharing stayed on engaged views. Checked against YouTube Help: Get started creating YouTube Shorts
- Hover previews now count. A thumbnail that autoplays on hover counts as a view; one seen without any interaction is still only an impression.
- Compare across the date with care. A view count from before 24 August 2026 and one from after it aren’t like for like. For the old basis, look at engaged views: YouTube calls the previous view definition an engaged view. Checked against YouTube Official Blog: What are 'Engaged' Views on YouTube? (19 Aug 2026)
What do impressions and click-through rate mean?
An impression counts when a thumbnail is shown on YouTube for more than 1 second with at least 50% of it visible; impressions click-through rate is how often viewers watched a video after seeing one. Impressions on external sites, the mobile website, YouTube Kids, YouTube Music, cards, end screens and notifications aren’t counted. Checked against YouTube Help: Check your YouTube thumbnail impressions and watch time
Because click-through rate is based only on views that come from counted impressions, total views divided by impressions won’t match it, and a video with a lot of traffic from outside YouTube can have more views than impressions. Checked against YouTube Help: Impressions & click-through-rate FAQs
What is a good click-through rate on YouTube?
Judge it in context rather than against a single number. YouTube notes that large impression counts, such as from Home, naturally lower click-through rate, and that a high CTR paired with low average view duration and lower-than-expected impressions signals a clickbait thumbnail. Checked against YouTube Help: Impressions & click-through-rate FAQs To judge a new title and thumbnail, it suggests checking CTR on Home and Suggested in the first 24 hours for general audiences, and in the Subscriptions feed in the first 24 hours for subscribers. Checked against YouTube Help: Thumbnail & title tips
YouTube’s own A/B test for titles and thumbnails picks its winner by watch time share, not click-through rate. Checked against YouTube Help: A/B test titles & thumbnails
How do watch time, average view duration and retention work?
Watch time is the total time viewers watched; average view duration is the average minutes watched among those who stayed to watch; average percentage viewed is the same average as a share of the video. Audience retention sits on the Engagement tab, with “Key moments for audience retention”, and “typical retention” compares a video with your 10 latest videos of similar length. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube content performance
What is a good average view duration?
Compare each video with your own videos of similar length; that’s the yardstick YouTube’s typical retention uses. For long-form videos, YouTube says it looks at whether viewers choose to watch when a video is recommended, then at average view duration and average percentage viewed, then at likes and post-watch surveys. Checked against YouTube Help: Search & discovery tips (Video)
Where do your views come from?
The traffic source report splits views into sources inside YouTube, such as browse features, the Shorts feed, suggested videos, YouTube search, channel pages, playlists, notifications and end screens, and external sources. Clicks on links in your video descriptions count as Suggested videos traffic. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube video reach
Two details help: the exact search terms viewers used are on the “Traffic source: YouTube Search” card of the Reach tab, and “Direct or unknown” covers direct URL entry, bookmarks, signed-out viewers and unidentified apps.
Who is watching your channel?
The Audience tab splits your monthly audience, the unique viewers of the last 28 days, into new, casual and regular viewers. Casual viewers watched at least once a month for 1 to 5 of the past 12 months; regular viewers watched at least once a month for more than 6 months. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube audience
Four more audience numbers:
- Unique viewers and unique reach. Unique viewers estimates how many people watched in the selected period; unique reach estimates how many individual people saw your video or channel, so 3 people watching together on one TV add one view but 3 to unique reach. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube content performance
- When your viewers are on YouTube. This report shows when your viewers were on YouTube over the last 28 days, and YouTube suggests it for timing Premieres and live streams. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube audience For uploads in general, YouTube says publish time is not known to affect a video’s long-term performance. Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube performance FAQ & Troubleshooting More on timing in the best time to post on YouTube.
- Device type. This Audience report shows what percent of your watch time comes from each device (mobile, computer, TV and tablet), highest first, and can be viewed by content type. YouTube Help names no operating system report in Studio. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube audience
- Subscribers. Subscribers gained are reported by content type: videos, Shorts, live streams, posts and others. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube content performance To see who subscribed, follow how to see your subscribers on YouTube.
How do you analyze YouTube Shorts performance?
Start with “Stayed to watch”: the percentage of times viewers watched past the initial seconds of a Short. An older YouTube tips page still uses the earlier labels “Shown in feed” and “How many chose to view” (viewed versus swiped away). The Shorts key metrics card shows views, likes and subscribers, and a “Top remixed” report covers Sound, Cut and Green Screen remixes. Checked against YouTube Help: Understand your YouTube content performance
YouTube says Shorts ranking uses the percentage of viewers who chose to view, average view duration and average percentage viewed, then likes and post-watch survey results, personalised by each viewer’s history. Checked against YouTube Help: Search & discovery tips (Shorts)
How do you compare videos or export the data?
Use Advanced mode: under a report, click ADVANCED MODE or SEE MORE. You can compare videos, groups or periods, break data down by dimensions, filter, save up to 50 reports, group up to 500 items and export the current view; downloaded reports are limited to 500 rows. Special reports include age and gender, retention, first 24 hours and real-time performance.
On a computer:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- From the left menu, select Analytics.
- Under a report, click ADVANCED MODE or SEE MORE.
Checked against YouTube Help: Learn how to use Advanced mode for analytics reports.
For a live read, the Realtime report on the Overview tab shows early performance of recently published content and your subscriber count; its expanded view compares the last 60 minutes with the last 48 hours. Checked against YouTube Help: Get an overview of channel performance
Can you see analytics for someone else’s YouTube channel?
Only if its owner gives you access through channel permissions in YouTube Studio. Owners can add people without sharing their Google Account, with roles such as Manager, Editor and Viewer. A Manager can view all channel data, and the Limited roles can’t access revenue data. Checked against YouTube Help: Add or remove access to your YouTube channel with channel permissions
Can Outfeed show your YouTube analytics?
Schedule your next YouTube upload in Outfeed AI
YouTube Analytics FAQ
How do I see analytics on YouTube?
Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer and click Analytics in the left menu for your channel, or select Content, point to a video and select Analytics for that video. On a phone, the YouTube Studio app has Analytics in its bottom menu, and the YouTube app shows basic channel analytics under your profile picture > View channel > Analytics.
What are engaged views on YouTube?
Engaged views count the times viewers stayed to watch past the initial seconds, not including loops. Since 24 August 2026 YouTube counts a view from the first frame on every format, and the previous view definition is now called an engaged view. Average view duration, average percentage viewed and unique viewers are calculated from engaged views.
What changed in YouTube Analytics in 2026?
YouTube began gradually rolling out an updated YouTube Studio in July 2026, so the Analytics page may look different from before. From 24 August 2026, views count from the first frame on every format, and the previous definition is now called engaged views. YouTube says click-through rate, average view duration, retention, recommendations and the YouTube Partner Program are unchanged.
Can you see analytics for another YouTube channel?
Only with access from its owner. Channel permissions in YouTube Studio let an owner give people access without sharing the Google Account, with roles such as Manager, Editor and Viewer. A Manager can view all channel data, and the Limited roles can’t access revenue data.