Q&A for How to Use YouTube Without a Gmail Account

You can certainly browse YouTube and watch YouTube videos without having a Google account. However, if you want to have a YouTube account, you’ll need to have a Google account first, which is explained in the steps above. Other non-public videos are also listed in the YouTube database, but these can't be watched unless you have been given permission by the uploading user to watch them.

No, you’ll need to have a Google account to be able to sign into YouTube. However, you don’t need to have a Gmail account to have a Google account, unless you want one.

You’ll need to open a Google account before you can create a YouTube account. The instructions for this are explained in the steps above.

Yes, you can certainly watch YouTube without signing in. Either click on a YouTube link sent to you to open it, or go to YouTube and search for the video you want to watch and click on the Play button to make it work.

Yes, you can set up a YouTube channel with a Google account that uses a non-Gmail email address, like Outlook.

Typically, Google requires a verified phone number for account creation, including YouTube. You could use an email from a different provider to help maintain your privacy.

You need an account to watch certain YouTube videos because they are marked as private. Private videos are only accessible to specific, logged-in users, allowing the uploader to control who can view their content. Public videos, conversely, do not require a login.