2 Ways to Find Older Videos on YouTube

Do you know the oldest video ever uploaded on YouTube? It’s Me at the Zoo. It was posted at 8:31:52 p.m. PDT on April 23, 2005. 

It’s a 19-second video showing YouTube’s co-founder, Jawed Karim, in front of two elephants. The video was captured in California at the San Diego Zoo. 

That feels nostalgic, right? We understand the feeling. We also understand the quest to search for older videos on YouTube. 

If you’re an old soul like some of us, older videos bring the vibes from those days, and we want to bask in it. So, how do you find older videos on YouTube? 

We’ll give you a step-by-step guide to unearthing your favorite old videos. All you have to do is to keep reading. Let’s take this walk together!

Laying it All on the Table – The Fact

Let’s start with the simple fact. You can’t find old YouTube videos. No, scratch that! It’s just a joke. What we meant to say is that you can’t find old YouTube videos directly on the app by date. 

In other words, you have to do a tricky dig to access older videos. You don’t have to worry, though. We’ll walk you through the process of finding and watching old YouTube videos online.

Method #1: Find Old Videos on YouTube with Filter

With this method, you can extract old videos on YouTube in four easy steps. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open your browser and type in youtube.com to open the main YouTube interface.

Step 2: In the search bar, type in the keywords associated with the video you’re looking for. 

For instance, you can type in the name of the video or something that the search engine can use to find it. Next, tap on the Search icon and wait for the software to do its job.

Step 3: Click on the Filters option and select the time you think the video was posted. Options available include Last Hour, Today, This Week, This Month, and This Year. 

Step 4: Wait for the video to pool and select the video you want to play. That’s all! You can enjoy watching the old videos.

It’s worth mentioning that the maximum period you can get with this method is one year. If you want to access much older videos on YouTube, the next method is the perfect option to use.

Method #2: Find Old YouTube Videos with Google

You can access older YouTube videos that are more than one year old. Here are the steps to use Google to find much older videos on YouTube.

Step 1: Open the Google search engine on your mobile device or desktop.

Step 2: Type in the video title you want to find in the search bar. If you don’t know the name, use any keyword that connects to the video. 

For instance, you can use “Beyonce 2019 song” if you’re searching for a particular Beyonce music released in 2019. Next, click the Enter key on your device.

Step 3: Under the search box at the upper part of the Google interface, click the Videos tab to open the video page.

Step 4: Tap on the Tools button to launch the subtab.

Step 5: From the subtab, select the Any Source dropdown menu and select youtube.com to filter out other sources.

Step 6: Click on the Anytime dropdown menu again in the open window and select a timeframe to filter the videos. 

You can select Any Time, Past Hour, Past 24 Hours, Past Week, Past Month, or Past Year. 

Alternatively, you can choose the Custom Range menu to choose a specific period or date in the Customized date range From… To… box. 

Next, click on the Go button and wait for it to filter the videos. You can explore the YouTube videos during your specified period. You can watch, share, and download these videos from YouTube.

Why Do People Search for Old YouTube Videos

With millions of video content released every week, you would wonder why someone wants to search for old videos. Well, people have different reasons for searching for older videos. 

YouTube viewers fall into different age groups. Older generations are looking for content they can relate to. 

New generations also want to learn something about the older generations, and videos are a great way to learn. 

Additionally, you may want to relive a movie experience you’ve had some years back. YouTube offers the platform to access all these. For YouTubers, learning from old videos has many benefits. 

While there are new techniques and equipment for creating videos today, some older content, techniques, and transitions are priceless. You can learn a lot from older content. 

Additionally, watching older videos can give you a good idea of how to choose the perfect content niche as a new YouTuber.

Finding older videos is easy. It doesn’t matter how far back the content was posted; you can find it. 

Use either of the methods highlighted in this post to find older YouTube videos for your watching pleasure.

FAQs

Q: Can you search YouTube history by date?

A: Yes, you can. To do this, go to the Google My Activity page and select Filter by date & product from the menu. Next, select YouTube and tap Apply in the box. 

You will see all your YouTube activities listed. Scroll through the historical data to find what you’re looking for.

Q: How long does YouTube keep my search history?

A: The timeframe for auto-deleting older videos depends on users’ account preferences. YouTube usually autodeletes videos that are older than 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months. It all depends on your account preference.

Q: Does Google track my YouTube history?

A: Yes, Google tracks everything you do on YouTube. It tracks every click and transmits the information to Google for marketing purposes.

Q: Which are the five oldest videos on YouTube?

A: The five oldest videos on YouTube are:

• Me at the Zoo by Jaweed Karim; posted on April 23, 2005.
• My Snowboarding Skillz by MW; posted on April 23, 2005.
• Tribute by GP; posted on April 24, 2005.
• Premature Baldness by Paul; posted on April 28, 2005.
• Carrie Rides a Truck by Jones4Carrie; posted on April 30, 2005.