How to reset the YouTube algorithm

He YouTube algorithm It is a key element of the popular Internet video platform. And although few of us know exactly what it consists of and how it works, we know the reason for its existence: to define YouTube recommendations. Decide which videos you will watch, in what order, how many times you will receive recommendations on certain topics and What topics will be covered? in your user profile.

YouTube is second most visited page World. And one of the most downloaded apps available on almost all devices what you have at home: mobile phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, game consoles… Millions of people spend their time on YouTube. Either for publish content or for consume it. Traditional television cannot live without YouTube. And it even serves to popularize more modest content or media around the world.

Exactly, one of YouTube algorithm skills is to make you find videos that will hook you, which force you to spend as much time as possible on this platform, consuming content and viewing ads. Or pay to avoid it. However, you can’t always find the key. And, sometimes, it happens that after watching a video, by chance or out of simple curiosity, YouTube recommendations that you receive begin to appear. content you wish you didn’t see. Can this be fixed?

This is how the YouTube algorithm works

An algorithm, according to RAE, is “an ordered and finite set of operations that produces a solution to a problem.” Wikipedia explains it better. “This is a set certain instructions or rules and unambiguous, orderly and finite, which usually allows you to solve a problem, perform a calculation, process data and perform other tasks.

Since the YouTube algorithm is an important part of this video platform, It’s hard to know for sure what it consists of. Come on, this is one of Google’s best kept secrets. And in fact, this is not a single algorithm. There are several of them, and they perform in different sections of YouTube. On the main page, which the first thing you see when you walk inin search results, in carousels of recommended videos, in the “Shorts” section…

Everyone is acting in a coordinated and complementary mannerand its goal is to make your experience as personalized as possible, striking a delicate balance between what you like and what you might like. These are added to the content that receives the most interactions and is most played. For yourself and other YouTube users.

Although we have no direct control Regarding the YouTube algorithm, we can influence YouTube recommendations. You just have to see it after watching the video different from the ones you usually consume, from now on you will start receiving recommendations related to this video. This can change the algorithm for better or worse. Usually the first, but sometimes our preferences are distorted and we end up with questionable recommendations. Let’s see how to solve this before closing your account from YouTube or log into this platform anonymously.

Delete browsing history

Usually distortions in YouTube recommendations They start with a video playing. By chance or because you had no choice but to watch this particular video. This is an unusual topic for you, but because of these views, the YouTube algorithm decides to recommend more videos like this. So to solve this problem we will start with game history.

1. Open YouTube in any of its versions.
2. Enter Library.
3. Press Write down.
4. Open the drop-down menu represented by three dots.
5. Click or tap Delete all browsing history.

After resetting your YouTube browsing history, you will have to wait a while for it to update. recommendations recalibrated. So, at first, you can keep watching videos similar to the ones you have already watched. On the other side, no need to be so radical. If the YouTube algorithm problem is related to certain types of videos, you can find those videos in youtube history, remove them one by one from history.

Disable browsing history

One way to keep YouTube recommendations in check is disabling playback history. You’ll make it harder for the algorithm to determine what you like best, but this way you’ll avoid surprises in recommendations. In fact, you can pause story or directly deactivate it.

To pause your browsing history, go to Write down and click on Pause browsing history. This is visible in the web version. On the mobile version you will need to enter Write downclick the three dot dropdown and finally click Pause browsing history.

Finally, if you want to deactivate the history, enter again Write down and click or tap Control the entire story. Once there, select the section Controls. And click or click Deactivate. If you ever change your mind, you can always turn the story back on.

Disable search history

To play a video, you first need to find it. Often the videos you saw were found by searching. So search history This also has implications for YouTube’s algorithm changes. In newer versions of YouTube, when you turn off your watch history, you also turn off your search history. This way you won’t have to do both steps separately.

If what you want remove specific searches, you will need to tap or click on the YouTube search box. You’ll see suggestions for previously performed searches. In the web version, next to each search you will see a link Eliminate. If you start searching for something, the first recommendations will be previous searches, which you can delete.

In the application YouTube for iOS and Android, if you click on the search box, you will also see previous recommended searches. To remove them individually, you will have to swipe through the search. From right to left. And a button will appear Eliminate. Click it to get rid of this search.

Tell that to the YouTube algorithm

interaction with video They greatly influence the YouTube algorithm. In addition to opening them, playing them, and watching them to the end, recommendations are personalized based on the videos you like, don’t like, or like. save as favorites or watch later…And, of course, the channels you subscribe to are taken into account. Therefore, in order for YouTube recommendations to be as accurate as possible, it is advisable that take advantage of this interaction to tell the algorithm which videos you liked, which videos you would prefer not to see in recommendations anymore, etc.

Besides all these YouTube interactions, there are two more that you can use to clarify the algorithm’s goal. I am not interested And I don’t recommend this channel. You’ll find both options in the three-dot drop-down menu that appears when you hover your mouse over the video title. In the mobile version, the menu is always visible. Click on it and you will see a list of actions. Two of them are mentioned. Whether on the home page, on Shorts or in search results if you see recommendations you want to stop receivingyou can request it by checking one of these options.