How to access your YouTube recap & discover your viewing habits

YouTube has officially launched its inaugural Recap feature.

While the platform has previously offered music and gaming summaries similar to Spotify Wrapped, the new update expands the experience into a full reflection of a user's watch history over the past year.

According to YouTube, the goal is to give users a personalised, fun, and data-driven look at how they engaged with the platform, although some might argue it also reinforces just how deeply YouTube understands and tracks viewer behaviour.

The company says the idea came directly from user demand.

Users can access the recap right from the homepage or through the 'You' tab on both mobile and desktop.

YouTube describes the feature as a personalised breakdown of the interests, deep dives and viewing habits that shaped your year.

According to the platform, “YouTube Recap uniquely highlights interests, deep dives, and moments you explored this year, based on your watch history.”

Each user receives up to 12 different cards showcasing:

• Top channels

• Most-watched genres

• Key interests

• Notable shifts in viewing patterns

• A personality type based on viewing behaviour

The introduction of viewer personalities is one of the more playful touches.

While it adds a sense of novelty, there’s also the devil’s-advocate view: these categories are built on behavioural profiling, something not everyone may be comfortable with, even if it is presented creatively.

YouTube says heavy music listeners will see an expanded layer in their Recap.

For users who have clocked at least 10 hours on YouTube Music, the main Recap will end with a detailed music card summarising total minutes streamed and offering a link to a fuller music recap.

This integration helps YouTube compete more directly with platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, though whether it offers the same cultural impact as Spotify Wrapped remains to be seen.

YouTube stresses that Recap wasn’t rushed. The company shared, “Recap was made for you, by you… with nine rounds of feedback and over 50 different concept testings before we landed on what you see today.”

During concept development, YouTube analysts observed patterns in how people watch videos. These behaviours were eventually grouped into personality types like:

• The Adventurer

• The Skill Builder

• The Creative Spirit

• The Sunshiner

• The Wonder Seeker

• The Connector

• The Philosopher

• The Dreamer

According to YouTube, the most common personalities were the Sunshiner, the Wonder Seeker, and the Connector, while types like the Philosopher and Dreamer were rarer.