YouTube Recap is a completely new experience offering up to 12 personalized info cards based on each user's watch history. These cards highlight trends like your most-followed channels, deep-dive content topics, when your interests shifted, and which categories you repeatedly explored.

The feature also assigns users a “watching personality”  -  such as Adventurer, Skill Builder, or Creative Spirit  -  similar to the listener personalities Spotify introduced with Wrapped.

Recap officially rolls out in the U.S. starting today and will expand globally within the week. Users can access their Recap via a dedicated button on the YouTube homepage or in the “You” section on both mobile and desktop.

According to YouTube, several requirements must be met to activate Recap, including watch history, account type, age, and regional settings.

Most importantly, a YouTube account must have a consistent watch history from January through the end of October 2025. If a user paused their history or enabled auto-delete, the data may not be sufficient  -  and Recap may not be generated. Users must also be 13 or older, or meet their country's age minimum. Accounts under parental supervision are not eligible.

To access Recap, users must be fully signed in and not using Delegate permissions on Brand Accounts. The feature is available in over 185 countries and supports 17 languages. If you're located in an unsupported region, Recap will not appear  -  even if your account meets all other criteria.

YouTube also clarified that this feature will not replace the existing Recap on YouTube Music. That platform will still deliver its own year-in-review, covering top artists, most-played songs, genres, and podcasts.

Alongside Recap, YouTube released its annual trend charts in the U.S. MrBeast once again ranked as the most popular creator, while The Joe Rogan Experience retained the top spot among podcasts.

Interestingly, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack claimed first place in the music chart but failed to dominate YouTube Shorts  -  highlighting a clear difference in how users engage with short versus long-form content.

Du Lam