What a private video still lets you do

Private means other people should not get a shareable watch page. It does not hide the video from you. The file remains in your library with the same size, extension, and dates, and the access line reads Private.

What the owner can still open

You can play it from the library. Preview opens the watch address. You can change the file name, the title, the description, and the keywords. You can switch it back to public later. If password protection is enabled for your account, you can set or clear a password on that same form. Leave the password field empty and save when you want a password removed.

If the site allows downloading, the download action in your library still belongs to you. Deleting the video still deletes it. Private is an access flag, not a lock on your own account.

• Play and preview from the library.
• Edit the name, title, description, and keywords.
• Turn it public again when you want Share back.
• Delete it when you want the file gone.

What other people should not get

They should not get a working share button or an embed you can hand out from Share. The watch page states that a private video cannot be shared. Do not send the address around and expect it to behave like a public link.

If you need a few named people to watch without making the video public, a password on a public video is the tool Playbob gives you. Private is the setting for when you want sharing turned off.