How To Transfer Youtube Subscriptions From One Account To Another -

How to Transfer YouTube Subscriptions from One Account to Another

Are you switching to a new YouTube account or merging multiple accounts into one? Transferring your YouTube subscriptions from one account to another can be a tedious task, but don't worry, we've got you covered. In this post, we'll guide you through the step-by-step process of transferring your YouTube subscriptions to a new account.

Method 1: Using YouTube's Built-in Feature

YouTube provides a built-in feature to transfer subscriptions from one account to another. Here's how:

  1. Sign in to the YouTube account with the subscriptions you want to transfer.
  2. Go to the YouTube settings page by clicking on your profile picture in the top right corner, then clicking on "Settings" from the dropdown menu.
  3. Click on "Account" from the left menu.
  4. Scroll down to the "Subscriptions" section.
  5. Click on "Transfer subscriptions" (this option might be labeled as "Transfer your subscriptions" in some cases).
  6. Sign in to the new YouTube account where you want to transfer the subscriptions.
  7. Authorize the transfer by clicking on "Allow."

Method 2: Using a Third-Party Tool (OPML File)

If the built-in feature doesn't work for you, or you prefer a more manual approach, you can use an OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) file to transfer your subscriptions. Here's how:

  1. Sign in to the YouTube account with the subscriptions you want to transfer.
  2. Go to the YouTube subscriptions page.
  3. Click on the gear icon next to the "Subscriptions" title.
  4. Select "Subscriptions OPML."
  5. Download the OPML file.
  6. Sign in to the new YouTube account where you want to transfer the subscriptions.
  7. Go to the YouTube subscriptions page.
  8. Click on the gear icon next to the "Subscriptions" title.
  9. Select "Subscriptions OPML."
  10. Upload the OPML file you downloaded earlier.

Method 3: Manual Subscription Transfer

If you have a small number of subscriptions, you can manually transfer them by re-subscribing to each channel in your new account. Here's how:

  1. Sign in to the YouTube account with the subscriptions you want to transfer.
  2. Go to the YouTube subscriptions page.
  3. Find the channel you want to transfer.
  4. Copy the channel's URL.
  5. Sign in to the new YouTube account.
  6. Go to the channel's URL.
  7. Click on the "Subscribe" button.

Tips and Variations

YouTube does not support direct, automated subscription transfers between separate Google accounts.

To move your subscriptions safely without risking account penalties from spam-like automated tools, you must export them from your old account and rebuild them on your new account. 📥 Step 1: Export Your Subscriptions Using Google Takeout

The safest way to get a list of your subscriptions is through Google's official data backup tool. Log into your old YouTube account. Navigate directly to Google Takeout. Click Deselect all at the top of the list.

Scroll down to find YouTube and YouTube Music and check the box. Click the button that says All YouTube data included.

Click Deselect all in the pop-up, check only the box for Subscriptions, and click OK. Click Next step at the bottom of the page.

Leave the settings on "Export once" and click Create export.

Wait for the email notification, download the resulting .zip file, and extract it on your computer.

You will find a file named subscriptions.csv inside the extracted folder. This contains the channel names and direct URLs to every channel you were subscribed to. 📤 Step 2: Rebuilding Subscriptions on Your New Account How to Transfer YouTube Subscriptions from One Account

Because Google does not have a native "import" button for CSV files, you have two primary options to process this list. Option A: Manual Transfer (Safest Method)

This is highly recommended if you have a manageable number of subscriptions. It eliminates any security risks or rate-limiting bans associated with custom browser scripts.

Open a new web browser window and log into your new Google account.

Open the subscriptions.csv file in a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Copy the URL from the second column for each channel and paste it into your browser's address bar. Click the Subscribe button on the channel page. Option B: Using Open-Source Browser Extensions

If you are moving hundreds or thousands of channels and do not want to do it manually, you can use automated extensions.

⚠️ Warning: YouTube restricts rapid, bulk subscribing. If you use these tools to subscribe to hundreds of channels at once, YouTube may temporarily block you or flag the new account for spam.

SubShift: A tool found in the Chrome Web Store that processes your files locally in your browser. Sign in to the YouTube account with the

Youtube Subscriptions Transfer (YST): An open-source tool available on GitHub that can read your Google Takeout ZIP file directly and attempt automated channel subscriptions on the targeted profile.

The Ultimate Guide: How to Transfer YouTube Subscriptions from One Account to Another

Published by TechGuides | Est. reading time: 8 minutes

Option A: The Manual Approach (Best for small lists)

  1. Open your subscriptions.csv file.
  2. Log in to your new YouTube account.
  3. Copy the channel URLs from the file one by one, paste them into your browser, and click the "Subscribe" button on each channel.
    • Tip: Hold the Ctrl key (Windows) or Cmd key (Mac) while clicking links to open them in new tabs without losing your place.

Step 1: Export your subscriptions from the Old Account

You will use Google Takeout.

  1. Go to takeout.google.com while logged into your old YouTube account.
  2. Click "Deselect all" at the top to avoid downloading 10GB of Google Drive data.
  3. Scroll down and find YouTube. Click the checkbox.
  4. Inside YouTube, click "All YouTube data included." You will see a list of checkboxes. Deselect everything except "subscriptions." (You can keep "playlists" if you want to move those too, but for this guide, we want only subs).
  5. Click "OK," then scroll to the bottom and click "Next step."
  6. Choose "Export once," file type .zip, size "2GB" (the subscription file is tiny, usually under 1MB).
  7. Click "Create export." Google will email you a link within minutes (or hours if servers are busy).
  8. Download the .zip file and extract it. Inside, you will find a folder called Takeout/YouTube/YouTube subscriptions/subscriptions.csv.

Step 3: Import using a Browser Extension

You cannot paste a CSV directly into YouTube. You need a tool to visit each URL and click subscribe for you.

Recommended Extension: YouTube Subscription Manager (Chrome Web Store) or SubTransfer.

  1. Install the extension in your Chrome or Edge browser.
  2. Log into Account B (your new account).
  3. Open the extension and look for the "Import from CSV" or "Bulk Subscribe" option.
  4. Upload your subscriptions.csv file.
  5. The extension will open 20-50 tabs at a time. Click "Start."
  6. Walk away and get coffee—the script will click "Subscribe" on every channel.

Warning: YouTube may rate-limit you if you subscribe to 500 channels in 30 seconds. Use extensions that have a "delay" feature (e.g., one subscribe per second). Do this in batches.

3. Notifications will reset.

When you subscribe to a channel on a new account, YouTube treats it as a brand new subscriber. You will need to re-enable bell notifications (All / Personalized / None) for each channel. There is no way to transfer notification settings.