About this tool
How the check works
For a video, we search YouTube for its exact title, then for the title together with the channel name. For a channel, we search for its name, its @handle and the title of its newest long-form video. Every search runs as a signed-out visitor, and we go through the first page of results to see whether the video or channel appears and in which position.
Alongside search, we read public signals that can limit reach: whether the channel page still loads, whether comments are turned off, and whether the video is age-restricted, unlisted or blocked in some countries.
Reading the result
- Shows up in search: found within the first 10 positions for every search.
- Lower visibility observed: found for some searches but not others, only far down the page, or the video is age-restricted.
- Not found in search: the video or channel is public and playable, but it didn't appear on the first page for any search.
- Can't check: the video is private, unlisted, removed or less than a day old, or the searches couldn't be completed.
The result lists every search we ran with its exact query and position, so you can repeat any of them yourself.
What usually explains lower reach
YouTube doesn't publish a "shadowban" status, so no outside tool can confirm one. When a video is hard to find, there's usually a visible cause: an age restriction, a region block, a made-for-kids setting that turns off comments and some features, a title shared by many other videos, or an upload too new to be indexed. Search results are also personal, since signed-in viewers see results shaped by their watch history.
That's why we show what we observed instead of guessing at a hidden penalty, so you can rule each of these causes in or out.
What to do if your video doesn't show up
- If it was published less than a day ago, wait and check again. New uploads can take a few hours to appear in search.
- Make sure the video is public, not unlisted or scheduled.
- Review the age restriction and made-for-kids settings in YouTube Studio.
- Check YouTube Studio for copyright claims and Community Guidelines strikes. Only the channel owner can see them.
- If many videos share a similar title, add words that are specific to yours.