OpenCookies

Cookie dictionary

YSC — YouTube

By the OpenCookies team · published 2026-10-22 · updated 2026-10-22

Service
YouTube
Category
Embedded video
Default duration
Session
Type
Third-party cookie (set by another domain)
Consent required?
Yes, unless the video is loaded without cookies (privacy-enhanced mode).

What is it for?

Session cookie set by YouTube when an embedded video is displayed: it is used to count video views.

What does it look like?

The value is a short random string. The cookie is written on the youtube.com domain (or youtube-nocookie.com).

How to see it in your browser

Open your site, press F12, then choose the “Application” tab (Chrome, Edge) or “Storage” (Firefox). This cookie is written by another domain: look for it under “Cookies”, under the service’s domain. If you cannot see it, your browser may be blocking third-party cookies.

What does the rule say?

An embedded video that sets tracking cookies requires consent. Loading the player only after a visitor click, or without cookies, avoids that obligation.

How to prevent it before the choice

Embed YouTube with the youtube-nocookie.com domain, or replace the video with an image that loads the player only after a click.

How OpenCookies handles it

Common services like this one are in OpenCookies’ tracker list: the banner neutralizes their script before the visitor chooses and only restarts it after “Accept”. The test shows whether this cookie appears before the choice, after “Refuse” and after “Accept”.

Check it on my site

Does this cookie appear on your site before the visitor chooses? The OpenCookies test shows it in two minutes.

Test my site

Related cookies

Frequently asked questions

Does youtube-nocookie.com avoid this cookie?

It reduces the cookies set until the visitor starts the video. Once playing, YouTube may write some. An image that loads the player only on click is safer.

Is consent needed for a YouTube video?

If the video sets tracking cookies, yes. Hence the benefit of loading the player only after a click.

Durations are defaults and may change with configuration. This page describes a cookie; it is not legal advice.

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