Here’s a look at how to estimate the amount of data a YouTube video uses, find other factors that affect YouTube data usage on a mobile device or desktop computer and adjust YouTube settings to reduce your data usage.
How to Use Video Quality to Estimate the Amount of Data a YouTube Video Will Use
Video quality is the main factor affecting YouTube data usage. When the original video uploaded to YouTube is high quality, more data is streamed. For example, a 4K video uses more data than a 1080p video. Here’s how to use a YouTube data usage calculator to estimate the amount of data a specific video uses.
How to Find the Video Quality
The quality of an internet connection affects the video quality available. If a video’s quality is set to Auto, YouTube adjusts the video’s quality based on the speed of the internet connection. To find out the video quality at which a YouTube video plays on your current internet connection:
How to Decrease the Video Quality of a YouTube Video
To save on data usage, lower the quality of a YouTube video you plan to watch on a desktop computer or mobile device. A lower quality setting reduces the amount of data used. YouTube offers as many as eight video-resolution options, including 2160p, 1440p, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p, 240p, and 144p. Here’s how to change a YouTube video’s quality setting:
More on YouTube Video Quality and Your Internet Connection
YouTube provides two ways to learn more about the quality of an internet connection. Visit the Google Video Quality Report site to see the general quality of streaming you should expect based on your location and your internet service provider. The site shows the performance of several local internet service providers, although the service doesn’t rate cellular network connections.
Limit Mobile Data Usage
If you’re concerned about the amount of data you use on your mobile device, it’s possible to limit your mobile data usage. On Android devices, open YouTube, tap your profile (in the upper-right corner), tap Settings > General, then move the slider to Limit mobile data usage: Only stream HD video on Wi-Fi. On an iPhone or iPad with a cellular connection, open YouTube, tap your profile (in the upper-right corner), tap Settings, then move the slider to Play HD on Wi-Fi only.
Check Your Mobile Data Usage
To see how much mobile data YouTube used on an iPhone or iPad with a cellular connection, go to Settings > Cellular, then scroll through the list of apps until you locate YouTube. If cellular data access is enabled for YouTube, a data usage number displays below it. Scroll to the bottom of the screen to see which time period the data covers.
What About YouTube TV?
YouTube TV is YouTube’s online streaming service. With YouTube TV, content can be viewed on a TV, computer, or mobile device. Determining the amount of data YouTube TV uses can be difficult. Some providers, such as Comcast, display the data used by YouTube TV in the user’s mobile app and online account. Other providers, such as Spectrum, don’t display usage numbers at all. Users report anywhere from 300 GB per month to 700 GB for YouTube TV data usage. However, the number varies according to viewing habits.
