How to find full movies legally on YouTube

How to browse YouTube's movie library

Instead of risking watching movies illegally on YouTube, YouTube has an entire library of movies and TV shows available. In other words, it's the official way for you to enjoy great content on the platform.

1. Access YouTube through your browser or launch the YouTube app.
2. Using your browser, select Your Movies & TV on the left. In the YouTube app, select your profile icon, then select Movies & TV .
3. From there, you can browse movies to buy, rent, or watch for free.

Now, if you watch movies for free, they come with ads, similar to Netflix's ad-supported plan. However, if you have YouTube Premium, you can enjoy movies and TV shows without interruption. Whether that's worth the cost of YouTube Premium, however, is up for debate.

The selection is pretty good, especially in the movies and primetime TV section. That's where you'll find stuff you've actually heard of. However, you'll quickly notice that many of the newer releases are only available for rent or purchase.

How to find YouTube channels with free movies

Aside from YouTube, there are many channels that stream movies and TV shows legally, and they all depend on licenses. You can quickly check if a channel is legal by checking a few key features:

1. The official license of a movie or TV show is listed in the information, such as "Licensed from [Company Name]".
2. Especially if the channel also mentions official licenses and contracts on the About page.
3. Movies and TV shows are in the public domain.

That doesn't mean every channel with these features is a legitimate source, but it adds credibility. You really want to avoid channels that stream movies without credits or licenses, are of poor quality, and have ads. These are almost always pirated YouTube channels.

Even with these tips, however, finding free movies and shows on YouTube can often be difficult. There are a number of YouTube channels that offer a wide variety of free movies and shows, including Movie Central, Horror Central, and PizzaFlix. Plus, you're not limited to YouTube; there are plenty of other sites where you can find free, legal movies to watch.

How to find movies you purchased on YouTube

With Google and YouTube linked, any movie or TV show you buy (or rent) on Google Play is also available to stream on YouTube. This is convenient if you're using a device that doesn't support Google Play but does support the YouTube app.

1. Access YouTube through your browser or launch the YouTube app.
2. Using a browser, select Your Movies & TV on the left; using the YouTube app, select your profile icon, then select Movies & TV .
3. At the top, under Explore , select the Purchased tab .

Anything you own is right there for you to watch - no ads.

Overall, YouTube is a convenient way to watch entire movies and TV shows, completely legally and even for free. It's not a bad option if you need to cancel your subscription for a month or two and need some entertainment to keep you sane. And if you need a change of pace, there are plenty of radio stations on YouTube to enjoy.

Kareem Winters

Update 10 December 2024