"When did I first subscribe to this channel?" If you've asked yourself this question while watching your favorite YouTuber, you're not alone. 

Finding out your exact subscription date might seem impossible at first glance - YouTube doesn't show this information front and center on your subscriptions page.

But you can actually track down these dates through several reliable methods. 

I've spent years managing YouTube channels and accidentally discovered different ways to track the subscription date. 

Some work better than others, and I'll walk you through each option so you can choose what fits your needs.

YouTube Subscription History - What’s To Know? 

Your subscription dates aren't lost - they're just hidden behind the scenes in YouTube's data. 

While the platform keeps track of every subscription you make, accessing this information requires specific steps since it's not visible in your regular YouTube interface.

Before we jump into the methods, you should know that your subscription privacy settings play a big role in which tracking options will work for you. 

If you're trying to find dates for multiple channels, you might want to try a combination of approaches I'll share below.

Using YouTube's Built-in Features

You might be wondering if YouTube has any built-in ways to check subscription dates. 

While the platform doesn't show this info directly on channel pages or in your subscription list, you can still piece together some clues through YouTube's native features.

Checking Your Google Account Data

The most reliable built-in method starts with your Google Account settings:

1. Open your Google Account settings

2. Click "Data & Privacy"

3. Find "YouTube History"

4. Select "Manage History"

5. Look for "Channel Subscriptions" under interactions

This path lets you see subscription activity, though be prepared - it might take some scrolling if you're looking for older subscriptions.

What About YouTube Studio?

If you're a content creator, you might have heard YouTube Studio shows subscription dates. 

Unfortunately, that's not quite true. 

While Studio offers fantastic analytics about subscriber growth, it won't reveal individual subscription timestamps - not even for your own channel.

"But wait," you might say, "what about sorting my subscription list?" 

I've tried that too. 

YouTube's subscription manager only lets you sort alphabetically or by most recently uploaded videos. 

No luck finding subscription dates there either.

Here's a quick reality check on what native YouTube features can:

• Show your current subscription list 

• Display total subscriber counts 

• Track recent subscription activity

And here’s what they can't do:

• Show exact subscription dates 

• Sort subscriptions by date 

• Reveal historical subscription data

The good news is that the third-party tools can fill these gaps, which I'll cover in the next section. 

These external options give you the exact dates YouTube's own features don't show.

Third-Party Tools That Actually Work

Finding your exact YouTube subscription dates gets much easier when you step outside YouTube's own features. 

I've tested dozens of external tools, and a few stand out as reliable options for tracking down those elusive dates.

The xxluke.de Method

Let's start with my top pick: xxluke.de. 

This web-based tool taps into YouTube's data to show you precisely when you subscribed to each channel. 

Here's what makes it special:

"I couldn't believe how fast it worked," one of my YouTube creator friends told me. "Just pasted my channel URL and got all my subscription dates in seconds."

Setting it up takes just three steps:

1. Head to your YouTube settings and make your subscriptions public

2. Copy your channel URL from your profile page

3. Visit xxluke.de/subscription-history and paste your link

The tool spits out a neat list showing every channel you follow, sorted by subscription date. 

Pretty sweet, right?

Other Reliable Options

While xxluke.de works great for most people, you might want some alternatives. 

VidIQ offers a broader set of YouTube tools, including subscription tracking. 

Their free plan works fine for basic needs, though premium features start at $7.50 monthly if you want deeper insights.

Social Blade, on the other hand, takes a different approach. 

While it won't show exact subscription dates, it helps piece together your viewing timeline through historical data. 

Just plug in a channel name to see subscriber growth patterns - super helpful when you're trying to narrow down roughly when you might have subscribed.

Manual Methods That Work Every Time

Sometimes the simplest solutions prove most reliable. 

Let me share a few clever tricks I've learned to figure out subscription dates without special tools. 

These methods work perfectly when you want to keep your subscriptions private or just prefer doing things yourself.

Check Your Email History

Did you know that YouTube sends a notification whenever you subscribe to a channel, making your email inbox a goldmine of subscription dates?

Here's a quick way to search:

1. Open your email

2. Type "subscribed YouTube channel" in the search bar

3. Look through matching emails from YouTube

Extra tip: Your email might use different folders or labels for YouTube notifications. Try searching your "Updates" or "Social" tabs if you're not seeing results in the main inbox.

Follow Your Comment Trail

Your comments tell a story about when you started watching a channel. 

Pull up the channel page, click the "Videos" tab, and sort by "Oldest." 

Now scan for your earliest comments - they usually show up right around when you first subscribed.

I found my first comment on a gaming channel from 2015 this way. 

Sure enough, that's exactly when I started following them. 

Pretty neat detective work, right?

Look for Channel Milestones

Channels often celebrate subscriber milestones in their videos. 

Find yourself in old milestone celebration comments? That's a solid clue about your subscription timeframe.

For example, if you spot yourself in a "Thanks for 100k subscribers!" video from March 2019, but not in the "50k celebration" from December 2018, you probably subscribed somewhere between those dates.

Use Your Watch History

YouTube keeps track of every video you watch (unless you turn this feature off). 

Checking your earliest views of a channel might point to when you hit subscribe:

1. Click your profile picture

2. Select "History"

3. Search for the channel name

4. Scroll to find your oldest views

Keep in mind that watch history only works if you haven't cleared it. 

But when it works? Pure gold for tracking down those subscription dates.

Keeping Your Subscription Data Safe

Let's talk about protecting your privacy while tracking subscription dates. 

You might wonder if making your subscriptions public puts your data at risk. 

I had the same concern when I first started looking into this.

Public vs Private: What's the Trade-off?

YouTube gives you two options for subscription visibility: public and private. 

Here's the catch - most tracking tools need your subscriptions set to public to work. 

It's like having a locked diary; you can't read what's inside without opening it first.

But making subscriptions public doesn't mean everyone sees everything. 

They'll only see which channels you follow, not your viewing habits, comments, or personal info. 

Still feeling unsure? 

You can always switch back to private after checking your dates.

Smart Ways to Control Your Data

Want to track subscription dates while keeping some privacy? Try this approach that worked well for me:

1. Create a second YouTube account for channels you'd rather keep private

2. Use your main account (set to public) for general subscriptions

3. Switch privacy settings temporarily just to check dates

4. Turn them back to private once you're done

When Third-Party Tools Ask for Access

Some subscription tracking tools might request permission to view your YouTube data. Don't panic - this is normal and necessary for them to work. Just make sure you:

1. Check the tool's reputation (like xxluke.de's solid track record)

2. Read what permissions they're asking for

3. Revoke access through your Google Account settings after you're done

I once found a sketchy tool asking for way too many permissions. Stick with trusted options we covered earlier - they only need basic subscription data access.

Setting Up Privacy-Friendly Tracking

Here's my favorite setup:

• First, sort your subscriptions into two lists - ones you're comfortable making public and ones you'd rather keep private. 

• Then use manual tracking methods (like email history) for private subscriptions while letting tools handle the public ones.

Think of it like having two bookshelves - one in your living room that guests can see, another in your private study. 

Both serve their purpose, but you control who sees what.

Ready to learn about organizing all this subscription data going forward? Let me show you some practical systems in the next section.

Making Your Subscription Tracking Simple

Once you've found your subscription dates, keeping track of them shouldn't feel like herding cats.

I've tested dozens of tracking methods, and here's what makes sense for most YouTube users.

Set Up Your Personal Tracking System

Spreadsheets might sound old school, but they work wonders here. 

Create columns for:

• Channel name

• Subscription date

• How you found the date (which method)

• Notes about the channel

My friend Mike takes this one step further. "I add notes about which videos made me subscribe," he told me. "It's fun looking back at what grabbed my attention."

Regular Check-ins That Make Sense

You don't need daily monitoring - that's overkill. Instead, pick natural moments to update your tracking.

When a creator mentions their channel anniversary, jot down if you were there from the start. 

Celebrating three years of watching someone's content is different when you know exactly when you joined their community.

Found an old comment you left? Add that date to your records. These little breadcrumbs help paint the full picture of your YouTube journey.

Fixing Common Tracking Mistakes

"I lost all my dates when my spreadsheet crashed!" Yeah, been there. 

Now I keep everything backed up in Google Drive. You might prefer notes on your phone or a dedicated tracking app - just make sure you've got a backup.

Speaking of backups, take screenshots of any subscription dates you find. Tools and websites sometimes go offline, but screenshots stick around.

Making Notes Worth Keeping

Don't just write down dates. Note what made you subscribe:

• That amazing tutorial that solved your problem

• The video that changed your mind about something

• The first episode of a series you still watch

These details turn plain dates into a personal YouTube history. Pretty cool when you look back at it.

Getting Started Right Now

You've got all the tools you need to track down those subscription dates. Let's put everything into action with a simple game plan.

Your Quick Start Guide

Start with xxluke.de - it's the fastest path to finding your dates. 

If that doesn't work for you, check your email history next. 

Still no luck? Your comment history and watch patterns will help fill in the gaps.

Just remember: no single method works perfectly every time. 

I mix and match these approaches depending on which channels I'm looking up. Sometimes a quick email search does the trick. Other times, I need to dig deeper into my viewing history.

What If Nothing Works?

Can't find an exact date? Don't stress. Try narrowing it down to a month or season instead. Check what was happening in your life when you first found the channel. Maybe you discovered them during summer break, or while learning a new hobby.

One of my oldest subscriptions had me stumped until I remembered watching their videos while studying for finals. That memory helped me pinpoint the subscription to May 2016.

Keep It Going

Once you start tracking subscription dates, stick with it. 

Note new dates as you subscribe to channels - future you will thank present you for keeping records.

Your YouTube subscription dates tell a story - about your interests, discoveries, and how you've grown as a viewer. Now you know exactly how to uncover that story, one subscription at a time.

And feel free to share what works for you. 

Different tricks work for different people. My entire tracking system started with a tip from another YouTube fan who had already figured this stuff out.