Activate YouTube Using youtube.com/activate (Full Guide)

SmartTVs and TV sticks have become quite popular. Most streaming services have apps for SmartTVs and TV Sticks. Much like apps make a service easier to use on a phone, browsing Hulu, Netflix, or YouTube using a dedicated app on your Smart TV or TV stick makes for a better experience.

YouTube has a dedicated app for most, if not all, smart TV platforms and TV sticks. It works great but before you can use the app, you have to activate it.

Activate YouTube on Roku

In order to activate YouTube on Roku, you need to first make sure;

• Your Roku is connected and activated.
• Your Roku is connected to a WiFi network and has internet access.
• You have your remote on hand to control Roku.

Once the above requirements have been met, follow the steps below to activate Youtube on Roku.

1. Go to the Channel Store from your home screen.
2. Add the YouTube channel. You can find it under the ‘Top free’ section.
3. Once the channel has been added, go to it by selecting it from the home screen.
4. Go to the app’s settings or, if you see an option to sign in, select it.
5. The sign-in option will present a code. Note this down. If you’re going through the app’s settings, select the Link with TV code option.
6. Visit this link, and sign in with your YouTube (Google) account.
7. Enter the TV code you noted down in step 5, and the YouTube app will be activated.

Activating YouTube on PlayStation 4

Activating YouTube on PlayStation 4 requires activating it via a code. The code is given by the YouTube app on the PS4 so make sure;

• Your PlayStation is connected to the internet and you have a controller on-hand to navigate.
• You have the YouTube app installed.

To activate the app;

1. Open the YouTube app on your PS4.
2. Select the ‘Sign in’ option.
3. You will be shown a code on the sign in screen.
4. Note the code down but do not exit the screen.
5. Visit this link, and sign in with your YouTube/Google account.
6. Enter the code from the PS4 YouTube sign in screen.
7. YouTube will be activated.

Activate YouTube on Xbox One

Much like the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One (and all other versions of Xbox), have a dedicated YouTube app that you can download from the store. To activate it, follow the steps below;

1. Open the YouTube app on your Xbox.
2. On the left, click the ‘Sign in’ option.
3. You will see a code. Note it down.
4. Visit this link, and sign in with your Google account that you use to sign in to YouTube.
5. Enter the code on this link, and YouTube will be activated on the Xbox. If you’re asked to grant certain permissions to the app, go ahead and do so.

Activate YouTube on Kodi

To activate YouTube on Kodi, make sure you’ve installed it as an add-on from the add-on library. You can find it under the video add-ons.

1. Open the YouTube add-on.
2. Click the Sign-in button/option.
3. You will see a prompt with a code.
4. Note the code down.
5. Enter the code here. If you’re asked to sign in, sign in with the Google account you use for your YouTube account.

Activate YouTube on Apple TV

The AppleTV offers users quite a few options for signing in to their account but we’re going to go with the code version here.

1. Install the YouTube app on your AppleTV from the app store.
2. Open the app on your TV.
3. Select the sign-in option.
4. You will see three different options for signing in. Select the option to sign in with your web browser.
5. You will see a code on the screen. Note it down.
6. Visit this link, and enter the code.
7. YouTube will be activated on the AppleTV.

Activate YouTube on Samsung TV

Activating YouTube on a SamsungTV is a simple process.

1. Open the YouTube app on the SamsungTV.
2. In the column on the left, select the profile tab.
3. Select the sign in button.
4. You will be shown a code. Note it down.
5. Visit this link on your desktop browser and enter the code.
6. The YouTube app on your SamsungTV will be activated.

Activating YouTube on other/generic Smart TVs

If you’re using a SmartTV that we haven’t specifically covered, you can still activate the YouTube app on whichever device it is you have. Make sure you have the YouTube app installed on your SmartTV and follow the steps below.

1. Open the YouTube app on your Smart TV.
2. Look for, and select the Sign in option.
3. The sign-in screen will show you an eight-character long code. Note it down.
4. Visit this link, and enter the code.
5. The YouTube app on your Smart TV will be activated.

Why activate YouTube on a Smart TV?

YouTube can be used easily without signing in. At no point on any of the above-listed devices does YouTube lock users out unless they sign in. If you do sign in though, you can access content that you’ve purchased e.g., movies, and you can sync your watch history from a mobile device or from the desktop making it easier to resume watching content.

Conclusion

The one thing all of the devices mentioned in this article have in common is that an incredibly inconvenient device is used to interact with them e.g. a remote or a controller. The YouTube app on some of these devices does have an option to sign in with your Google account and skip the whole ‘activation’ process but signing in with a remote or a game controller is tedious. Entering a code from the screen on your desktop is much easier.

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Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

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