Most Replayed

0:42 The Most Replayed graph is the wave that appears above a YouTube video's progress bar when you start seeking: the higher it rises, the more often that part of the video has been replayed by viewers. Hover over the bar on a computer, or drag the scrubber on a phone, and the graph shows where the good part is, which is why many people call it the YouTube heatmap. It sits beside Chapters and precise seeking among YouTube's ways to move through a video.

Quick facts

Behavior from Use chapters, mentioned people and places, & seeking features; launch from TechCrunch.

How do I see the most replayed part of a YouTube video?

1. Start the video.
2. On a computer, move the pointer over the progress bar; on a phone or tablet, tap the video and start dragging the red scrubber.
3. Look for the shaded graph above the bar. The tallest peak is the part rewatched most.
4. Drag to a peak and let go to play from there.

At launch, a small notice also appeared over the preview as the scrubber passed a popular moment (9to5Google). On a phone, if you change your mind, slide back toward where you were until the phone vibrates or shows "Release to cancel", then lift your finger to return (Help).

When the graph does not show

1:22 Help names four reasons the graph can be missing: the channel has an active strike, the content may be inappropriate, the video is too new, or it has too few views (Help). The graph needs enough replays to mean something, so a fresh upload or a small channel's video will not have one at first. Help gives no view count at which it appears, and no source states one.

How creators use it

For a creator, the graph is a public replay chart: peaks mark the moments people go back to, such as a reveal, a joke or the step of a tutorial they had to watch twice, and dips mark the parts they skip. Clipping those peaks into Clips or YouTube Shorts, or opening the next video with what made the peak, is a common use. The graph is the viewer side of the audience retention chart in YouTube Studio Analytics, and Premium's Jump Ahead works on a related idea: it skips to the point most viewers fast forward to.

History

YouTube first offered the graph as an experiment for Premium members at youtube.com/new, then turned it on for everyone, free and Premium, on computers, iOS and Android on May 18, 2022, the same day it brought chapters to TVs and consoles and added single loop (TechCrunch; Loop a Video).

What creators say

1:49 In a 2022 video, Trevor Nace found no way to turn the graph off; his advice to anyone who would rather not be steered toward one part of a video was simply not to touch the scrubber. He called it "a little annoying" for watching a video straight through, and said it usually took a couple of days to appear on a new video, which is his observation, not a figure from YouTube.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Most Replayed graph mean on YouTube? It shows which parts of a YouTube video viewers rewatch most often; a higher point means that section was replayed more.

Why is there no Most Replayed graph on a YouTube video? YouTube hides it on videos that are too new or have too few views, on channels with active strikes and on content that may be inappropriate for some viewers.

Can I turn off Most Replayed on YouTube? YouTube Help describes no setting to hide the graph for viewers or to opt a channel out; it only appears while seeking.

Is YouTube's Most Replayed graph the same as the retention graph in Studio? No. Most Replayed is public and shows replays, while the audience retention chart in YouTube Studio is private to the creator and shows how many viewers are still watching at each moment.

Sources

• Use chapters, mentioned people and places, & seeking features, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
• YouTube's player gains new features including Most Replayed, Video Chapters, Single Loop and more, TechCrunch, May 18, 2022
• YouTube will show a video's most replayed parts and is testing faster seeking, 9to5Google, May 18, 2022
• What Is The Most Replayed Feature On YouTube?, Trevor Nace, Jul 22, 2022 (video)