Youtube Kodi Addon: How to Setup & Use

The Youtube Kodi addon is one of the biggest and most widely used dependencies on Kodi. Youtube is the biggest streaming websites on the internet and your Youtube Kodi addon is tightly integrated with hundreds of addons. Use our guide for Youtube Kodi FAQ about api keys, daily limit exceeded, settings, configuration, and making the most out of Youtube.

At face value, the Youtube Kodi addon gives you an interface to stream videos from the biggest streaming media website on the internet. The addon makes it easy for you to find, watch, and save Youtube content and videos.

A lot of popular Kodi addons also use Youtube as a dependency, passing off search queries to it as necessary. At the bottom of this guide is a list of addons which heavily rely on Youtube.

This guide explains other features the addon gives you and how to setup specific features, plus a simpler alternative if the official setup process feels like too much.

Protect Yourself While Using Kodi

Streaming services and cord-cutting application users need to be extra wary of their online privacy. These apps steal users’ usernames and passwords and sell their private information to data companies, obviously without their consent. 

The best way to safeguard yourself and your personal data from these hackers operating on your device through the addons and repositories is to use a Kodi VPN. 

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YouTube Kodi Addon: Current Version and Features

The current version of the official YouTube Kodi addon is v7.4.4, built for Kodi 19 and later (Matrix, Nexus, and Omega). A separate build exists for Kodi 18 Leia, but it’s offered as-is with no ongoing support, so update Kodi itself first if you’re still on an older version.

Here’s what the addon gives you today:

• Stream any public YouTube video or live broadcast directly inside Kodi
• Sign in with your own Google account to access your subscriptions, playlists, and Watch Later list
• HD and 4K playback once InputStream Adaptive is enabled (covered below)
• Multi-user support if more than one person shares the same Kodi setup
• Actively maintained to keep up with changes YouTube regularly makes to its backend

How to Install Youtube Kodi Addon Guide (official version)

1. From the home screen, select Add-ons > Add-on Browser 
2. Select Install from Repository > Kodi Addon repository > Video Add-ons > Youtube > Install
3. Wait for Add-on enabled notification

If you’ve never manually installed the Youtube addon by yourself and are worried that some addons aren’t working because of that, don’t worry. Youtube is also a major dependency that is automatically installed by an addon that needs it. Addons that call on the Youtube API automatically perform these actions behind the scenes. You only need to install the Youtube Kodi addon if you want to directly use its functionality within Kodi.

Youtube Kodi Addons

The following addons use Youtube to pull live and static content. Click on each one to view installation instructions for each.

Live Tube
It is a lesser known fact that Youtube offers a ton of free live IPTV channels and content worth check out. From sports to video games to world news and entertainment, there are hundreds of live television stations to stream. The Live Tube Kodi addon takes all of those channels and puts them into an organized area for you to stream.

YouTube Vault
The YouTube Vault Kodi addon is a nice source for full movies and TV shows stored on YouTube and available to stream. The addon also contains music, news, sports, and other static content you can stream online in Kodi today.

Polaris
Polaris pulls niche categories together into a single addon and most or all content is found directly from YouTube. From money saving ideas to karaoke to surfing to business ideas and sports replays, Polaris has a huge amount of unique content worth checking out today.

FightTube
The FightTube Kodi addon is for those fans of mixed martial arts, boxing, and other combat sports. There are event replays, hype videos, interviews, historical documentaries, and other content loaded into FightTube and ready to stream today.

MP3 Streams
Nearly every single song and music video created can be found on YouTube. The MP3 Streams Kodi addon pulls metadata from the Billboard website and then redirects its search queries back to Youtube to play nearly every song in the entire world.

FDJ.HD
FDJ.HD from FrenchDJ is a massive Youtube addon focusing mostly on music content, concerts, setlists, and playlists in the EDM, techno, rap, rock, metal, alternative, and indie styles. As well, it has some other niche content such as documentaries, magic, stunts, and more. It is well organized with a ton of fully HD streams to check out.

Caught on Cam
The Caught on Cam addon has hidden camera and caught on camera content. It features embarrassing videos, pranks, and other popular Youtube Kodi channels. There is also a really good commercials area to check out as well.

Grit
If you like guns and survival content, then Grit is an addon you’ll want to check out. It features gun reviews, tips, historical content, how-to guides and other media for the alpha man.

What is your favourite Youtube Kodi addon? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook what you think!

How to install YouTube on Kodi Fire TV Stick

YouTube is one of the most popular addons for Fire Stick. If you want to install YouTube directly on Fire TV Stick, you need to install ES File Explorer, and a zip file will also need to be installed. Follow these steps to install YouTube on Kodi Fire TV Stick:

1. From the Home Screen of your Fire Stick, choose Settings > System > Select Developer Option > Turn On the applicable apps from any unknown sources.
2. A pop-up box will declare a warning and choose OK.
3. Follow the same steps mentioned above in this guide with the sub-heading “How to install YouTube Kodi Addon Guide (Official Version).”

If you face errors, like there isn’t any stream available, you can quickly fix it with the Best VPN for Kodi.

How to update YouTube on Kodi

Usually, Kodi addons are updated automatically. If you need to do a manual update to, follow these steps to update YouTube on Kodi:

1. Hover over to the Addons tab, and from there, Video addons.
2. Right-click on the YouTube add-on and hover on Information.
3. Select Update and choose the latest version that is available.

How to Uninstall YouTube Addon on Kodi

Uninstall the Kodi Youtube addon by following these three steps:

1. From the main menu, click on the Addons tab and then on Video Addons.
2. Right-click the YouTube addon and click on Information.
3. Now select Uninstall > Yes > Yes.

How to Enable HD Videos in Youtube Kodi Addon

To enable the playback of HD videos in the Youtube addon, you MUST have InputStream Adaptive enabled. To do that:

1. From the Kodi main menu, navigate to Add-ons > My Add-ons > VideoPlayer InputStream
2. Click on InputStream Adapative and then select Enable.
3. Select RTMP Input and then select Enable.

How to Setup Personal Youtube API Key

The Youtube Kodi addon is configured with a public API key, and on occasion, you may have seen a “quota exceeded” error in Kodi. This means too many people have used the shared public API key today, and you’re prevented from streaming on YouTube through the addon for the rest of the day.

To fix this for good, set up a personal YouTube API key using the current steps below. These replace the older instructions floating around online, including this guide’s own previous version, since Google has changed several parts of this process.

1. Visit the Google Cloud Console and sign in with your Google account. Click Create Project, give it any name, and click Create.
2. Go to APIs & Services > Enable APIs and Services, search for YouTube Data API v3, and click Enable.
3. Go to Credentials > Create Credentials > API Key. Copy and save this key somewhere safe. Don’t post it publicly.
4. Go to OAuth Consent Screen. Choose External, fill in an app name and your email address, and click through the setup screens.
5. Once you reach Audience, find Test Users and click Add Users. Add the same Google account email you plan to sign in with. This step is required now. Skipping it will block sign-in later even if everything else is set up correctly.
6. Go back to Credentials > Create Credentials > OAuth Client ID. For Application Type, choose TV and Limited Input Devices. This is the option Kodi and similar apps actually need, not “Other” or “Web application.” Give it a name and click Create.
7. Copy and save your Client ID and Client Secret. You’ll need both in the next step.
8. Back inside Kodi, go to the YouTube addon > Settings > API, then enter your API Key, API Id (your Client ID), and API Secret (your Client Secret), and click OK.

If typing three long keys into Kodi’s on-screen keyboard sounds painful, there’s an easier way to handle step 8. In the YouTube addon’s settings under API, turn on Enable API Configuration Page. This opens a small web page at http://[your Kodi device’s IP address]:50152/youtube/api that you can visit from your phone or computer to paste your keys in instead of typing them on your TV. You can find your Kodi device’s IP address under Settings > Advanced Settings > HTTP Server. Turn the configuration page back off once you’re done, since it’s a small extra access point into your Kodi setup while it’s enabled.

Signing In to the YouTube Addon

With your keys entered, open the YouTube addon and select Sign In. Kodi will show you a code and ask you to activate a device on another screen. Here’s what to expect:

1. Go to google.com/device on your phone or computer and enter the code Kodi shows you.
2. Sign in with the Google account you added as a test user, and click Allow.
3. You may see a second code and a “This app isn’t verified” warning screen. This is expected and doesn’t mean anything is wrong. Since you created this project yourself, click Advanced, then Go to [your project name] (unsafe) to continue.
4. Depending on your setup, you may be asked to confirm access a third time. Complete that the same way.

Once you’re through all the prompts, return to Kodi. The YouTube addon should now be signed in and ready to use.

YouTube Lite: A Simpler Alternative (No API Key Needed)

If everything above sounds like a lot of work just to watch YouTube videos in Kodi, you’re not wrong. That complexity is exactly why YouTube LITE exists.

YouTube LITE is a separate, independently maintained addon built specifically to skip the API key and sign-in process entirely. It has its own built-in video player, so you don’t need the official YouTube addon installed to use it, though it can hand playback off to the official addon if you already have one set up. It’s a solid pick if you mainly want to search for and watch public YouTube videos without dealing with Google’s OAuth process above.

How to Install YouTube Lite

1. From the Kodi home screen, go to Settings > File Manager > Add Source > None.
2. Type https://mrfixit2001.github.io/ exactly, then select Done. Name the source something like “mrfixit” and click OK.
3. Go back to the home screen and select Add-ons > Add-on Browser (the open box icon).
4. Select Install from zip file > mrfixit > repository.mrfixit2001-1.0.0.zip and wait for the Add-on enabled notification.
5. Select Install from Repository > MRFIXIT2001 Repository > Video Add-ons > YouTube LITE > Install.
6. Wait for the Add-on enabled notification, then open YouTube LITE from your home screen.

YouTube Kodi Addon Troubleshooting

“Quota exceeded” or “daily limit exceeded” errors: This means too many people are sharing the addon’s default public API key today. Setting up your own personal API key above fixes this for good, since you’re no longer sharing a quota with everyone else using the addon.

Sign-in gets stuck or the code expires: Codes from google.com/device expire after a few minutes. If you don’t finish signing in fast enough, go back into the YouTube addon’s Settings > API and select Sign In again for a fresh code.

“This app isn’t verified” warning won’t go away: This is normal and doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your setup. It appears because your Google Cloud project hasn’t gone through Google’s formal app review, which isn’t necessary for personal use. Click Advanced and continue.

Addon installed but nothing shows up on the home screen: Some Kodi skins don’t automatically pin new addons to the home screen. Go to Add-ons > My Add-ons > Video Add-ons to launch YouTube directly from there.

Still stuck? Our Kodi Not Working guide covers more general troubleshooting steps if the issue isn’t specific to YouTube.

Let us know on social media if you need any help!

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Frequently Asked Questions About the YouTube Kodi Addon (FAQs)