What is the VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie?
Used by Google to manage the phased rollout and A/B testing of new YouTube features on embedded video players.
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About the VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie
| Vendor | |
|---|---|
| Cookie Domain | youtube.com |
| Category Category The functional category of the technology, such as Web Analytics or Social Media. Learn more | Advertising & Paid Media |
| Consent Category Consent Category The consent category this cookie most commonly falls under across sites we scan, normalized into four standard categories. Learn more | Targeting & Advertising |
| Prevalence | Very Common |
| Popularity Popularity Popularity is calculated from our dataset of 4.5B+ cookies analyzed across hundreds of millions of web pages. Learn more | Found on 28.3% of scanned pages |
| Expiration Type | Timestamp |
| Party Type Party Type Whether the cookie is first-party or third-party. Learn more | 3rd-Party |
| Risk Level Risk Level Rates how sensitive the data stored by this cookie is (High, Medium, or Low) based on data classification and distribution. Learn more | High |
| Vendor Privacy Policy | https://policies.google.com/privacy |
| Vendor Website | https://www.google.com |
What is the purpose of the VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie?
The VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie is deployed by YouTube (a Google service) primarily when a website embeds a YouTube video player. Its core technical function is to estimate the user's bandwidth capacity, which allows the player to optimize video streaming quality and determine whether the browser should receive the new or legacy player interface. It operates by storing a unique 11-character identifier for the user's session.
In addition to performance and functionality, Google classifies this cookie as serving security and advertising purposes. It tracks user interactions with the embedded video, such as views and watch time. Google cross-references this behavioral data with other services to deliver personalized advertisements and content recommendations across the web.
What are the Privacy Risks of the VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie?
Risk Level: High
This cookie is set by a third-party service (YouTube) and persists across different websites that embed YouTube videos. Because it captures user interaction data and cross-site browsing behavior to feed into Google's advertising network for targeted profiling, it carries a High risk. For users logged into a Google account, this behavioral data can be directly linked to their personal identity.
How to Remove the VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie from a Website
To remove this cookie, a website administrator must locate and remove any embedded YouTube iframes or Google API scripts (like the YouTube Player API) that load YouTube content onto the page. Removing the YouTube integration entirely is the only reliable way to stop this cookie from being set. Switching the embed source from youtube.com to the privacy-enhanced youtube-nocookie.com domain can reduce or defer some cookie activity, but it does not reliably eliminate this specific cookie: the YouTube iframe API has been observed to still set VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE even on the youtube-nocookie.com domain. If the video functionality is strictly required, the cookie generally cannot be removed without removing the YouTube video integration.
This definition was last reviewed on August 19, 2026. ObservePoint regularly reviews these definitions to ensure our customers have the most up to date information about the cookies on their websites.