YouTube is a huge place where we share and watch videos, and it keeps changing to make things easier for us. One cool thing you might have seen is when some comments look different from others because they’re “highlighted.” Ever wondered if you can make those comments look normal again? Let’s chat about what this “highlighted comment” thing is on YouTube and how you can stop seeing a comment or reply in that special way.
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What is a highlighted comment or reply?
Before we get into how to make a highlighted comment or reply go back to looking normal, it’s good to know what it means. On YouTube, a highlighted comment or reply is one that gets your attention because:
- You got a notification about someone replying to your comment.
- Someone sent you a link that takes you straight to a particular comment.
This makes it easy to find the comments you care about without looking through thousands of others.
On the other hand, a pinned comment is one that the person who uploaded the video wants everyone to see right at the top of the comments. It has a little pin icon and stays there until the uploader decides to change it.
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Creator’s choice: Pinned and Top comments
People who upload videos on YouTube can really shape the conversation in their comment sections. They, along with YouTube’s smart systems, help decide which comments you see first. Here’s a bit more about how that works:
Pinned comments
Pinned comments are chosen by the uploader to stick at the top of the comments section. Here’s the deal with them:
- They’re easy for everyone to see, unlike highlighted comments, which are just for you based on what links you’ve clicked.
- Uploaders use them to share important info, updates, or just a comment they really liked.
- Only one comment can be pinned at a time. Pin a new one, and the old one goes back into the mix.
Even if a comment is highlighted for you, a pinned comment will still be the first thing you see. The highlighted comment is just after that but still above the other regular comments.
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Top comments
Top comments are the ones that got lots of likes or replies. They’re chosen by YouTube’s magic to show you what’s most interesting. Here’s how they fit with highlighted comments:
- Both kinds of comments make watching videos more fun, but top comments are all about what people are talking about the most, while highlighted comments are about making sure you see responses to you or links you followed.
- The list of top comments changes as new comments get popular. Highlighted comments stay the same for you until you check out a different notification or link.
How to unhighlight a comment on YouTube
Turns out, you can make a highlighted comment look normal again. It’s not a one-click thing, but it’s not hard. Here’s what you do:
- Go back to the video with the highlighted comment.
- Change the web address a bit:
- Check the address in your browser.
- Find any parts that start with
&, like a time stamp (e.g.,&t=2m30s). - Take out these
&parts from the address.
- Hit Enter.
- Just refresh the page. You can click the refresh button or press F5 on your keyboard.
After you do this, the comment won’t be highlighted just for you anymore. But remember, this doesn’t change it for anyone else who follows that link.
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Why unhighlighting a comment is mostly pointless
At first, you might think the highlighted comment feature is annoying and you want to get rid of it. But here’s why it might not really matter if you do:
- It’s temporary: Highlighting is just a quick way to show you something. Once you leave the video or close the tab and come back later, that comment won’t be highlighted anymore unless you click the same link again.
- It’s just for you: Only you see that highlighted comment, based on your own clicks and notifications. It’s not highlighted for everyone else watching the video.
Basically, the “highlighted comment” or “highlighted reply” is YouTube’s way of making it easier for you to find comments related to you. It’s all about giving you a hand in finding the right part of the conversation.
Some ending thoughts
Even though the highlighted comment system on YouTube might confuse some folks, it’s there to help us find our way around comments better. You can’t directly remove the highlight from a comment, but refreshing or tweaking the URL can do the trick. However, doing this usually isn’t necessary because the highlight is more of a helpful hint than a permanent tag.
As YouTube keeps changing, who knows what new features we’ll see? For now, when you come across a highlighted comment, just remember it’s YouTube’s way of guiding you through the ocean of conversations. And that’s pretty handy, isn’t it?
