What is the VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie?
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE is an HTTP cookie set on the youtube.com domain, belonging to Google LLC. It appears on a site when that site embeds a YouTube player (iframe) or links to a video hosted on YouTube, sometimes regardless of whether the visitor presses play, depending on the embed method used.
The cookie is set by the YouTube player script (iframe), not directly by the host site's code, but the site is still responsible for disclosing it since it allowed the resource to load.
What data it stores
The cookie stores an identifier associated with the visitor's session on Google/YouTube infrastructure, used to estimate the available bandwidth of the connection. The value is an alphanumeric string generated by Google; the exact format is not publicly documented and may vary.
The data is sent to Google/YouTube servers and can potentially be correlated with other Google cookies (e.g. advertising cookies) if the user is signed into a Google account.
What it is used for
For Google, the cookie helps optimize video playback quality (adapting to available bandwidth) and collect statistics on how videos are viewed across different sites. For the embedding site, the main benefit is that the YouTube player functions correctly.
Because it is part of the broader Google cookie ecosystem that can feed cross-site user profiling, it is typically classified under marketing/tracking rather than strictly necessary.
Does it require consent?
- CookieFix category: marketing (advertising/tracking)
- Requires prior consent under the ePrivacy Directive (as transposed locally) and GDPR, since it is not strictly necessary for the site's core functionality
- Site owners must disclose it in their cookie policy, assign it to the correct banner category, and avoid loading the YouTube player before consent is given
- Recommended: use the youtube-nocookie.com domain or a click-to-play placeholder for embeds shown before consent
How to block or delete VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
A visitor can manually delete or block this cookie from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari all allow deleting cookies per domain, for youtube.com), or use third-party script-blocking extensions.
For site owners, the correct approach is to automatically prevent the YouTube player from loading until consent is given. A CMP like CookieFix can block the YouTube script/iframe before the marketing category is accepted, showing a placeholder that the visitor activates manually instead.
Frequently asked questions
It's a cookie set by YouTube when a YouTube video is embedded or played on a site, used to estimate bandwidth and gather viewing statistics.
Yes, since it's classified as marketing/tracking rather than strictly necessary, prior visitor consent must be obtained under GDPR and the ePrivacy rules.
The typical observed duration is 6 months, though Google may adjust this without notice.
The most reliable way is to use a CMP that automatically blocks the YouTube player from loading until the visitor accepts the marketing category, or to use the youtube-nocookie.com variant.