"Get help signing in to YouTube

Select the issue: You forgot your username or the email address you use to sign in.

If you can’t remember your Google Account’s username, these steps can help you find it.
Find your account
1. Go to the username recovery tool."

And when you click on the link for the recovery tool, it asks you to log in with the email address you can't remember.

I take it you don't use a password manager? I've only used one since 2020. I kick myself for not starting sooner. When I want extra security, I use the password manager's suggested password and then save the record in the password but then before saving the actual log in, I add another short string of characters that I keep in my head. I only do this for just a few of the accounts. That way, even if someone hacked the password manager, they still can't access my supercritical accounts.

Perhaps you are asking a username question instead of an e-mail question?

Most often Google accounts have a recovery e-mail associated with them. Maybe your "real" e-mail could be used to recover your account?

Google Account for YouTube?

This is a very early days of Youtube account, pre Google, a couple computers and MANY email accounts ago. Which is the reason I couldn't remember it.

It finally hit me a couple hours later what it was. Luckily I was still able to gain access to that account, after an hour of digging around in old files from ages ago. They sent the confirmation code to login in. Well not really, they send a confirmation code that just sends you back to them wanting more info. Can't go any farther without giving them a phone number. Which I will not do. Which is probably why I stopped using that account years ago. (last upload to it was 15 years ago)


Point was, it makes you wonder if the people who make those programs actually test them.

You can key in any phone number. However, the phone number is important to their new security. To validate it is you, text messages are sent to you with a confirmation code. This is to allow you to log in on various computers (work, home, kids).