YouTube has emerged as a popular platform for learning English, providing access to a vast selection of videos for learning. However, simply providing access does not guarantee effective and safe utilization for learning. Students need digital literacy skills to navigate, evaluate, and deal with YouTube's exploded information for language learning. This phenomenological study aims to explore the lived experiences of students enrolled in Sanata Dharma University in the English Language Education Study Program (ELESP). Students' perceptions, feelings, actions, and decision-making reflected their YouTube usage for language learning. The findings revealed how students practiced digital literacy on YouTube, such as evaluating the trustworthiness of videos, collaborating and interacting with fellow YouTube users, creating YouTube videos, addressing safety and privacy concerns, and creatively applying videos for personalized language learning goals. Findings revealed positive student attitudes towards these digital literacy practices on YouTube, emphasizing the benefits of self-paced access to authentic English resources.