How Do I Permanently Delete My YouTube Account?

If you are sick of YouTube, planning a social media break, or are committed to being online less, deleting your YouTube account is a relatively easy process with these helpful tips.

Nov 19, 2019

If you are sick of YouTube, planning a social media break, or are committed to being online less, deleting your YouTube account is a relatively easy process. Follow these few steps to permanently delete your YouTube account.

  1. Go to www.youtube.com

  2. In the top right corner, select 'Sign In.'

  3. You will be asked to sign in with your phone number or email, and your password.

  4. In the top right corner, there is a circle icon with either your profile picture or a symbol in it. Select the icon, and then click on 'My Channel.'

  5. In the left corner of your screen, there is a menu panel. Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select 'Settings.'

  6. On the new page, go to the menu panel on the left side of your screen. At the bottom of the menu, select 'Advanced Settings.'

  7. You will be redirected to a new page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select, 'Delete Channel.'

  8. You will be redirected to sign in again to your Google account with your email address or phone number, and password.

  9. Once you have signed in, you will be given two options to choose from: 'I want to hide my content' or 'I want to permanently delete my account.'

    • If you choose to hide your content, your YouTube videos and playlists will be hidden. However, your channel name, channel page, your channel art and icon, your subscriptions, and your likes will all still be viewable. If this is not an ideal solution for you, it's best to proceed with permanently deleting your YouTube account.

  10. Select the downward facing arrow next to the 'I want to permanently delete my account' to see a list of all the content that will be deleted. Items that will be deleted include:

    • Any videos you posted
    • Any playlists you have created
    • Your subscriptions to other channels
    • Any comments that you made on YouTube
    • Your replies and thumbs-up on comments
    • Your messages
    • Your search and watch history
  11. Select the checkmark box next to the list of content that will be deleted, and click 'Delete My Content.'

  12. You have successfully permanently deleted your YouTube account. You will receive an email to the email account associated with your YouTube account, confirming that you have deleted the account.

Note that when you delete your YouTube account, you have not deleted the Google or Gmail account that was associated with it.

Additionally, note that closing your YouTube account means you will lose all the unique parts of the account including your subscriptions, search histories, favorite videos, video lists, your groups, and more.

It is possible to recover a permanently deleted YouTube account with the help of YouTube customer support if you act quickly after deciding to delete the account. If too much time has passed, the account may be irretrievable.

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Adam has been tirelessly trying to help customers find the best tips and tricks to get through phone trees and writing many guides for prickly customer service problems. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Inside Edition and Bloomberg.

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