How Do I Recover My YouTube Account?

You may have deleted your YouTube account for many different reasons: you wanted a break, you wanted to be more productive, you didn't have the time to contribute to your account anymore or some other reason. The steps for recovering your YouTube account will depend on to what degree you can no longer access your account. Keep reading to find the situation that best applies to you, and follow the simple steps to recover your YouTube account!

Forgot Your Password

1. Go to www.youtube.com

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

3. You will be asked for your email or phone number, and then select 'Next.'

4. On the next screen, select 'Forgot Password.'

5. You will be given a number of ways to retrieve your account including using the last password you remember using with the account or getting a verification code. Choose the method you like best (you can select 'Try Another Way' at the bottom left of the screen to choose different methods) and continue to reset your password.

6. You are now logged into your account.

Forgot Your Username

1. Go to www.youtube.com

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

3. Select 'Forgot Email.'

4. You will be asked to enter your recovery email or your phone number. Select 'Next.'

5. You will be shown the email address assigned to your YouTube account. Now you can sign into your YouTube account.

Re-enable a Hidden YouTube Channel

1. If you can search for your YouTube channel but see the message "Your YouTube channel has content but has been disabled" then you have simply hidden your channel and it's content. This is very simple to reverse.

2. Go to www.youtube.com

3. In the top right corner of the screen, select 'Sign In.'

4. You will be asked for your email or phone number, and then select 'Next.'

5. Enter your password and sign in.

6. In the top right corner, select your profile icon, and in the drop down select choose 'Create a channel.'

7. You will be asked to fill out a form. In the form, don't click "To use a business or other name, click here." This will create a new channel instead of restoring your hidden channel.

8. After you submit the form, your channel will be recreated, and you can choose to keep your videos public or private.

You Permanently Deleted Your YouTube Account

1. If you permanently deleted your YouTube account, there is a chance it's irretrievable. This would have been highlighted to you several times during the deleting process. However, we all make mistakes, and even YouTube understands. If you act quickly, you can contact YouTube to attempt to retrieve your account. There is no information available on how long you have after deleting your account to still retrieve it but the faster you act, the better.

2. Go to this support page.

3. Select the highlighted text, 'restore it within a short period of time.'

4. You will be redirected to a new page scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on 'Learn How to Recover Your Account.'

5. Select 'Follow these steps to recover your account.'

6. You will be redirected to log into your Google account.

7. You will be asked several questions to confirm your identity.

8. If your account is recovered, you will be given immediate access. Make sure to update your password afterward.

You Deleted Your Entire Google Account

1. You could have deleted your YouTube account when you deleted your entire Google profile (including your YouTube account, your Gmail, and your Google docs access). If this is the case, you will have to retrieve your entire Google account first to recover access to the YouTube account.

2. Similar to permanently deleting your YouTube account, time is of the essence here. Google may be able to help you retrieve your account if too much time hasn't passed.

3. Head over to the Account Recovery Page.

4. Follow the steps as directed to attempt to recover your account.

5. If your account is recovered, you will also be able to log into your YouTube account.

If these options don't work for you, it may be best to contact the Google Customer Support Line at this phone number. If the online steps didn't work for you, it's most likely that your account is irretrievable, but it's always best to contact the Customer Support line and confirm that.