You can delete a video from your YouTube channel in three clicks, and it disappears immediately

When you delete a video, YouTube removes it from your channel, search results, and anyone's watch history within minutes. The video file is gone — viewers who try to access the link see a "video unavailable" message. You cannot undo a deletion, so make sure you want it gone before you confirm.

The process is the same whether you uploaded the video yesterday or five years ago. You need to be signed into the Google account that owns the channel, and you need to be on a computer or phone with a web browser (the YouTube app does not have a delete option).

Key Takeaways

  • Deleted videos disappear from your channel, search results, and viewer watch histories within minutes, and the deletion cannot be reversed.
  • You must use a web browser on a computer or phone — the YouTube mobile app does not have a delete button.
  • If you want to keep the video but hide it from public view, you can change the privacy setting to "Private" or "Unlisted" instead of deleting it.
  • YouTube keeps deleted videos in your trash for 30 days before permanently removing them from their servers.
  • If someone else has uploaded a video to your channel without permission, you can delete it the same way.

Delete a video from your channel in three steps

Go to youtube.com and sign in to your account. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select Create a post or YouTube Studio (the wording varies by account type). If you see YouTube Studio, click it.

On the left side of the screen, click Content. You will see a list of all videos on your channel, with thumbnails and view counts. Find the video you want to delete and hover your mouse over it. Three vertical dots will appear in the bottom right corner of the thumbnail. Click those dots.

A menu will pop up with options including Edit, Details, and Delete. Click Delete. YouTube will ask you to confirm — click Delete video in the confirmation box. The video is now deleted and will no longer appear on your channel or in search results.

What happens to a deleted video

The video disappears from your channel's video list immediately. Anyone who searches for the title will not find it. If someone has a direct link to the video, they will see a message saying "Video unavailable." Comments, likes, and shares attached to that video are also removed.

YouTube moves the deleted video to your trash folder for 30 days. During that time, you cannot restore it through the YouTube interface — deletion is permanent from a viewer's perspective. After 30 days, YouTube permanently removes the file from its servers.

Hide a video instead of deleting it

If you are not sure whether you want the video gone forever, you can change its privacy setting instead. This keeps the video on YouTube's servers but removes it from public view. You can always delete it later, or change it back to public.

In YouTube Studio, click Content and find the video. Click the three dots and select Details. Scroll down to the Visibility section. You will see three options: Public (anyone can find and watch it), Unlisted (only people with the link can watch it), and Private (only you can watch it). Select Private or Unlisted and click Save. The video stays on your account but is no longer searchable or visible on your channel page.

Delete multiple videos at once

YouTube Studio lets you select several videos and delete them together. In the Content section, click the checkbox next to the first video you want to delete. Hold Shift and click the checkbox next to the last video in the group you want to delete — this selects all videos between them. Or click individual checkboxes to select videos one at a time.

Once you have selected all the videos you want to delete, a menu will appear at the top of the list with options including Delete. Click Delete, then confirm. All selected videos will be deleted at once.

Delete videos uploaded by others to your channel

If your channel allows other people to upload videos (a feature called Community or Channel memberships), you can delete those videos the same way. Go to Content, find the video, click the three dots, and select Delete. You do not need permission from the person who uploaded it.

If someone is uploading unwanted videos to your channel repeatedly, you can turn off the upload permission. In YouTube Studio, click Settings on the left, then Community. Toggle off the option that allows members to upload. You can also block specific users from uploading by clicking their username and selecting Block user.

What you cannot delete

You can only delete videos that you uploaded or that were uploaded to a channel you own. You cannot delete comments, likes, or shares on other people's videos. If you want to remove a comment you made on someone else's video, click the three dots next to your comment and select Delete comment.

If you want YouTube to remove a video that someone else uploaded (because it violates your privacy, contains false information about you, or infringes on your copyright), you can file a report. Click the three dots under the video and select Report. YouTube will review it, but they do not remove videos just because you ask — the video has to violate their Community Guidelines or your legal rights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a deleted video?

No. Once you confirm the deletion, the video is gone from YouTube's public systems. You cannot restore it through YouTube. If you have a backup copy of the video file on your computer, you can re-upload it, but YouTube will treat it as a new video with a new URL.

Will deleting a video hurt my channel's performance?

Deleting a video removes its views and engagement from your channel statistics. If the video had many views, your overall channel view count will drop. However, deleting low-performing or outdated videos does not harm your channel's ability to recommend future videos to viewers.

What if I delete a video by accident?

You have 30 days to contact YouTube Support and ask them to restore it, though they do not always agree. Go to youtube.com/support, click Contact us, and describe what happened. Response time varies. If 30 days have passed, the video cannot be recovered.

Does deleting a video remove it from Google search results?

Yes, but not immediately. Google's search index updates over time, usually within a few days to a week. During that period, the video may still appear in Google search results, but the link will show "Video unavailable." You can speed up removal by going to google.com/webmasters, signing in, and requesting removal of the URL.

Can I delete just part of a video?

No. YouTube does not have a trim or edit feature that removes sections from an uploaded video. You would need to edit the video file on your computer, re-upload it, and then delete the original. YouTube Studio does have a trim feature for YouTube Shorts, but it creates a new video rather than editing the original.