YouTube stores three separate histories, and you need to delete them differently
YouTube keeps track of what you watch in three places: your watch history (videos you've clicked on), your search history (what you've typed into the search box), and your upload history (if you've posted videos). Deleting one does not delete the others. Most people want to clear their watch history, which is the list YouTube uses to recommend videos to you. You can delete all three, delete them selectively, or turn off tracking entirely so YouTube stops recording what you do.
The steps differ depending on whether you're on a computer, phone, or tablet, and whether you want to delete everything at once or just specific videos. This guide covers all three histories and shows you how to stop YouTube from recording your activity going forward.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube stores watch history, search history, and upload history separately, and you must delete each one individually if you want to clear all three.
- On a computer, go to your account menu, select "History," then choose "Clear all watch history," "Clear all search history," or delete individual items.
- On a phone or tablet, open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, go to "History," and swipe left on any video to delete it, or tap "Clear all watch history" at the top.
- Turning off "Pause watch history" stops YouTube from recording what you watch, but videos you've already watched stay in your history until you manually delete them.
- Deleting your history does not delete the videos themselves or affect other people's accounts — it only removes the record from your own account.
Delete watch history on a computer
Open YouTube in your web browser and sign in to your account. Click your profile picture in the top right corner. A menu will drop down. Click "History" — this takes you to a page showing every video you've watched on this account.
To delete everything at once, look for the menu icon (three vertical dots) on the left side of the page, just above your watch history. Click it and select "Clear all watch history." YouTube will ask you to confirm. Click "Clear watch history" again. All videos disappear from your watch history immediately, though YouTube may take a few hours to stop using that data for recommendations.
To delete individual videos instead, find the video in your history and click the X button next to it. The video disappears from your history right away. You can delete videos one at a time this way, or select multiple videos by clicking the checkbox next to each one, then clicking "Delete" at the top.
Delete watch history on a phone or tablet
Open the YouTube app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap "History." You'll see a list of videos you've watched, with the most recent at the top.
To delete one video, swipe left on it (on iPhone) or press and hold it (on Android), then tap "Remove from history." To delete all videos at once, tap the menu icon (three dots) at the top right of the screen and select "Clear all watch history." Confirm when YouTube asks. The entire list clears immediately.
If you don't see the menu icon, scroll to the very top of your history list. The option is usually there, but the exact location varies depending on your phone's operating system and which version of the YouTube app you have installed.
Delete search history separately
Your search history — the words you've typed into YouTube's search box — is stored separately from your watch history. Deleting one does not delete the other. To clear your search history on a computer, go to your History page (same steps as above), then click the menu icon and select "Clear all search history." Confirm the action.
On a phone or tablet, open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, tap "History," then tap the menu icon at the top. Select "Clear all search history" and confirm. You can also delete individual searches by swiping left (iPhone) or pressing and holding (Android) on a search term, then tapping "Remove."
If you want to keep your watch history but delete searches, or vice versa, you must do them separately. There is no option to delete both at the same time from a single menu.
Turn off history tracking so YouTube stops recording your activity
If you don't want YouTube to record what you watch going forward, you can pause your watch history. On a computer, go to your History page, click the menu icon, and select "Pause watch history." A checkmark appears next to it. YouTube stops recording new videos immediately, but your old history stays until you manually delete it.
On a phone or tablet, open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, tap "History," tap the menu icon, and select "Pause watch history." Again, this only stops new recordings — your existing history remains.
Pausing watch history also affects YouTube's recommendations. Without knowing what you watch, YouTube cannot suggest videos tailored to your interests. Your recommendations will become more generic. If you change your mind, you can turn watch history back on by following the same steps and tapping "Pause watch history" again to uncheck it.
Delete your upload history if you've posted videos
If you've uploaded videos to YouTube, those uploads are tracked in a separate upload history. To delete it, go to YouTube Studio (click your profile picture, then "Create," then look for "YouTube Studio" or go directly to studio.youtube.com). On the left menu, click "Content." You'll see all your uploaded videos.
To delete a single video, click the three-dot menu next to it and select "Delete forever." YouTube will ask you to confirm. The video is removed from YouTube entirely and cannot be recovered. To delete multiple videos, click the checkbox next to each one, then click "Delete" at the top and confirm.
Deleting an uploaded video removes it from the platform completely. Anyone who had a link to it will see an error message. Comments, likes, and views associated with that video are also deleted.
What happens after you delete your history
Deleting your history removes the record from your account, but it does not undo everything YouTube has already done with that data. YouTube may have already used your watch history to train its recommendation algorithm or to build a profile of your interests for advertisers. Deleting the history removes your access to it, but YouTube's internal records may persist.
Deleting your history also does not affect other people's accounts. If someone else watched a video on a shared device using your account, deleting your history removes it from your account only — it does not remove it from theirs. If you share a YouTube account with family members, each person's history is mixed together, and clearing history clears everyone's.
Your deleted videos are gone from YouTube's public platform, but YouTube may keep backups for a limited time. If you delete a video by mistake, contact YouTube Support immediately — they may be able to recover it within a short window, though this is not may provide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting my watch history stop YouTube from recommending videos to me?
Deleting your history removes the record you can see, but YouTube may still use data it collected before you deleted it. To actually stop YouTube from using your activity for recommendations, you need to pause your watch history going forward. Even then, YouTube may use other signals like your location, device, and account age to suggest videos.
If I delete my history, will YouTube forget who I am?
No. Deleting your history removes the list of videos you've watched, but it does not delete your account or sign you out. YouTube still knows you exist and can track your activity from that point forward unless you pause your watch history. To truly limit tracking, pause watch history and consider using YouTube in Incognito mode.
Can I delete history from a specific date or time period?
YouTube does not have a built-in option to delete history from a specific date range. You can only delete individual videos, multiple selected videos, or your entire history at once. If you need to delete videos from a particular time period, you'll need to find and delete them one by one or in groups.
What's the difference between deleting history and using Incognito mode?
Deleting history removes the record of what you've already watched. Incognito mode (called "Private" mode on some devices) prevents YouTube from recording new activity while you're in that mode. If you use Incognito, YouTube won't add those videos to your history, but your regular account history from before you entered Incognito remains unchanged.
If I delete a video I uploaded, can I get it back?
Once you delete an uploaded video, it's gone from YouTube's public platform. YouTube Support may be able to recover it within a short time if you contact them immediately, but recovery is not may provide and becomes less likely the longer you wait. There is no self-service recovery option.