Cancel a YouTube subscription in three steps

To cancel a YouTube subscription, go to YouTube.com, click your profile picture in the top right corner, and select "Manage all channels." Find the channel you want to unsubscribe from, click the three dots next to it, and choose "Unsubscribe." The channel will no longer appear in your subscription feed, and you will stop receiving notifications about their new uploads.

If you subscribed through YouTube Premium (the paid membership service) instead of just following a free channel, the process is different — you would cancel YouTube Premium itself through your account settings, not individual subscriptions. This guide covers canceling free channel subscriptions. If you need to cancel YouTube Premium, that happens in your Google Account settings under "Payments & subscriptions."

Key Takeaways

  • Free YouTube subscriptions are canceled by clicking the three dots next to the channel name and selecting "Unsubscribe."
  • You can manage all your subscriptions from one place by going to your channel list in account settings.
  • Unsubscribing stops notifications and removes the channel from your feed, but the channel's videos remain on YouTube.
  • YouTube Premium (the paid service) is canceled separately through your Google Account payment settings, not through the YouTube app.
  • On mobile, the unsubscribe button appears as a bell icon or "Subscribed" button on the channel's page.

How to unsubscribe on a computer

Open YouTube.com and click your profile picture in the top right corner. Select "Manage all channels" from the dropdown menu. You will see a list of every channel you subscribe to, organized by when you subscribed.

Find the channel you want to leave. Click the three dots (the menu icon) next to the channel name. A small menu will appear with the option "Unsubscribe." Click it. The channel will disappear from your list when ready, and you will no longer see their videos in your home feed or receive notifications when they upload.

If you prefer to unsubscribe while watching a video, you can also click the "Subscribed" button (usually a bell icon) on the channel's banner at the top of the video page. This opens a menu where you can click "Unsubscribe."

How to unsubscribe on mobile (phone or tablet)

Open the YouTube app and go to the channel page of the creator you want to unsubscribe from. You can find this by searching for their name or tapping on their profile picture from one of their videos.

On the channel's main page, look for the "Subscribed" button — it usually appears as a bell icon or a button with text. Tap it once. A menu will appear asking you to confirm. Tap "Unsubscribe" to finish. The channel will be removed from your subscriptions when ready.

You can also manage your subscriptions from the "Subscriptions" tab in the YouTube app. Tap the "Subscriptions" icon at the bottom of the screen, find the channel, and swipe left on it (on iPhone) or long-press it (on Android) to see the unsubscribe option.

What happens when you unsubscribe

When you unsubscribe, the channel stops appearing in your subscription feed and your home recommendations. You will no longer receive notifications when that creator uploads a new video. If you had the bell icon turned on for that channel, those notifications will stop.

Unsubscribing does not delete your watch history or remove videos you have already watched. The channel's videos remain on YouTube and you can still find them by searching. You can resubscribe to the same channel at any time by visiting their page and clicking "Subscribe" again.

The creator does not receive a notification that you unsubscribed. Your unsubscribe is private — only you and YouTube know about it.

Canceling YouTube Premium instead of a channel subscription

If you pay for YouTube Premium (the ad-free membership), canceling that is different from unsubscribing from a free channel. YouTube Premium is a paid service that removes ads from all videos, allows offline downloads, and gives you access to YouTube Music.

To cancel YouTube Premium, go to YouTube.com and click your profile picture. Select "Paid memberships" from the menu. Find YouTube Premium in the list and click "Manage." Then click "Cancel membership" and follow the prompts. Your Premium membership will end at the end of your current billing cycle — you will not be charged again, but you will keep Premium access until that date.

If you subscribed to YouTube Premium through Apple, Google Play, or another third-party app store, you must cancel through that platform instead. Go to your app store's subscription settings, find YouTube Premium, and cancel there.

Managing notification settings instead of unsubscribing

If you want to stay subscribed to a channel but stop getting notifications, you do not have to unsubscribe. Instead, you can change your notification settings for that specific channel.

On a computer, go to the channel page and click the bell icon next to the "Subscribe" button. A menu will appear with options: "All," "Personalized," "None," or "Off." Select "None" or "Off" to stop notifications while keeping the subscription. On mobile, tap the bell icon on the channel page and choose your preference.

This is useful if you like a creator's content but do not want constant alerts, or if you want to keep the channel in your subscriptions list but watch their videos on your own schedule.

Bulk unsubscribing from multiple channels at once

If you want to unsubscribe from many channels quickly, YouTube does not have a bulk unsubscribe feature built in. However, you can speed up the process by going to "Manage all channels" and unsubscribing from each one individually — this is faster than finding each channel separately.

Open your profile picture, select "Manage all channels," and work through the list. Click the three dots next to each channel and select "Unsubscribe." There is no faster way to do this through YouTube itself, but you can unsubscribe from several channels in a few minutes this way.

If you are trying to clean up your subscriptions because you have too many, consider using notification settings instead. Turn off notifications for channels you rarely watch but might want to return to later. This keeps your feed cleaner without permanently removing the subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the creator know when I unsubscribe?

No. Creators cannot see who unsubscribes from their channel. They can only see their total subscriber count, not individual unsubscribe events. Your unsubscribe is private between you and YouTube.

Can I see a list of all my subscriptions before I cancel them?

Yes. Go to your profile picture, click "Manage all channels," and you will see every channel you subscribe to. You can scroll through the entire list before deciding which ones to unsubscribe from.

If I unsubscribe, can I resubscribe to the same channel later?

Yes. You can resubscribe to any channel at any time by visiting their page and clicking the "Subscribe" button. Resubscribing does not restore your old notifications settings — you will need to set those up again.

What is the difference between unsubscribing and blocking a channel?

Unsubscribing removes the channel from your subscriptions and feed. Blocking prevents the channel's videos from appearing in your recommendations and search results. YouTube does not have an official "block" feature, but you can use "Don't recommend channel" on videos to reduce how often you see them.

Why can't I find the unsubscribe button on a channel?

If you do not see a "Subscribe" or "Subscribed" button, you may not actually be subscribed to that channel. Some channels also restrict who can subscribe based on age or location. Try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache and try again.