How to delete a YouTube subscription on any device
To remove a YouTube subscription, find the channel name in your Subscriptions list, click or tap the bell icon next to it, and select Unsubscribe. The channel disappears from your feed when ready. You can do this on a phone, tablet, or computer — the steps are nearly identical across all three.
YouTube does not charge you for subscriptions to channels. When people talk about cancelling YouTube subscriptions in the context of recurring charges, they usually mean cancelling a paid YouTube Premium membership or a channel membership (a paid tier some creators offer). Removing free channel subscriptions from your feed is when ready and costs nothing.
If you are looking to cancel a paid membership instead — either YouTube Premium or a creator's channel membership — those are different processes covered in separate sections below.
Key Takeaways
- Free YouTube channel subscriptions are removed by finding the channel in your Subscriptions list and clicking the bell icon, then selecting Unsubscribe.
- Unsubscribing from a free channel takes effect when ready and does not affect any other YouTube features or memberships.
- YouTube Premium is a paid subscription that removes ads and adds offline viewing — cancelling it requires going to your account settings, not your subscription list.
- Channel memberships are paid tiers offered by individual creators, and cancelling them also happens in account settings under Memberships, not in the Subscriptions feed.
- You can bulk-remove subscriptions by visiting your full Subscriptions page and unsubscribing from multiple channels without leaving the page.
Unsubscribe from a channel on your phone or tablet
Open the YouTube app and tap the Subscriptions tab at the bottom of the screen (on Android) or swipe left to find it (on iPhone). Scroll through your list until you find the channel you want to remove. Tap the bell icon next to the channel name — it will be filled in if you are currently subscribed.
A menu will appear with options including Unsubscribe. Tap that option. The channel is now removed from your Subscriptions list. If you change your mind, you can resubscribe by visiting the channel page and tapping the Subscribe button.
Unsubscribe from a channel on your computer
Go to YouTube.com and click your profile icon in the top right corner. Select Subscriptions from the menu. You will see your full subscription list with channel names and thumbnails.
Hover your mouse over any channel name and a bell icon will appear. Click the bell icon and select Unsubscribe from the dropdown menu. The channel is removed from your list when ready. You can also right-click a channel name and choose Unsubscribe from the context menu if the bell icon does not appear.
Remove multiple subscriptions at once
If you want to clean up your subscription list without going through each channel one at a time, YouTube's Subscriptions page lets you unsubscribe from several channels without reloading. Go to your Subscriptions list (on phone, tap the Subscriptions tab; on computer, click your profile icon and select Subscriptions).
Work through the list and click or tap the bell icon next to each channel you want to remove. Each unsubscribe happens when ready, and the channel disappears from the list. You can continue scrolling and unsubscribing without the page refreshing or interrupting you.
Cancel YouTube Premium if you are paying for it
YouTube Premium is a paid membership that removes ads, allows offline downloads, and enables background play. If you are paying for YouTube Premium and want to stop, that cancellation happens in your account settings, not in your Subscriptions list.
On any device, click your profile icon in the top right corner of YouTube and select Paid memberships. You will see YouTube Premium listed if you have an active subscription. Click or tap Manage next to it, then select Cancel membership. You will be asked to confirm the cancellation. Your Premium membership will end at the end of your current billing cycle — you will not lose access mid-month.
If you cancel and later want Premium again, you can resubscribe the same way. YouTube sometimes offers discounted rates to people who have cancelled before.
Cancel a creator's channel membership
Some YouTube creators offer paid channel memberships — a tier above free subscriptions that gives you badges, exclusive videos, or other perks. These are different from YouTube Premium and from free channel subscriptions. If you are paying for a creator's channel membership and want to stop, cancellation also happens in your account settings.
Click your profile icon and select Paid memberships. Scroll down to find the creator's channel listed under Channel memberships. Click or tap Manage next to it and select Cancel membership. The membership ends at the end of your current billing cycle. You will still be able to watch the creator's free content, but you will lose access to any member-only videos or perks.
If you want to keep the free subscription but cancel only the paid membership, unsubscribing from the channel is a separate action. Cancelling the paid membership does not automatically unsubscribe you from their free content.
What happens after you unsubscribe
When you unsubscribe from a free channel, that channel stops appearing in your Subscriptions feed. You will no longer see their new videos in your Home feed unless YouTube's algorithm recommends them to you based on your watch history. You can still visit the channel directly by searching for it or using your browser history.
Unsubscribing does not delete your watch history or any videos you have saved to playlists. It only removes the channel from your active subscription list. If you unsubscribe by mistake, you can resubscribe when ready by visiting the channel and clicking Subscribe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does unsubscribing from a channel delete my watch history?
No. Unsubscribing only removes the channel from your Subscriptions list. Your watch history, saved playlists, and any videos you have liked remain unchanged. You can still find videos from that channel in your history or through search.
Can I unsubscribe from a channel without the creator knowing?
Creators cannot see who unsubscribes from their channel. They can see total subscriber count, but not individual names of people who leave. Unsubscribing is private.
What is the difference between unsubscribing and blocking a channel?
Unsubscribing removes the channel from your Subscriptions list but you may still see their videos recommended to you. Blocking a channel (available on some platforms) prevents their videos from appearing in recommendations. YouTube does not have a built-in block feature on all devices, so unsubscribe is usually the main option.
If I cancel YouTube Premium, do I lose my subscriptions?
No. Cancelling YouTube Premium only removes the ad-free viewing and offline read features. All your free channel subscriptions remain active, and you can still watch YouTube with ads. Your subscription list does not change.
Can I see a list of channels I have unsubscribed from?
YouTube does not keep a public list of channels you have unsubscribed from. Once you unsubscribe, the channel is removed from your Subscriptions list. If you want to resubscribe, you will need to search for the channel by name.