YouTube Premium cancellation takes two minutes and stops charges when ready
To cancel YouTube Premium, sign into your Google account on any device, go to your profile icon in the top right, select "Purchases and memberships," find YouTube Premium, and click "Manage membership." Then select "Cancel membership" and confirm. Your access ends at the end of your current billing cycle — you keep Premium until that date, then revert to the free version.
The process is the same whether you subscribed through YouTube.com, the YouTube app, or a third-party platform like Apple or Google Play. What changes is where you start: if you subscribed through Apple or Google Play, you may need to cancel through that app's settings instead of YouTube itself. We'll cover both routes below.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube Premium cancellation happens in your Google account settings under "Purchases and memberships," not in the YouTube app itself.
- Your membership ends on your next billing date, not when ready — you keep access until then and will not be charged again.
- If you subscribed through Apple, Google Play, or another third-party app, you must cancel through that app's subscription settings, not through YouTube.
- YouTube Premium includes ad-free viewing, offline downloads, and background play; canceling removes all three features.
- You can resubscribe at any time without penalty, and YouTube sometimes offers discounts to returning subscribers.
Canceling through your Google account on desktop or mobile web
This is the standard route if you subscribed directly on YouTube.com or through the YouTube app on Android. Open any web browser, go to myaccount.google.com, and sign in with the Google account linked to your YouTube Premium membership.
Once logged in, look for the menu on the left side. Click "Payments & subscriptions" (sometimes labeled "Purchases and memberships"). You will see a list of active subscriptions. Find YouTube Premium in that list and click on it. A panel will open showing your current plan, billing date, and payment method. Click the button that says "Cancel membership" or "Cancel subscription." YouTube will ask you to confirm and may show you a discount offer to keep your membership — you can ignore this and proceed with cancellation. Confirm once more, and the cancellation is complete.
You will receive a confirmation email within a few minutes. Your Premium membership will remain active until the end of your current billing period. After that date, your account reverts to YouTube's free version, and you will see ads again.
Canceling a subscription started through Apple or Google Play
If you subscribed to YouTube Premium through the YouTube app on iPhone or iPad, or through Google Play on Android, the cancellation must happen in that app's settings, not in YouTube itself. Canceling through your Google account will not work because Apple and Google Play manage the billing relationship, not YouTube.
For iPhone or iPad: Open the Settings app, tap your name at the top, select "Subscriptions," find YouTube Premium, and tap "Cancel Subscription." Confirm the cancellation. You will see the cancellation date on screen.
For Android via Google Play: Open the Google Play app, tap your profile icon in the top right, go to "Payments and subscriptions," select "Subscriptions," find YouTube Premium, and tap "Cancel subscription." Confirm the cancellation.
After you cancel through either app, YouTube will send you a confirmation email. Your membership remains active through the end of your billing cycle, then stops. You will not be charged again.
What happens to your account after cancellation
When your Premium membership ends, your YouTube account does not close — only the paid features turn off. You keep your watch history, playlists, subscriptions, and uploads. You can still upload videos, create playlists, and use all free YouTube features.
The three main features you lose are: ads return to videos you watch, you can no longer read videos to watch offline, and background play (listening to videos with the app closed) stops working. If you use YouTube Music as part of your Premium plan, that access ends too.
You can resubscribe to YouTube Premium at any time by going back to your account settings and selecting "Restore" or "Resubscribe." YouTube sometimes offers discounts to people who have canceled before, though this is not may provide.
If you cannot find the cancel button
The most common reason the cancel button does not appear is that you are signed into the wrong Google account. YouTube Premium is tied to a specific Google account. If you have multiple Google accounts, make sure you are signed into the one that has the Premium membership. Check your email for a receipt from YouTube or Google Play to confirm which account was charged.
If you are signed into the correct account and still cannot find "Purchases and memberships," try a different browser or clear your browser's cache and cookies, then sign in again. If you subscribed through Apple or Google Play and are trying to cancel through YouTube's website, that will not work — you must cancel through the app that processed the payment.
If you have tried all of these steps and the button still does not appear, contact Google Support directly. Go to support.google.com, search for "cancel YouTube Premium," and select the option to chat with or email support. Have your receipt or billing email ready.
Pausing instead of canceling
YouTube does not offer a formal pause feature for Premium memberships. You either keep the subscription active or cancel it. If you want to stop paying temporarily but plan to return, canceling and resubscribing later is your only option. There is no penalty for resubscribing, and you will not lose your account data.
If cost is the issue, YouTube Premium does offer a student plan at a lower price in some countries, and occasionally runs promotional discounts. Check your account settings to see if you are may be able to access for a student plan, or search "YouTube Premium discount" to see current offers in your region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose my videos and playlists if I cancel YouTube Premium?
No. Canceling Premium only removes the paid features like ad-free viewing and offline downloads. Your account, videos, playlists, subscriptions, and watch history all stay. You can resubscribe anytime without losing anything.
Can I get a refund for the current month if I cancel mid-cycle?
No. YouTube does not issue refunds for partial months. Your membership remains active until the end of your billing cycle, then stops. If you cancel on the 15th of a month and your billing date is the 30th, you keep Premium until the 30th and are not charged again.
What if I subscribed through a family plan?
If you are the family plan manager, you can cancel the entire plan through your Google account settings. If you are a family member but not the manager, you must ask the manager to remove you from the plan or cancel it. The manager can do this in the same "Purchases and memberships" section where individual cancellations happen.
Do I have to cancel before traveling to another country?
No. Your YouTube Premium membership works in any country. However, if you move permanently and change your payment method or billing address, you may need to update your account information. YouTube Premium pricing varies by country, so your rate may change if you update your location.
Can I cancel and resubscribe to get a promotional discount?
Sometimes. YouTube occasionally offers discounts to returning subscribers, but this is not may provide. If you cancel and see a discount offer when you try to resubscribe, you can take it. If not, you will pay the standard rate. There is no penalty for canceling and resubscribing, so there is no harm in trying.