YouTube's Like system stores videos in a private list, and you can clear it all at once or one at a time
When you like a video on YouTube, it goes into your Liked Videos playlist. This playlist is private by default — only you can see it — but it grows every time you hit the thumbs-up button. If you want to remove all your liked videos at once, YouTube does not have a single "clear all" button. Instead, you delete them in bulk by clearing your entire Liked Videos playlist, or you remove them individually if you want to keep some.
The fastest method is to go to your Liked Videos playlist and delete the whole thing. This takes about two minutes. If you want to keep some videos liked and remove only others, you will need to unlike them one by one, which takes longer but gives you control over which ones stay.
Key Takeaways
- Your Liked Videos playlist is private and separate from your watch history, so deleting likes does not affect what you have watched.
- You can delete all likes at once by removing the entire Liked Videos playlist from your account, which takes about two minutes.
- To remove only some likes, you unlike videos individually by clicking the thumbs-up button again on each one.
- Deleting a like is permanent and cannot be undone, so make sure you want to remove them before you start.
- This process works the same way on the YouTube website, the YouTube app on phone or tablet, and YouTube on a smart TV.
How to delete all likes at once on a computer
Go to YouTube.com and sign into your account. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select Your channel from the menu that appears.
On your channel page, look for the menu on the left side. Click Playlists. You will see a list of all your playlists, including one called Liked Videos. Click on it to open that playlist.
Once you are inside the Liked Videos playlist, click the three-dot menu button (it looks like three vertical dots) near the top right of the page. Select Delete playlist. YouTube will ask you to confirm — click Delete again. Your entire Liked Videos playlist and all the videos in it will be removed from your account.
How to delete all likes on the YouTube mobile app
Open the YouTube app on your phone or tablet and tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner. Select Your channel.
Tap the Playlists tab. Find Liked Videos in the list and tap it to open the playlist. Tap the three-dot menu button at the top right of the screen. Select Delete playlist and confirm when YouTube asks you to verify.
On some older versions of the YouTube app, the menu button may appear in a different location — look for three dots or three horizontal lines near the playlist title. The delete option will be in that menu.
How to unlike individual videos instead
If you want to keep some videos liked and remove only others, you can unlike them one at a time. Open your Liked Videos playlist the same way described above. Find a video you want to unlike and click the thumbs-up button next to it — the button will turn gray, and the video will be removed from your liked list when ready.
You can also unlike a video while you are watching it. While the video is playing, look for the thumbs-up button below the video title. Click it to unlike the video. The button will change from solid to outlined, showing that you have removed your like.
This method takes longer if you have hundreds of liked videos, but it lets you choose which ones to keep. There is no way to sort or filter your Liked Videos playlist to make this faster, so you will need to scroll through and unlike them manually.
What happens to your watch history when you delete likes
Deleting your Liked Videos playlist does not affect your watch history. YouTube keeps these two things separate. Your watch history is a record of every video you have watched, whether you liked it or not. Clearing your likes will not erase that history.
If you also want to delete your watch history, you can do that separately. Go to your account settings, find the Privacy section, and look for Clear all watch history. This is a different action from deleting likes, and you have to do it on purpose.
Why you might want to delete your likes
Some people delete their likes because they want to start fresh with YouTube recommendations. YouTube uses your liked videos to suggest new content, so clearing your likes can change what appears on your home page. This takes a few days to take effect as YouTube learns your new preferences.
Others delete likes for privacy reasons — if someone else uses your account or device, they will not see a record of videos you have liked. Clearing likes is also useful if your account has been active for many years and you want to remove old preferences that no longer match your interests.
How to prevent accidental likes in the future
If you find yourself liking videos by accident, you can be more careful about where you click. The thumbs-up button is always below the video title or next to the video in a list. Make sure you mean to click it before you do.
YouTube does not have a setting to disable the like button or require confirmation before liking a video. The only way to prevent accidental likes is to pay attention when you are clicking, or to unlike videos as soon as you realize you did not mean to like them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo deleting my Liked Videos playlist?
No. Once you delete your Liked Videos playlist, it is gone permanently. YouTube does not have an undo feature for this action. If you deleted it by accident, you will need to re-like the videos you want to keep by watching them again and clicking the thumbs-up button.
Does deleting likes change my YouTube recommendations?
Yes, but it takes time. YouTube uses your liked videos to suggest new content. After you delete your likes, the recommendations on your home page will start to change within a few days as YouTube adjusts based on your remaining activity. Your watch history and search history still affect recommendations even after you clear your likes.
Will other people see that I deleted my likes?
No. Your Liked Videos playlist is private, so only you can see it. When you delete it, no one else is notified. If you have made your Liked Videos playlist public (which is not the default), you would need to change that setting separately in your playlist options.
Can I delete likes from my phone but keep them on my computer?
No. Your YouTube account is the same across all devices. When you delete your Liked Videos playlist or unlike a video on your phone, that change happens to your account everywhere. If you sign into YouTube on a computer, tablet, or smart TV, you will see the same likes (or lack of likes) on all of them.
What if I only want to delete likes from a certain date or channel?
YouTube does not have a way to filter or sort your Liked Videos playlist by date or by which channel uploaded the video. You will need to go through your liked videos manually and unlike the ones you want to remove. Sorting them yourself by opening your playlist and scrolling through is the only option available.