Delete a liked video by removing it from your Likes playlist
Open the video you liked on YouTube. Click the thumbs-up icon (it will be filled in blue to show you liked it). The icon changes to an outline, and the video disappears from your Likes playlist when ready. That's the entire process — YouTube does not ask you to confirm or show you a list of what you're about to remove.
If you want to see what you've liked before you unlike it, go to your profile icon in the top right, select "Your channel," then click the "Playlists" tab. Find "Likes" in the list and click it. You'll see every video you've thumbed up. Click any video to open it, then click the filled thumbs-up icon to unlike it.
The video stays on YouTube — you're only removing your like and your record of liking it. The creator still sees the view, but the like count drops by one.
Key Takeaways
- Click the filled blue thumbs-up icon on any video to unlike it and remove it from your Likes playlist when ready.
- Your Likes playlist lives in your profile menu under "Your channel" and then "Playlists," where you can browse before unliking.
- Unliking a video removes it only from your account — the video itself stays on YouTube and the creator still sees your view.
- YouTube does not show a confirmation dialog when you unlike, so the change happens as soon as you click.
Find your Likes playlist on mobile and desktop
On desktop, click your profile icon in the top right corner. Select "Your channel" from the menu. Click the "Playlists" tab below your channel name. Scroll down to find "Likes" — it's usually near the top. Click it to open the full list.
On mobile (iPhone or Android), tap your profile icon at the bottom right. Tap "Your channel." Swipe left to the "Playlists" tab. Tap "Likes" to see all your liked videos. The process is the same on both platforms — find the video, open it, and click the thumbs-up icon to unlike.
Unlike multiple videos at once using a playlist editor
YouTube does not offer a bulk unlike feature that removes many videos in one action. You must unlike each video individually by clicking its thumbs-up icon. If you have hundreds of liked videos and want to clear most of them, you'll need to go through them one by one.
A faster approach: open your Likes playlist, then open each video in a new tab. Click unlike on each tab, then close it and move to the next. This takes less time than waiting for each page to load separately, though it still requires clicking the thumbs-up icon for every video you want to remove.
What happens to your watch history when you unlike
Unliking a video does not delete it from your watch history. YouTube keeps a separate record of every video you've watched, whether you liked it or not. Your watch history and your Likes playlist are two different things.
If you want to remove a video from your watch history instead, go to your profile, select "History," find the video, and click the X next to it. You can also pause your entire watch history from your account settings so YouTube stops recording what you watch — but this is separate from unliking.
Manage your Likes playlist privacy settings
By default, your Likes playlist is private — only you can see it. Other people cannot view what you've liked, even if they visit your channel. YouTube does not give you an option to make your Likes public the way you can with custom playlists.
If you want to share videos with others, create a custom playlist instead. Go to your Likes playlist, click the three dots next to any video, and select "Add to playlist." Choose "Create new playlist," give it a name, and set it to public or unlisted. This way you control exactly which videos appear and who can see them.
Undo an unlike if you change your mind
If you unlike a video by accident, click the thumbs-up icon again to like it. The video goes back into your Likes playlist when ready. YouTube does not have an undo button, but re-liking the video restores it to your list.
There's no time limit — you can unlike a video and re-like it days or weeks later. Your like count and timestamp update to the moment you re-like it, not the original time you first liked it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see when I liked a video?
YouTube does not show the date you liked a video in your Likes playlist. You can see the upload date of the video itself, but not when you thumbed it up. If you need to track when you liked something, you'll have to note it yourself or use a third-party tool that archives your YouTube data.
Does the creator know when I unlike their video?
Creators see the total like count on their videos, but YouTube does not notify them when a single person unlikes. They see the number go down over time, but not who unliked it or when. Your unlike is private to your account.
What if I delete my YouTube account?
When you delete your YouTube account, your Likes playlist disappears along with it. The videos stay on YouTube, but your record of liking them is gone. The like count on those videos drops by one for each video you liked.
Can I export my Likes playlist before deleting videos?
YouTube does not have a built-in export feature for your Likes playlist. You can take screenshots or use a third-party service that downloads YouTube data, but these are outside YouTube itself. Some tools let you save your liked videos as a list, though you'll need to research which ones are currently active.