What blocking a video means on YouTube
YouTube does not have a single "block video" button that works the same way across all situations. What you can do depends on whether you want to hide a video from your own recommendations, prevent someone else from seeing your video, or stop a channel from appearing in your feed. YouTube calls these different actions by different names — "Don't recommend channel," "Restrict," and "Hide" — and they work in different ways.
If you uploaded a video yourself and want to control who sees it, you can change its visibility settings to Private, Unlisted, or Scheduled. If you want to remove a video you posted entirely, you delete it. If you want to hide someone else's video from your recommendations and search results, you tell YouTube not to recommend that channel to you. If you are a parent trying to prevent a child from watching certain content, YouTube has a separate restricted mode.
Key Takeaways
- To hide a video from your own recommendations, click the three dots next to any video and select "Don't recommend channel" — YouTube will stop showing you videos from that creator.
- To control who sees a video you uploaded, go to your video's visibility settings and choose Private (only people you invite), Unlisted (anyone with the link), or Scheduled (goes live at a date you set).
- To delete a video you posted, go to YouTube Studio, find the video in your uploads, and click the delete icon — this removes it completely from YouTube.
- Restricted mode, found in your account settings, filters out videos YouTube flags as potentially mature and prevents viewers from changing the setting on shared devices.
- If a video violates YouTube's rules, you can report it using the flag icon, but YouTube decides whether to remove it — reporting does not when ready hide it from your view.
Hiding videos from your own recommendations
The most common reason someone wants to block a video is because they keep seeing it in their recommendations or search results and do not want to. YouTube's solution is to tell the platform not to recommend that channel to you anymore.
Find any video from that creator in your feed or search results. Click the three vertical dots (the menu icon) next to the video title or thumbnail. Select "Don't recommend channel." YouTube will when ready stop showing you videos from that creator in your recommendations, and you will not see them in search results either. This does not delete the channel or the video — it just removes them from your personal feed.
If you change your mind later, you can undo this. Go to your YouTube account settings, select "Manage all your data," then find "YouTube Search and Watch History." Search for the channel name and click the X next to it to remove the block.
Changing who can see a video you uploaded
If you posted a video to your own channel and want to control its visibility, YouTube gives you three main options before or after you upload.
Go to YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com), find the video in your uploads, and click on it. Select "Details" and look for the visibility dropdown. Private means only people you invite by email can watch it — they must be signed into a Google account. Unlisted means anyone with the direct link can watch it, but it will not appear in search results or your channel page. Scheduled means you set a date and time when the video becomes public; until then, no one can see it.
You can change a video's visibility at any time. A video that is currently Public can be switched to Unlisted or Private. A Scheduled video can be published early or delayed. These changes take effect when ready.
Deleting a video you no longer want on YouTube
If you want to remove a video completely rather than just hide it, you delete it. This removes the video from YouTube entirely — the link will no longer work, and it will not appear anywhere on your channel.
Open YouTube Studio, find the video in your uploads, and click the three dots next to it. Select "Delete forever." YouTube will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, the video is gone and cannot be recovered. If the video has been up for a while, it may take a few hours for it to disappear from search results and recommendations.
Before you delete, consider whether Unlisted or Private might work instead. Unlisted videos stay on YouTube but do not show up publicly, so if you change your mind or someone asks for the link, you can still share it. Deleted videos cannot be recovered.
Using Restricted Mode to filter content
Restricted mode is a YouTube setting that filters out videos YouTube flags as potentially mature or inappropriate. It is designed for shared devices or accounts where you want an extra layer of filtering.
To turn on Restricted mode, scroll to the bottom of any YouTube page and click your account icon. Select "Restricted mode." Toggle it on. On shared devices, you can also lock Restricted mode so other users cannot turn it off without your password.
Restricted mode is not perfect — it relies on YouTube's automated flagging and creator labeling, so some mature content may still appear, and some appropriate content may be filtered out. It is a filter, not a block. If you are trying to prevent a child from accessing YouTube entirely, Restricted mode alone is not enough; you would also need parental controls on the device itself or through your internet provider.
Reporting videos that break YouTube's rules
If a video violates YouTube's Community Guidelines — for example, it contains harassment, hate speech, or misinformation about voting — you can report it. Click the flag icon below the video, select the reason it violates the guidelines, and submit your report.
Reporting does not when ready hide the video from your view or remove it from YouTube. YouTube's review team looks at reports and decides whether the video breaks the rules. This can take hours or days. If YouTube agrees the video violates its policies, it will be removed. If not, it stays up. You will not be notified of the outcome.
If you just do not want to see a video because you dislike the topic or creator, reporting is not the right tool — use "Don't recommend channel" instead. Reports should be used only when you believe the video actually breaks YouTube's stated rules.
Understanding the difference between hiding and removing
It is straightforward to confuse what each action does, so here is the clearest breakdown: when you hide a video, it stops appearing to you or to people you choose, but the video still exists on YouTube. When you remove a video, it no longer exists on YouTube at all.
"Don't recommend channel" hides videos from your recommendations but does not affect anyone else. Private or Unlisted visibility hides your video from public view but keeps it on your account. Deleting removes your video entirely. Restricted mode hides mature-flagged content from the current account or device. Reporting asks YouTube to review whether a video should be removed, but you do not control the outcome.
The action you need depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you want to stop seeing something, hide it. If you want to stop others from seeing something you posted, change its visibility. If you want it gone completely, delete it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block a specific person from watching my videos?
YouTube does not have a feature to block individual viewers from watching your public or unlisted videos. Your only options are to make the video Private (so only invited people can watch) or delete it. If someone is harassing you in comments, you can block them from commenting on your channel, but they can still watch your videos if they are public.
If I make a video Unlisted, can people still find it through Google search?
No. Unlisted videos do not appear in YouTube search or Google search. They only appear if someone has the direct link. This makes Unlisted useful if you want to share a video with specific people without making it fully public.
What happens to comments and likes when I delete a video?
All comments, likes, and views disappear when you delete a video. They are not saved anywhere. If you think you might want the video back later, consider making it Unlisted instead — you can always make it Public again.
Does "Don't recommend channel" notify the creator?
No. The creator has no way to know that you have blocked their channel from your recommendations. It only affects what you see.
Can I block YouTube from recommending videos about a specific topic?
YouTube does not have a topic-level block. You can only block individual channels. If you want to see fewer videos about a topic, you can clear your watch history, which resets your recommendations, or you can block channels one at a time as they appear.