YouTube playlists disappear in two ways: you can delete the whole playlist, or remove individual videos from it

If you created a playlist on YouTube, you own it completely — you can delete the entire thing in about 30 seconds, or remove just one video and keep the rest. The steps are different depending on whether you're on a computer or phone, and whether you want the playlist gone forever or just want to clean it up.

The fastest route is usually through your YouTube account on a computer, where you can see all your playlists at once and delete from there. On a phone, you can delete a playlist while you're watching it, but you have to go into the playlist itself first. Either way, deletion is permanent — YouTube does not keep a trash folder for playlists.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a playlist on a computer takes three clicks: go to your library, find the playlist, click the three-dot menu, and select delete.
  • On a phone or tablet, open the playlist you want to delete, tap the three-dot menu at the top, and choose the delete option.
  • Removing a single video from a playlist keeps the playlist itself — only that one video disappears from the list.
  • Once you delete a playlist, YouTube does not recover it, so make sure you want it gone before you confirm.
  • Private playlists and public playlists delete the same way; the privacy setting does not change the deletion process.

Delete a playlist on a computer

Open YouTube in a web browser 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 left sidebar. Click Playlists to see all the playlists you have created. Find the playlist you want to delete and hover your mouse over it. A three-dot menu icon will appear in the top right corner of the playlist box. Click that menu.

A small dropdown menu will show options including Delete playlist. Click it. YouTube will ask you to confirm — click Delete again to finish. The playlist is now gone, and any videos in it remain on YouTube but are no longer grouped together.

Delete a playlist on a phone or tablet

Open the YouTube app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Select Your channel from the menu. Tap Playlists to see your list.

Find the playlist you want to delete and tap the three-dot menu next to its name. Select Delete playlist from the options. Confirm the deletion when YouTube asks. On some phones, the menu appears when you long-press (hold down your finger) on the playlist name instead of tapping a three-dot icon — try both if you do not see the menu right away.

Remove a single video from a playlist without deleting the whole playlist

If you want to keep the playlist but remove one video from it, open the playlist and find the video you want to remove. Hover over the video (on a computer) or tap it (on a phone) until a three-dot menu appears next to the video title.

Click or tap the menu and select Remove from playlist. The video disappears from your playlist but stays on YouTube and in any other playlists where you added it. The rest of your playlist remains unchanged.

What happens to videos when you delete a playlist

Deleting a playlist does not delete the videos themselves. Every video in the playlist stays on YouTube — it just is no longer grouped with the others. If you created the videos, they remain in your channel. If you added other people's videos to your playlist, those videos stay on their creators' channels.

The only thing that disappears is the grouping and the playlist page itself. Anyone who had the link to your public playlist will see a "playlist not found" message if they try to visit it after you delete it.

Playlists you cannot delete

YouTube creates some playlists automatically — Watch later, Liked videos, and History are system playlists that you cannot delete. You can remove individual videos from these playlists, but the playlists themselves stay in your account.

If you created a playlist yourself, you can always delete it. If someone else created a playlist and added you as a collaborator, you can remove yourself from it but cannot delete the whole playlist — only the creator can do that.

Recovering a deleted playlist

YouTube does not have an undo button for deleted playlists. Once you confirm the deletion, the playlist is gone for good. The videos remain, but the list itself cannot be recovered.

If you think you might want the playlist back later, consider making it private instead of deleting it. A private playlist is invisible to everyone except you, so it takes up no space in your public profile but you can restore it to public status whenever you want. To make a playlist private instead of deleting it, open the playlist, click the three-dot menu, select Playlist settings, and change the privacy to Private.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete someone else's playlist?

No. You can only delete playlists you created. If someone else created a playlist and shared it with you, you can remove yourself from it or remove individual videos you added, but you cannot delete the entire playlist. Only the creator has that power.

What if I delete a playlist by accident?

YouTube does not recover deleted playlists. If you deleted it by mistake, you would need to recreate it and add the videos back manually. This is why making a playlist private is sometimes safer than deleting it — you can always make it public again later if you change your mind.

Does deleting a playlist affect my watch history or recommendations?

No. Deleting a playlist does not change your watch history, recommendations, or any other part of your YouTube account. It only removes the playlist itself. Videos you watched remain in your history whether or not they were in a deleted playlist.

Can I delete a playlist if it has hundreds of videos in it?

Yes. The number of videos in a playlist does not matter — deletion takes the same three clicks whether the playlist has one video or one thousand. YouTube deletes the entire playlist at once, not video by video.

Will people know if I delete a public playlist?

If someone had the link to your public playlist, they will see an error message when they try to visit it after you delete it. They will not get a notification that you deleted it, but they will know it is no longer there if they try to access it.