Delete a Short from your channel

To remove a Short you posted, open YouTube Studio on a computer or phone, find the video in your uploads, and delete it the same way you would delete any other video. YouTube does not treat Shorts differently from regular uploads once they are posted — the deletion process is identical.

On a computer, go to YouTube Studio, click Uploads in the left menu, find the Short, click the three dots next to it, and select Delete forever. On a phone, tap the three dots next to the Short and choose Delete. The video is removed from your channel and from the Shorts feed within minutes, though it may take longer to disappear from search results or recommendations.

Once you delete a Short, viewers cannot watch it anymore. If people shared a link to that Short, the link will show an error. Comments, likes, and view counts disappear with it.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleted Shorts are removed from your channel and the Shorts feed within minutes, but may take longer to disappear from search results.
  • Deletion is permanent — you cannot recover a Short after you delete it, so read it first if you want to keep a copy.
  • You can only delete Shorts you posted yourself; you cannot delete other people's Shorts from your phone or computer.
  • If a Short is still uploading when you try to delete it, wait for the upload to finish before attempting deletion.

Delete a draft Short before posting

If you recorded a Short but have not posted it yet, you can delete the draft from the YouTube app. Open the app, tap your profile picture, go to Uploads, find the draft (it will show a progress bar or "Uploading" status), and swipe left on it to delete.

On some phones, you may need to tap and hold the draft, then select Delete from the menu that appears. The draft is removed when ready and cannot be recovered, so make sure you do not want to post it before you delete.

What happens when you delete a Short

When you delete a Short, YouTube removes it from your channel page, the Shorts feed, and search results. The video file is deleted from YouTube's servers. Any statistics — views, likes, comments, shares — are erased.

People who watched the Short before deletion will not see it reappear. If someone bookmarked or saved a link to the Short, that link will no longer work. YouTube does not send notifications to viewers when you delete a video, so they will only notice if they try to watch it again.

read your Short before deleting it

YouTube does not offer a built-in read button for Shorts you posted. If you want to keep a copy before deleting, you have two options: read it from your phone's camera roll if you still have the original file, or use a third-party video read tool.

The easiest method is to check your phone's photo or video library. If you recorded the Short in the YouTube app, the original file may still be on your device. If you recorded it in your phone's camera app and then uploaded it, the original is definitely there. Open your photos, find the video, and save it to a folder or cloud storage.

If you no longer have the original file and want to read the posted Short, you can use a video read website. Search "YouTube video downloader" and paste the Short's URL into the tool. These sites work with Shorts the same way they work with regular YouTube videos. Be aware that downloading a video you posted is legal, but downloading someone else's video without permission may violate copyright law.

Recover a deleted Short

YouTube does not offer a way to recover a deleted Short. Once you delete it, the video is gone permanently. You cannot restore it from a trash folder or request it from YouTube support.

If you deleted a Short by accident, your only option is to re-upload it. If you still have the original video file on your phone or computer, you can upload it again to YouTube. If you do not have the original file, you cannot recover the video.

Delete Shorts from your watch history

If you want to remove Shorts you watched (not posted) from your YouTube history, you can delete them individually or clear your entire watch history. This does not delete the Shorts themselves — it only removes them from your personal viewing record.

To delete a single Short from your history, open the Short, tap the three dots, and select Remove from watch history. To clear all watch history, go to your YouTube account settings, find Privacy, and select Clear all watch history. This action cannot be undone, so make sure you want to erase your entire history before confirming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a Short after I posted it?

Yes. Go to YouTube Studio, find the Short in your uploads, click the three dots, and select delete. The Short is removed from your channel and the Shorts feed within minutes. Deletion is permanent.

What if I delete a Short by mistake?

YouTube does not restore deleted videos. If you have the original video file on your phone or computer, you can upload it again. If you do not have the file, the Short cannot be recovered.

Does deleting a Short remove it from people's phones?

No. If someone downloaded or saved the Short before you deleted it, they will still have a copy on their device. Deletion only removes the video from YouTube's servers and your channel.

Can I delete comments on a Short without deleting the whole video?

Yes. In YouTube Studio, open the Short, go to the comments section, find the comment you want to remove, click the three dots next to it, and select delete. The comment is removed but the Short stays posted.

How long does it take for a deleted Short to disappear from search?

The Short is removed from the Shorts feed within minutes, but search engines and YouTube's search may take hours or days to stop showing it. If you search for the Short's title, old links may appear before they are fully removed from Google's index.