Delete a video permanently from YouTube in three steps

To delete a video from YouTube, sign into your account, go to YouTube Studio, find the video in your uploads, and click the delete button. The video disappears from your channel immediately, though it may take a few hours for it to stop appearing in search results and recommendations. Once deleted, the video cannot be recovered — YouTube does not keep backups of deleted content.

You need to be the channel owner or have editor permissions to delete videos. If you share your channel with others, only those with the right access level can remove content. The process works the same whether you uploaded the video yesterday or years ago.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleted videos disappear from your channel right away but may stay visible in search results for a few hours.
  • You cannot undo a deletion, so download or save any video you might want later before you remove it.
  • Only the channel owner or someone with editor permissions can delete videos from a channel.
  • If a video is private or unlisted, you can still delete it using the same steps as public videos.
  • Deleted videos stop generating views and watch time, and any revenue from that video stops immediately.

Step-by-step: delete a video from YouTube Studio

Step 1: Sign into YouTube Studio. Go to studio.youtube.com and log in with the account that owns the channel. If you manage multiple channels, make sure you are signed into the right one — you can see which channel you are on in the top right corner.

Step 2: Open the Videos section. On the left menu, click "Content" and then "Videos". You will see a list of all videos on your channel, with the newest ones at the top. If you have many videos, use the search box to find the one you want to delete by typing part of the title.

Step 3: Click the three-dot menu next to the video. Hover over the video title or thumbnail, and a three-dot menu icon will appear on the right side of that row. Click it to open a dropdown menu with options including "Delete forever".

Step 4: Click "Delete forever" and confirm. A popup will ask you to confirm the deletion. Click the red "Delete forever" button. The video is now removed from your channel and cannot be recovered.

What happens to your video after you delete it

Your video stops appearing on your channel page immediately. Viewers who try to visit the video link will see a message saying the video is no longer available. However, the video may still show up in YouTube search results, in the "Up next" recommendations, or in playlists for several hours while YouTube's systems update.

If other channels embedded your video on their websites, those embeds will show a blank player with an error message. Any comments, likes, or shares on the video are deleted along with it. If you earned revenue from the video before deletion, that revenue is kept — YouTube does not reverse payments — but the video stops earning money from the moment you delete it.

The deletion is permanent. YouTube does not store deleted videos in a trash folder or recovery bin. If you think you might want the video back later, download it to your computer before you delete it from YouTube.

Download your video before deleting it

YouTube does not offer a built-in download button in YouTube Studio, but you can save your original video file if you still have it. When you first uploaded the video, you kept a copy on your computer — that is the file to save. If you no longer have the original file, you can use a third-party video downloader to save the YouTube version, though the quality may be lower than the original.

To download using a third-party tool, copy the video URL from YouTube, paste it into a downloader website or app, and follow that tool's instructions. Be aware that downloading a video you own is legal, but downloading videos you do not own may violate YouTube's terms of service and copyright law.

Delete multiple videos at once

If you need to remove several videos, you can select them all and delete them together. In YouTube Studio, go to Content and then Videos. Click the checkbox next to each video you want to delete, or click the checkbox at the top to select all videos on the current page. Once you have selected the videos, a menu will appear at the top with a "Delete" option. Click it and confirm the deletion.

Be careful when selecting all videos — this only selects the videos shown on the current page, not your entire channel. If you have hundreds of videos, you will need to delete them in batches. There is no way to delete your entire channel's videos in one action without deleting the channel itself.

Delete a video if you are not the channel owner

If you manage a channel but are not the owner, you can only delete videos if the owner gave you editor permissions. Owners can give different permission levels to different people: viewers can only watch, commenters can comment, contributors can upload and edit, and editors can do everything contributors can do plus delete videos.

If you do not see the delete option when you click the three-dot menu, you do not have editor permissions. Ask the channel owner to give you editor access, or ask them to delete the video for you. The owner can change your permissions in the channel settings under "Manage users".

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a deletion after I delete a video?

No. YouTube does not have an undo feature or a trash folder for deleted videos. Once you click "Delete forever" and confirm, the video is gone permanently and cannot be recovered. This is why it is important to download your video or save a copy before you delete it.

Will deleting a video hurt my channel's watch time or subscriber count?

Deleting a video removes the watch time it generated, which can lower your total channel watch time. However, it does not affect your subscriber count. If you are trying to reach YouTube Partner Program requirements, deleting videos that have low watch time may actually slow your progress toward the 4,000 watch hours needed.

What if I delete a video by accident?

You cannot recover it. If you deleted it recently, contact YouTube Support to ask if they can help, though they rarely restore deleted content. For the future, download copies of videos you want to keep, or move videos to an unlisted or private status instead of deleting them if you are unsure.

Does deleting a video remove it from playlists?

Yes. When you delete a video, it is removed from all playlists that included it. Viewers who try to play that video in a playlist will see a message that the video is unavailable. If you want to keep the video in playlists but hide it from your channel, make it unlisted instead of deleting it.

Can I delete videos from someone else's channel?

No, unless the channel owner gave you editor permissions. You can report videos that violate YouTube's policies, but only the owner or someone with editor access can delete videos from that channel. If you own the channel, check your user management settings to see who has what permissions.