Delete a playlist in three steps

To delete a playlist on YouTube, open the playlist, click the three-dot menu icon next to the playlist name, and select Delete playlist. YouTube will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, the entire playlist and all videos in it are removed permanently — you cannot undo this action.

The process works the same whether you are on a computer or the YouTube mobile app. The three-dot menu appears in the same location on both, and the confirmation step is identical.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a playlist removes it completely and cannot be reversed, so make sure you want to remove it before confirming.
  • The three-dot menu that opens the delete option appears next to the playlist name at the top of the playlist page.
  • Deleting a playlist does not delete the videos themselves from YouTube — only your collection of them is removed.
  • If you want to keep the playlist but remove specific videos, you can delete individual videos from it instead of deleting the whole playlist.

Where to find the delete option on desktop

Open YouTube in your web browser and navigate to the playlist you want to delete. You can find your playlists by clicking your profile icon in the top right corner and selecting Your channel, then clicking the Playlists tab on the left side of the page.

Once the playlist is open, look at the top of the page where the playlist name appears. To the right of the playlist name, you will see a three-dot menu icon (vertical dots). Click it to open a dropdown menu with several options, including Delete playlist. Click that option, and YouTube will show a confirmation dialog asking if you are sure. Click Delete to confirm.

How to delete a playlist on the YouTube mobile app

Open the YouTube app on your phone or tablet and tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner. Select Your channel, then tap the Playlists tab. Find the playlist you want to delete and tap the three-dot menu icon next to its name.

From the menu that appears, select Delete playlist. YouTube will ask you to confirm the deletion. Tap Delete to remove the playlist permanently. The process is the same on both Android and iOS.

What happens when you delete a playlist

When you delete a playlist, YouTube removes only the playlist itself — not the videos inside it. Those videos remain on YouTube and in the accounts of anyone who uploaded them. If you created the videos, they stay in your channel's video library. If other people created them, they remain on their channels.

Deletion is permanent. YouTube does not move deleted playlists to a trash folder or give you a window to recover them. Once you confirm the deletion, the playlist is gone. If you think you might want the playlist back later, consider making it private instead of deleting it, or removing only the videos you no longer want to keep.

Remove individual videos instead of deleting the whole playlist

If you want to keep the playlist but remove some videos from it, you do not need to delete the entire playlist. Open the playlist, find the video you want to remove, and click the three-dot menu next to that video's title. Select Remove from playlist. The video disappears from your playlist but remains on YouTube.

This approach is useful when you have a playlist with many videos and only want to clean out a few. You can remove videos one at a time without affecting the rest of the playlist or the videos themselves.

Make a playlist private instead of deleting it

Before you delete a playlist, consider whether you might want it back later. If you are unsure, you can make the playlist private instead. Open the playlist, click the three-dot menu next to the name, and select Playlist settings. Change the visibility from Public or Unlisted to Private. The playlist stays in your account but becomes invisible to other people.

A private playlist still appears in your Your channel section under Playlists, so you can find it later if you change your mind. You can make it public again at any time, or delete it permanently when you are certain you no longer need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a playlist deletion?

No. Once you confirm the deletion, YouTube removes the playlist permanently with no way to recover it. If you deleted a playlist by mistake, you would need to create a new one and add the videos back manually. This is why YouTube asks for confirmation before deleting.

Does deleting a playlist delete the videos in it?

No. Deleting a playlist only removes your collection of those videos. The videos themselves stay on YouTube. If you uploaded them, they remain in your channel. If someone else uploaded them, they stay on their channel.

What is the difference between deleting a playlist and making it private?

Deleting removes the playlist completely and permanently. Making it private keeps the playlist in your account but hides it from other people. You can still see and edit a private playlist, and you can make it public again later. If you are not sure you want to delete a playlist, making it private is safer.

Can I delete a playlist that other people have subscribed to?

Yes. If your playlist is public and other people have subscribed to it, you can still delete it. When you do, those subscribers will no longer see the playlist, and they will receive no notification. The videos in the playlist remain on YouTube.

How do I delete multiple playlists at once?

YouTube does not have a bulk delete feature. You must delete each playlist individually by opening it, clicking the three-dot menu, and selecting delete. If you have many playlists to remove, this takes time, but there is no faster way to do it through the YouTube interface.