How to Delete Your YouTube History

Why you may want to delete your YouTube history

Your YouTube history contains a list of all the videos you have watched on the platform, including searches and comments. While this feature can be helpful for finding previously watched videos, it may also reveal personal information or preferences that you may not want to share with others. Additionally, clearing your YouTube history can improve your recommendations by removing videos that you are no longer interested in or that do not reflect your current tastes. Finally, deleting your YouTube history can be useful if you are sharing your account with others and want to keep your viewing habits private.

How to delete your YouTube history on desktop

To delete your YouTube history on desktop, follow these steps:

1. Open YouTube on your browser and sign in to your account.
2. Click on the three horizontal lines in the top-left corner of the screen to open the menu.
3. Click on “History” from the menu options.
4. Click on “Clear All Watch History” or “Clear Watch History” (if you only want to delete certain videos).
5. Confirm your choice by clicking “Clear Watch History” in the pop-up window.

Note: If you want to pause your YouTube history instead of deleting it, click on “Pause Watch History” instead of “Clear All Watch History.”

How to delete your YouTube history on mobile

To delete your YouTube history on mobile, follow these steps:

1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device and sign in to your account.
2. Tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap on “Settings” from the menu options.
4. Tap on “History & Privacy.”
5. Tap on “Clear Watch History” or “Clear Search History” (if you only want to delete your search history).
6. Confirm your choice by tapping “Clear History” in the pop-up window.

Note: If you want to pause your YouTube history instead of deleting it, toggle off the switch next to “Pause watch history” or “Pause search history” on the same page.

Tips for managing your YouTube history in the future

Here are some tips for managing your YouTube history in the future:

1. Use incognito mode: If you want to watch a video without it showing up in your history, use incognito mode or private browsing.
2. Turn off history tracking: You can turn off YouTube history tracking in your account settings, so YouTube won’t record your watch and search history.
3. Use separate accounts: If you share your device with others, consider creating separate YouTube accounts to keep your history and recommendations separate.
4. Regularly clear your history: Clearing your YouTube history regularly can help keep your account organized and your recommendations relevant to your current interests.
5. Use “Not Interested” and “Don’t Recommend Channel”: If you come across a video or channel that you’re not interested in, click on “Not Interested” or “Don’t Recommend Channel” to remove them from your recommendations.

How to pause your YouTube history

If you want to keep your YouTube history, but don’t want it to be tracked all the time, you can pause your history. Here’s how:

1. Open the YouTube app or website and sign in to your account.
2. Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Click on “Settings” from the menu options.
4. Click on “History & Privacy.”
5. Toggle on the switch next to “Pause watch history” or “Pause search history,” depending on what you want to pause.

Once you’ve paused your history, YouTube will stop tracking your watch and search history until you turn it back on.