How to Delete a YouTube Account

Follow these steps to permanently leave your YouTube account behind

By 

Elise Moreau 

Updated December 10, 2019

contrastaddict / Getty Images

YouTube is one of Google's most popular services. However, if you want to delete your youtube account, you can do it.

Whether you have several videos on your YouTube channel that you want to delete or comments you left on other users' videos that you don't want to be associated with anymore, deleting your YouTube account's content makes them all go away. The result is that it appears as if you have no YouTube account, while still retaining your Google account. You can delete your YouTube account in a web browser or from the YouTube mobile app.

To permanently delete your YouTube account (including all your videos and other data) from YouTube.com on the web:

1. Sign in to your YouTube account at YouTube.com in a browser and click youruser account icon in the top right corner of the screen, followed by Settings in the drop-down menu.

   

2. Select View or change your Google account settings in the Google account section.

   

3. Select Manage your data & personalization in the Privacy & personalization section.

   

4. Scroll down to the Download, delete or make a plan for your data section and select Delete a service or your account.

   

5. Select Delete a service in the Delete a Google service section.

   

6. Optionally select Download Data if you want to save your YouTube data before you permanently delete your account. You can check or uncheck the list of Google services you currently have for downloading data. You are also able to select the file type and delivery method.

   

7. Select the trash can icon that appears beside YouTube. You may be asked to sign in to your account for verification again.
8. Select I want to permanently delete my content to delete your YouTube account and all of its content. To go ahead with deletion, check the box to confirm to Google that you understand what is being deleted and then click Delete My Content.

If you aren't sure you are ready to delete, select I want to hide my channel instead so that your YouTube activity and content are set to private.

Once you click Delete My Content, the action cannot be undone.

Optionally Delete the Associated Google Account 

Your YouTube account is not separate from your Google account.

Even though you delete your YouTube content and data, as long as you keep your Google account, you still technically have a YouTube account—just with no YouTube content or trail of previous YouTube activity.

Deleting all YouTube content is usually sufficient, but if you want to take things a step further and delete your entire Google account, including all data from other Google products you use, then you can do this as well.

Deleting your Google account is not recommended if you still want to use Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, or any of the other Google products.

How to Delete the Associated Google Account 

1. Follow steps 1 through 4 above.
2. Select Delete your account. Sign in to your account for verification.

   

3. Read through the information on the screen so that you understand what will be deleted. Check the check boxes to confirm and click Delete Account.

   

This not only deletes your Google account but all the data you use on other Google products too. This action cannot be undone.

How to Delete Your YouTube Account in the App 

You can also delete your YouTube content and data using the YouTube app.

1. Open the YouTube app and tap your user account icon at the top right of the screen.
2. Tap Manage your Google Account.
3. Tap Account preferences.

   

4. Tap Delete Google services. You are prompted to sign in to your account to verify that it's you.
5. Select the trash can icon that appears beside YouTube. Again, you may be asked to sign in to your account for verification.

   

6. Tap I want to permanently delete my content if you're sure you want to delete your YouTube account and all of its content. If not, you can select I want to hide my channel so that your YouTube activity and content are set to private.
7. If you want to go ahead with deletion, check the box to confirm to Google that you understand what is being deleted and then tap Delete My Content.

   

This action cannot be undone.