How to delete a YouTube channel, and four alternatives to consider instead

<p>Cooper is a Senior Content Strategist at Vimeo. Her current fave rewatch is "Compartment No. 6."</p>
Cooper Savage
Why the unthinkable might actually be the right move for your business, and when to take the plunge.

While YouTube offers a vast audience and a compelling monetization model, it has its shortcomings, especially with customization and control. If you’ve changed your mind about operating a YouTube channel in favor of another platform, or just want to rebrand under a new moniker, you may want to delete your channel to avoid splitting your audience.

In this article, we’ll explain how to delete your YouTube channel, preserve your Google account, and save any YouTube videos you want to transfer to a new platform.

Break up with YouTube

How to delete your YouTube channel in 3 easy steps

Before you commit to deleting your YouTube channel permanently, consider just how far you want to go. Here are some things to keep in mind:

  • You can hide your channel and re-enable it later. Hiding your channel won’t permanently delete your content, but it will make it private so people can’t find your videos. 
  • Deleting your channel will delete its content. To preserve your content, download every video before deleting your YouTube channel. If you don’t have your videos stored on your device or hosted somewhere online, they’ll be gone forever.
  • Deletion removes your comments, playlists, and subscriptions. In addition, all of the user presence settings connected to your account will be removed. If you change your mind, you’ll have to start from scratch when returning to YouTube later.
  • Deleting your YouTube channel won’t affect your Google account. Your Google account will remain active even after you remove your YouTube connection.

To delete your YouTube channel permanently, you must use a desktop browser: You can’t delete your YouTube channel from the YouTube app. 

If you’ve decided to move forward, open a browser window on a desktop and navigate to the YouTube Studio, then follow these steps. 

1. Download all your videos


The YouTube Studio window displays all the videos in a channel.

Before you do anything permanent, you should take the time to download all the videos you’ve made. 

Open YouTube Studio and navigate to the “Content” tab. Then, check the boxes next to all your videos, open “More Actions,” and select “Download.” It might take a while if you have a lot of YouTube content, but it’s well worth the time to preserve your work. 

2. Open your YouTube channel settings

Some alt text for this image

Open the “Settings” tab of your YouTube account and navigate to the “Channel” section. Open “Advanced Settings” and scroll to the bottom, where you’ll find two options:

  • Manage YouTube account: This option takes you to your account settings, where you can change your YouTube channel status or create a new one.
  • Remove YouTube content: Select this option to continue toward a screen where you can permanently delete your YouTube channel and its content. 

3. Select what you want to delete

Alt text: The option to “Delete my content” appears under two checkboxes notifying the user of what will be deleted.

Open the “I want to permanently delete my content” section, check both boxes, and click “Delete my content.” Google will prompt you to enter your email address to confirm. After that, it will display a message letting you know that your content is being deleted. 

4 alternatives to consider

If you’re unsure whether deleting your YouTube account is the best idea, there are a few other steps you could take. We’ll highlight the four best options below.

But no matter what you choose, you can still move your content to a new platform like Vimeo, where you’ll have access to more customization options, more SEO controls, and an ad-free player.

Upload your videos to Vimeo today

1. Hide your YouTube channel

You can hide your YouTube channel when you get to the “Remove YouTube content” screen. This will mark it as private so people can’t find it in search results. That way, you can keep your comments, playlists, and subscriptions while still taking your YouTube channel out of the public eye.

2. Make videos private or unlisted

If you want to keep your channel up in case you change your mind, you can instead mark all (or some) of your content as private or unlisted. That way, you can still share it with people manually through YouTube Studio.

3. Rebrand your channel without deletion

It’s possible to rebrand your channel entirely, if that’s what you’re going for. To do so, navigate to YouTube Studio and open the “Customization” tab of your channel settings. From there, you can change the name, logos, description, and everything else that makes your channel unique. With a rebrand, you won’t have to start from scratch.

Check out Vimeo’s custom video player

4. Pause content creation

If you just want to take a break from creating content, removing your YouTube channel entirely isn’t necessary. You can instead update your description or write a post to your subscribers letting them know you’re taking a hiatus. Everything will be ready to go again when you return.

It’s time to try a YouTube alternative

Selecting the ideal platform to earn money from your video content is key for success. YouTube is famous for allowing creators to monetize mainly through ads, which can be distracting for viewers. On the other hand, Vimeo has alternatives to broaden your revenue streams, like Vimeo Streaming, a robust service for subscription-based video streaming. Let's compare the monetization features offered by Vimeo and YouTube to help you find the right match.

  • Make money with subscriptions. Connect with your customers and subscribers directly instead of relying on a network or major streaming service like Netflix or Hulu. On Vimeo, you genuinely have ownership of your content and audience insights, unlike YouTube. Plus, you have the option to sell or rent individual videos. Join customers like Dropout and SotoMethod, who already use Vimeo for their video subscription services.
  • Build your own branded apps. Vimeo helps you create branded web, mobile, and TV apps to reach audiences across Mac, PC, iPhone, Android, Roku, and more — wherever they’re watching.
  • User-friendly platform and analytics. Vimeo analytics monitor return on investment (ROI) and provide valuable insights on how your content is performing. Vimeo also takes care of customer service, legal compliance, and tax remittance so you can focus on what you do best, which is making content.
  • Digital content protection. Protect your videos with digital rights management (DRM), geo-blocking, and other extensive privacy settings.
  • Transparent pricing. Vimeo provides transparent and simple pricing that grows with your business. There are no hidden charges or surprise increases — just reliable costs that help you plan your budget efficiently.

Monetize your content with Vimeo Streaming

Frequently asked questions

Can you recover a deleted YouTube channel?

No, removing channels from YouTube permanently deletes them. Once the process is complete, you can't recover a deleted channel.

Can you delete the YouTube channel but not the account?

Yes. When you delete your YouTube channel, your Google account will still exist. However, you’ll have to rebuild any playlists you’ve made and redo your subscriptions. There’s no way to recover any comments or watch history, though, so keep that in mind.

How do I restore my hidden YouTube channel?

If you choose to hide your YouTube channel rather than delete it entirely, you can reopen your channel when you visit YouTube Studio. It will present the option as if you’re creating a new channel, but as long as you’re signed into the same YouTube account, it will restore all of your content.

How long does it take to permanently delete a YouTube channel?

If you only have a small number of videos, YouTube will delete your channel in a few seconds. However, if you have several long videos in your content library, it could take several hours or even days. Make sure you let the process run uninterrupted so your deletion finishes properly.

Publish videos with confidence on Vimeo

Leaving YouTube behind? Remember to check that all your content is downloaded and organized for later use. When you’re ready to move to a new platform, Vimeo has you covered with secure video hosting and a more controlled, professional, ad-free video experience for your viewers. 

To learn more, check out everything Vimeo video hosting offers, from custom monetization strategies to intricate video player customizations.

Create your own subscription channel

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