How to Hide or Delete YouTube Channel (Step by Step)

Planning to hide or delete YouTube channel? Whatever the reason may be, you will find step-by-step instructions in this post.

Running a YouTube channel takes time, patience, and energy. Some creators take a break. Others want to remove their content for good. In each case, YouTube offers two different choices. You can hide or delete your YouTube channel.

Both actions sound similar. They are not the same.

Hiding a YouTube channel makes your content invisible to viewers. Your videos will disappear from search. Your channel will go offline. However, you can restore everything later.

Deleting a YouTube channel will remove everything. Videos will be deleted. Comments and likes will be erased. This will also remove your subscribers. This action cannot be undone.

The successful running of a YouTube channel requires constant effort. But deleting it is quite easy. In this post, we’ll tell you how to hide or delete a YouTube channel in simple steps.

Hide vs Delete a YouTube Channel — What’s the Real Difference?

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Before taking action, you need clarity. Hiding and deleting a YouTube channel leads to very different results.

What happens when you hide a YouTube channel

When you hide your channel, YouTube removes it from public view. Visitors won’t be able to see your videos. Your channel page will no longer appear in search results, including comments and likes.

You can bring your channel back later. Once restored, your videos and playlists will be back. However, you may not be able to fully recover your subscriber count. YouTube states that some interactions, such as comments, may not be visible again.

Hiding works best for creators taking a break or planning a fresh direction.

What happens when you delete a YouTube channel

Deleting removes your content from YouTube servers. Videos, playlists, comments, likes, and subscribers are erased. This action is permanent.

Your Google account remains active. Gmail, Drive, and other services continue to work. Only your YouTube content disappears.

Deleted videos do not return. Analytics data is lost. Monetization history tied to the channel disappears.

How to Hide or Delete YouTube Channel (via YouTube Studio)?

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1. Sign in to your YouTube account. Click your profile picture from the top-right corner to open the menu.

Choose YouTube Studio from the list.

2. A new page will open with a welcome message. Tap ‘Continue’ to exit the pop-up box. Click ‘Settings’ from the left pane.

A box will overlay your screen. Click ‘Channel’ from the left side menu. Shift to the Advanced settings tab.

Scroll down to the bottom and click on ‘Remove YouTube Content’. In the new page, enter your password to confirm your identity.

3. You will get two options now,

You can either hide the channel or delete all video content. Select the option you want to proceed with. To hide your YouTube channel, go to step 4.

To delete your YouTube channel, follow the steps in Step 5.

4. If you want to hide video content temporarily, choose the hide option.

Select all check boxes and hit the ‘Hide my channel’ button to finish.

5. Choose the ‘I want to permanently delete my content’ option to proceed.

Select all checkboxes and tap the ‘Delete my content’ button.

That’s it.

This way, you can hide all video content from the audience or delete the entire channel.

How to Hide or Delete YouTube Channel (via Settings)?

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1. Visit YouTube and sign in to your account with the channel. Click your profile picture from the top-right corner and choose ‘Settings’ from the menu.
2. Click ‘Advanced Settings’ from the newly opened page.

3. Scroll down through the main screen.

4. Click the ‘Delete channel’ option.

5. Confirm your identity by entering your password.

Choose the hide or delete option to proceed. Finally, tap the blue button to apply changes.

Done.

How to Hide or Delete YouTube Channel on iPhone and Android?

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1. Open the YouTube Studio app on your smartphone (iOS/Android).
2. Tap your profile picture icon in the top-right corner.
3. Ensure that you are logged in to the exact YouTube account you want to delete. If not, click the drop-down arrow to view other accounts and change.

Click the ‘Manage your Google Account option.

4. Head to the ‘Data & Privacy’ tab. Scroll down to the bottom to locate the ‘Download or delete your data’ section.

Select the ‘Delete a Google service’ option. It will connect you to the browser version of your Google account settings. Enter your password to continue.

5. Tap the ‘bin’ icon that appears next to YouTube videos.

6. Enter your YouTube password once again. Then, you will see options like this.

It’s similar to the desktop version. You can either temporarily hide uploaded YouTube videos or delete them permanently.

Choose an option to continue. Check all boxes and tap the blue button to finish.

Delete YouTube Channel on Android or iPhone (No app)

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This is another method for deleting your YouTube channel using a smartphone. For this method, you don’t need to install the YouTube Studio app on the device.

1. Open YouTube Studio on your mobile browser.
2. You will be asked to install YouTube Studio app. But you can ignore it.

Click on the ‘Continue to Studio’ option to proceed.

2. A new page will open with options to manage your videos and playlists.

Tap the gear icon in the bottom-left corner.

3. Choose Channel from the left pane of your pop-up box.

Head to the Advanced settings. Scroll-down. Click ‘Remove YouTube content’ under other settings.

Enter your password to confirm.

4. YouTube will now ask if you want to hide or delete your channel.

Pick an option and tap the blue button to finish.

That’s it.

Read How to Delete YouTube History (Desktop, iPhone, and Android)

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