How to view and clear YouTube history

Updated: 07/13/2023 by Computer Hope
Youtube play icon

Unless you're using Incognito or InPrivate mode, every site you visit on the Internet is recorded by your Internet browser. YouTube doesn't record your activity on other sites, but it does record which videos you've watched on its site. To delete your watch history on YouTube, select the appropriate option below and follow the instructions.

View and clear watch history on YouTube website

To clear your YouTube watch history on their website, whether you're on a desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet, follow the instructions below.

  1. Go to the YouTube website and click YouTube sign in button in the upper-right corner (if you're not already signed in to a YouTube account).
  2. Click the hamburger icon YouTube hamburger menu icon. in the upper-left corner of the screen to expand the menu.
  3. Click the History selector.

History selector

Clear all history

On the right side of the screen, you see a section with two options: Watch history and Community. Select one of the radio buttons, and then click the Clear all watch history option.

Clearing all watch history on YouTube.

Tip

You can select Pause watch history to temporarily stop YouTube from tracking the videos you watch.

Clear individual videos

Move your mouse cursor over the video entry and click the Remove from watch history Grey 'X' icon on YouTube. icon that appears.

Removing a single watch history entry on YouTube.

View and clear watch history on YouTube mobile app

If you are using the YouTube mobile app on a smartphone or tablet, you can clear your watch history by following the steps below.

  1. Open the YouTube app and sign in to the desired account.
  2. Tap the profile icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Profile icon on YouTube mobile.

  1. Scroll down and tap Settings.

Settings selector on YouTube mobile.

  1. Tap Manage all history.

Manage all history selector on YouTube mobile.

Clear all history

Ensure the History tab is selected (A). Then, tap Delete (B) and select Delete all time (C) from the pop-up menu.

Deleting all YouTube history on the mobile app.

Clear individual videos

Tap the "X" symbol next to a date or video entry to remove it.

Removing individual history entries on YouTube mobile.

Manage YouTube history settings through MyActivity

Google released a utility called MyActivity that allows users to manage any history recorded when using one of its services, such as Google Maps or the Google Search bar. To manage the history of your YouTube account or other Google services, see: How to view, edit, and disable Google search history.