How to delete a YouTube channel

Lately, we have been focusing on how you can build and expand a YouTube channel, and not so much on what to do when you are ready to delete a YouTube channel. There's no shame in making room for the other 113 million channels populating the legendary video platform, and let's face it, many of us have a few embarrassing vlogs still left over from seventh grade.

Whether you're looking to start fresh or simply no longer want to maintain your channel, deleting it is a simple process. In this step-by-step guide, we'll walk you through the process of deleting your YouTube channel. We'll also give an overview of IFTTT, our free automation platform that can help streamline all of your YouTube related tasks.

Why delete your YouTube Channel?

There are a variety of reasons why you may want to delete your YouTube channel. Perhaps you're no longer interested in creating content, or you've decided to move your content to a different platform. Why not just leave the channel to collect dust forever?

Whatever the reason, deleting your YouTube channel is the best way to ensure that your content is no longer visible and that your account is no longer active. This will prevent any further content from being uploaded and will also limit the possibility of someone else gaining access to your account.

Deleting vs. hiding your Channel

Before we dive into the steps for deleting your YouTube channel, it's important to note that there is a difference between deleting and hiding your channel. When you delete your channel, all of your content, comments, and subscribers will be permanently removed. This cannot be undone.

On the other hand, hiding your channel will make it invisible to other users, but all of your content and subscribers will remain intact. You can unhide your channel at any time.

How to delete your YouTube Channel

Now that you understand the difference between deleting and hiding your channel, let's get into the steps for deleting your YouTube channel.

Step 1: Sign in to your YouTube Account

The first step is to sign in to the YouTube account that is associated with the channel you want to delete. You can do this by going to YouTube.com and clicking on the "Sign In" button in the top right corner.

Step 2: Go to your Channel Settings

Once you're signed in, click on your profile picture in the top right corner and select "Settings" from the drop-down menu.

Step 3: Go to Advanced Settings

In the left sidebar, click on "Advanced Settings" under the "Channel" section.

Step 4: Click on "Delete Channel"

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "Delete Channel" button.

Step 5: Confirm your decision

You will be prompted to confirm your decision to delete your channel. Click on the "I want to permanently delete my content" checkbox and then click on the "Delete My Content" button.

Step 6: Enter your password

To ensure that it's really you deleting the channel, you will be asked to enter your password. Once you've entered your password, click on the "Delete My Content" button.

Step 7: Wait for the deletion process to complete

It may take a few minutes for the deletion process to complete. Once it's finished, you will receive an email confirming that your channel has been deleted.

How to delete a YouTube Channel on the YouTube app

If you're using the YouTube app on your iPhone, you can also delete your channel directly from the app. The steps are almost identical to deleting a channel on the web, but we figured we would go over them again. Here's how:

Step 1: Open the YouTube app

Open the YouTube app on your iPhone and sign in to the account associated with the channel you want to delete.

Step 2: Go to Your Channel Settings

Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner and select "Settings" from the menu.

Step 3: Go to Advanced Settings

Tap on "Advanced Settings" under the "Channel" section.

Step 4: Tap on "Delete Channel"

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap on the "Delete Channel" button.

Step 5: Confirm your decision

Just like on the desktop version, you will be prompted to confirm your decision to delete your channel. Tap on the "I want to permanently delete my content" checkbox and then tap on the "Delete My Content" button.

Step 6: Enter your password

Enter your password to confirm that it's really you deleting the channel.

Step 7: Wait for the deletion process to complete

It may take a few minutes for the deletion process to complete. Once it's finished, you will receive an email confirming that your channel has been deleted.

Better YouTube with IFTTT

IFTTT (If This Then That) is our free automation tool that allows you to create connections between over 800 of your favorite web services. This includes YouTube, which means that you can use IFTTT to improve and automate YouTube, both for a better viewing experience and a more streamlined channel-building journey.

For example, IFTTT can automatically download or upload videos to YouTube based on certain parameters set by you. It can also be used to send email notifications when a channel has been mentioned in a comment or video. By using IFTTT, you can make building a YouTube channel a piece of cake, or simply improve your everyday viewing experience.

Read on to hear more about our mission and our top picks for YouTube automation.

What is IFTTT?

IFTTT is our free web-based service and mobile app designed to boost productivity by automating tasks. It works by creating connections between popular apps and services, allowing them to work together seamlessly.

The basic idea behind IFTTT is to create "applets" or sets of instructions that trigger when certain conditions are met. This can be turning on the lights automatically when you enter your house, for example.

Founded in 2011, IFTTT has been used by over 25 million individuals to automate both business and home tasks, saving time and increasing efficiency. It's commonly used to connect disparate services and systems, making all products and services work well together in a way that instills user confidence. Best of all, it's free and only takes a couple of minutes to set up.

Top YouTube Applets

Download a liked file from YouTube to Google Drive

Keep your liked videos close with this helpful Applet. When you like a video, the file will be downloaded to your Google Drive account without you pressing a single button.

YouTube Tracks to Spotify

When applicable, your liked YouTube songs will be added to your Spotify playlist. This can save you time and add the convenience of not having to switch apps to find that one perfect song.

Automatically Tweet the videos you like

For every video you thumbs up on YouTube, this Applet will post a new Tweet to your Twitter account with the video title and link.

To enable these Applets and millions more (yes, millions), try IFTTT today for free!