How to Clear Your YouTube Watch History

Follow these steps in order.

  1. Open "Watch history" from the Library tab

    Tap the Library tab (labeled "You" in newer versions of the app) at the bottom of the YouTube app, then open "Watch history."

  2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top corner

    Tap the three-dot icon in the top corner of the watch history screen.

  3. Select "Clear watch history"

    Choose "Clear watch history" from the menu and confirm to erase your entire history.

  4. Turn on "Pause watch history" to stop future tracking (optional)

    If you'd rather nothing get recorded going forward, the same menu lets you turn on "Pause watch history."

When your recommendations have gone off in a strange direction

If one video you clicked by accident keeps skewing your recommended feed, clearing your watch history resets the recommendation algorithm. It's also worth doing for privacy if you share a device with someone else.

History and search history are tracked separately

Clearing your watch history has no effect on your search history β€” the two are stored independently, so if you want to remove what you've typed into the search bar as well, that has to be cleared separately from its own menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I clear my watch history, does my search history get cleared too?

No β€” watch history and search history are managed separately, so to clear your search history you need to go to the "Search history" menu and delete it there as well.

Can I remove just one video from my history instead of everything?

Yes β€” in the watch history list, tap the three-dot menu next to the video you want to remove and select "Remove from watch history" to delete just that one entry.