How to delete your YouTube history all at once, or remove videos one at a time, on desktop or mobile

By

youtube appAntonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

YouTube is a treasure trove of videos, from vlogs to music videos to full-length movies. You can seriously lose hours on the site, and your history will quickly fill up with all the videos you’ve watched.

While it can sometimes be convenient to have a record of what you’ve watched on YouTube, in case you want to re-watch a particular clip at a later date, not everyone is fond of the site’s ability to track and display your viewing history. 

If you’re one of these people, you may want to delete your YouTube history regularly. Thankfully, doing this is quick and easy and won’t take more than a few seconds. 

Here’s how to do it on your desktop, or in the iPhone or Android mobile app.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone Xs (From $999.99 at Best Buy)

Google Pixel 3 (From $799.99 at Best Buy)

How to delete your YouTube history on desktop

1. Go to https://www.youtube.com and ensure you’re logged into your account. 

2. Using the menu on the left-hand side of your screen, click on the History option to be taken to your YouTube History page. 

3. On the right side of the History screen, click the "Clear all watch history" option, which will launch a pop-up window asking you to confirm the deletion of your YouTube history on all devices you’re signed in on. 

screen 1Jennifer Still/Business Insider

4. Click "Clear watch history" again to complete the deletion process. 

screen 2Jennifer Still/Business Insider

When you hover over every title in your history, an X will appear next to it. You can click that to remove specific videos from your history instead of clearing your entire history at once.

How to delete your YouTube history on the mobile app

1. Locate the YouTube icon on your phone’s home screen and tap to open it. 

2. Tap the Library button on the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The icon will look like a file folder. 

3. On your Library screen, tap the History option. 

4. On the History screen, look for the three vertically-stacked lines or dots in the upper right-hand corner of your screen, just to the right of the search icon, and tap them. 

IMG_8106Jennifer Still/Business Insider

5. Tap "History controls," then "Clear watch history" under the History and privacy header.

6. A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm the deletion of your YouTube watch history across all devices in which you’re signed into your account. Tap "Clear watch history" again to complete the deletion process. 

IMG_8107Jennifer Still/Business Insider

If you want to remove singular videos from your history instead of deleting the entire thing, tap the three dots next to any video’s title and tap "Remove from Watch History."

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

NOW WATCH: 5 things wrong with Apple’s lightning cable

See Also:

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget

Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Jennifer Still)

MustHaves.LA a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.