How to cancel a YouTube subscription on any device

To cancel a YouTube subscription, go to YouTube.com, click your profile icon in the top right corner, and select "Purchases and subscriptions." Find the channel you want to unsubscribe from, click the three dots next to it, and select "Unsubscribe." On mobile, the steps are the same: tap your profile icon, go to "Purchases and subscriptions," find the channel, and tap "Unsubscribe."

The cancellation takes effect immediately. You will lose access to any exclusive content from that channel right away, though you can still watch their public videos. If you resubscribe later, you will not get a refund for the time you were unsubscribed.

If you subscribed through a third-party app or platform — like Apple, Google Play, or Amazon — you may need to cancel through that service instead of YouTube directly. Check your account settings on the platform where you made the purchase.

Key Takeaways

  • Unsubscribing from a channel happens in your "Purchases and subscriptions" section and takes effect immediately.
  • You lose access to exclusive member content but can still watch public videos from that channel.
  • If you subscribed through Apple, Google Play, or Amazon, cancel through that platform's settings, not YouTube.
  • YouTube does not refund unused subscription time when you cancel mid-month.
  • You can resubscribe at any time, but you will not recover the time you were unsubscribed.

Cancelling a YouTube channel membership versus YouTube Premium

A channel membership is a paid subscription to a single creator's exclusive content. A YouTube Premium subscription is a separate service that removes ads from all of YouTube and gives you offline viewing. The cancellation process is different for each.

To cancel a channel membership, follow the steps above: profile icon, "Purchases and subscriptions," find the channel, and unsubscribe. To cancel YouTube Premium, go to your profile icon, select "Purchases and subscriptions," find "YouTube Premium," and click "Manage membership" or "Cancel membership." YouTube Premium cancellations also take effect immediately, though you keep access until your current billing period ends.

What happens after you unsubscribe

Once you unsubscribe from a channel, you will no longer see that creator's videos in your recommendations or subscriptions feed. You will not receive notifications about their new uploads. However, you can still find and watch their public videos by searching for them or visiting their channel directly.

If the channel had exclusive member-only content, you lose access to that material immediately. Some creators offer a grace period or archive of member posts, but this varies by channel. If you want to keep access to exclusive content, you should not unsubscribe.

Cancelling subscriptions made through third-party platforms

If you subscribed to a YouTube channel through Apple's App Store, Google Play Store, or Amazon, you must cancel through that platform, not through YouTube itself. YouTube cannot process these cancellations because the payment relationship is with the third-party platform, not with YouTube.

To cancel an Apple subscription, go to Settings, tap your name, select "Subscriptions," find the YouTube channel, and tap "Cancel Subscription." On Google Play, open the Play Store app, tap your profile icon, go to "Manage subscriptions," find the channel, and tap "Cancel subscription." On Amazon, go to "Your Account," select "Memberships and Subscriptions," find the channel, and click "Cancel membership."

Refunds and billing after cancellation

YouTube does not refund the unused portion of your subscription if you cancel mid-month. Your access ends immediately, but you are charged through the end of your current billing cycle. For example, if you subscribed on the 15th of the month and cancel on the 20th, you have already paid for the full month and will not receive a refund for the remaining days.

If you were charged twice or believe you were charged in error, contact YouTube Support through your account settings. Explain the issue and provide your transaction details. Response times vary, but YouTube typically reviews billing disputes within a few business days.

Preventing unwanted charges

To avoid being charged for subscriptions you no longer want, check your "Purchases and subscriptions" section regularly. YouTube does not send reminders before charging you each month, so it is easy to forget about subscriptions you signed up for months ago.

If you want to pause a subscription instead of cancelling it, some creators offer a pause option in their membership settings. This lets you stop being charged without losing your membership status. Check the channel's membership page to see if this option is available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the creator know I unsubscribed?

Creators can see their total subscriber count, but they cannot see which individual viewers unsubscribe. Your unsubscribe is private. However, if you were a paying member, they may notice the loss of revenue from your membership.

Can I get a refund if I cancel within a few days?

YouTube's refund policy depends on the platform where you subscribed. If you subscribed directly through YouTube, refunds are not automatic. If you subscribed through Apple, Google Play, or Amazon, those platforms may offer refunds within a short window — usually 15 minutes to a few hours. Check your third-party platform's refund policy.

What if I cannot find the unsubscribe button?

Make sure you are logged into the account that made the subscription. Go to your profile icon, select "Purchases and subscriptions," and look for the channel name. If it does not appear there, the subscription may have been made on a different account or through a third-party platform. Check your email for a receipt to see which account or platform was used.

Can I cancel a subscription on someone else's account?

No. Only the account holder can cancel a subscription. If a family member subscribed to a channel on your account without permission, you will need to cancel it yourself from your account settings. If they subscribed on their own account, they must cancel it themselves.