I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.
See all posts Frank GogolHow to Cancel YouTube Premium
Updated on April 9, 2024
Written by
Written by
Reviewed by
Rohit Mittal
Reviewed by
Rohit Mittal
Rohit Mittal is the co-founder and CEO of Stilt. Rohit has extensive experience in credit risk analytics and data science. He spent years building credit risk and fraud models for top U.S. banks. In his current role, he defines the overall business strategy, leads debt and capital fundraising efforts, leads product development, and leads other customer-related aspects for the company. Stilt is backed by Y Combinator and has raised a total of $275M in debt and equity funding to date.
See all posts Rohit MittalAt a Glance
- YouTube Premium offers ad-free viewing, offline video downloads, background play, and access to YouTube Music Premium.
- Exclusive content called YouTube Originals is also included in the Premium package.
- To cancel, follow specific steps on the web, mobile devices, or the iOS App Store, depending on your device.
- After cancellation, enjoy Premium benefits until the next billing cycle.
YouTube Premium is a paid subscription that offers a convenient, ad-free experience.
It’s easy to register for YouTube Premium, but canceling it is another matter. In this article, we’ll talk about ways that you can cancel your Premium subscription, no matter what device you’re using.
What is YouTube Premium?
YouTube is one of the most popular social media and video streaming sites, with billions of audiences, millions of creators, and thousands of contents worldwide.
YouTube Premium is a convenient and highly entertaining app – an upgrade to the YouTube experience, so to speak. Watching YouTube without interruption makes entertainment, news, and even learning easy.
And it’s not just that either. YouTube Premium offers several other benefits for its users, such as the following.
- Ad-free viewing. YT Premium’s main value proposition allows you to watch videos without the pesky ads that populate the non-Premium viewing.
- Download videos for offline viewing. Depending on its availability in your country, you can download YouTube videos to watch offline.
- Background play. YT Premium lets you run YouTube in the background on your mobile devices, so your video will continue even if you’re doing something else or even if your home screen is off.
- YT Music Premium. A Premium account automatically comes with a YouTube Music Premium subscription, YouTube’s music streaming service much like Spotify.
- YouTube Originals. YouTube Originals are a group of video series or movies made by YouTube’s biggest contributors. Some are available to general users, but most are available only for Premium accounts.
As we can see, YouTube offers plenty of benefits for Premium users. But what if you want to cancel your subscription?
You might have noticed that YouTube is affecting your productivity, or maybe you’ve simply gotten bored of it. Regardless, you need to know how to opt out of YouTube Premium.
Fortunately, that’s what we’re here for. The following sections will discuss the various steps you can use to unsubscribe from YouTube Premium so that you can do it yourself.
How to Cancel YouTube Premium from the Web
YouTube Premium may not be the best for you anymore, thus pushing you to cancel your subscription. Don’t worry! You can easily do this through various methods, although it’s not always apparent.
Before we talk about the actual steps, it’s also important to note that upon cancellation, your Premium benefits will still continue until the next billing cycle.
Here are the steps to canceling your YouTube Premium account from a web browser.
- On your desktop, open your browser and go to YouTube.
- Navigate to your Profile page, which you can go to by clicking your profile icon found on the top-right corner of the interface.
- A menu will then open for your Account options. Under your name and profile picture, you should find “Your channel” and then “Purchases and Memberships.” Click Purchase and Memberships to proceed.
- You will then be brought to a new window that contains your purchases and memberships.
Under the membership section, you will see your Premium status on the left and then the “Manage membership” drop-down on the right. Click Manage membership.
- The Premium box should expand and reveal the details of your membership. Here, click the “Deactivate” button, which you will find on the right.
- YouTube will then caution you about canceling with a message that you can pause your subscription instead. To proceed with your decision, click “Continue to Cancel.”
- On the next pop-up window, YouTube will ask you about your reason for cancellation. Select a reason or write one of your own, and then click the Next button,
- YouTube will ask you one last time if you want to go. Click the “Yes, cancel” button to finalize your cancellation.
- Congratulations, your subscription is now canceled. YouTube will remove you from their subscription list, and you won’t be charged for the next billing cycle. Your Premium benefits should remain until the next billing cycle, though.
How to Cancel YouTube Premium on a Mobile Phone
The web browser isn’t the only place where you can cancel your subscription; you can also conveniently do it on your mobile device.
Whether you’re using an Android, iPhone, or iPad, follow the steps below to cancel your Premium account from your phone.
- Launch the app on your home screen.
- On the app, tap your profile picture located in the app’s top-right corner.
- You will then be redirected to the Profile options menu. On the bottom portion of the menu, you should see the “Purchases and memberships” option fourth from the bottom. Tap that to proceed.
- You’ll see a section for your purchases and membership on the next page. You should see your Premium status right below, so go ahead and tap that.
- The next page will contain the “Deactivate” button. Tap that to begin your cancellation.
- YouTube will then prompt you if you’re sure about your decision with a pop-up message. If you’re sure about canceling your account, hit “Continue to cancel.”
- The app will then direct you to a membership cancellation page, where YouTube details your cancellation terms. If you’re still sure you want to cancel after that, go to the bottom-right corner of the window and tap Next.
- In the next window, YouTube will also ask why your cancellation. You can select why you’re canceling your account from the options, or you can also choose not to answer. Regardless of what you choose, tap Next.
- The next window will show the final cancellation caution that YouTube will give you. To finalize your cancellation, tap the “Cancel Premium” button on the bottom right.
- After that, your account should then be removed from the Premium list. You will keep your Premium benefits until the next billing cycle, when they will be finally canceled.
How to Cancel YouTube Premium from the iOS App Store
If you’re using an iPhone and you want to cancel your YouTube Premium account from there, the steps will be a bit different.
This is because you’re not directly subscribing to YouTube when you’re on an iPhone, so you need to cancel via the Apple App Store. To do so, follow the steps below.
- On your iPhone home screen, go to Settings.
- Tap your profile name.
- Your iPhone will direct you to another set of options for your account. From this list, tap Subscriptions.
- You will then see a list of all the subscriptions you’re paying for on your iPhone. From here, tap YouTube Premium.
- On the next window, tap Cancel Subscription. This will deactivate your Premium account and cancel your regular billing cycle.
Read More
- How to Cancel Discovery Plus
- How to Cancel SiriusXM
- How to Cancel HBO Max
- How to Cancel Sling TV
- How to Cancel EA Play
- How to Cancel ESPN Plus
How to Cancel YouTube Premium: Conclusion
YouTube Premium is an excellent subscription with tons of value in our lives. However, many circumstances might lead you to want to cancel your subscription, and you definitely should be able to.
This article discussed the various methods of canceling your YouTube Premium subscription, whether you’re on PC, Android, or iOS.
Luckily, it’s easy to cancel your Premium subscription from the web. It’s equally easy to cancel other subscriptions such as YouTube TV, Hulu, Apple TV, and Disney Plus, so if you’re thinking of decluttering your subscriptions for the new year, better do it now!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Do I Cancel My YouTube Premium Subscription?
Log into your YouTube account, go to ‘Paid memberships’, and select ‘Cancel Membership’ next to YouTube Premium.
Can I Cancel YouTube Premium at Any Time?
Yes, you can cancel YouTube Premium at any time.
Will I Receive a Refund After Canceling YouTube Premium?
Refunds are typically not provided for the current billing period, but you’ll retain access until the period ends.
What Happens to My Access to YouTube Music and Other Premium Features After Cancellation?
Your access to YouTube Music Premium and other features will end once your current billing cycle concludes.
How Do I Cancel a YouTube Premium Free Trial?
The same steps apply: go to ‘Paid memberships’ in your YouTube account and select ‘Cancel Membership’.
Can I Restart My YouTube Premium Subscription After Canceling?
Yes, you can restart your YouTube Premium subscription anytime by subscribing again.
What Happens to My Saved Playlists and Preferences on YouTube Music After Cancellation?
Saved playlists and preferences on YouTube Music remain intact but without Premium benefits.
Is It Possible to Switch to a Different Plan Instead of Canceling YouTube Premium?
Yes, you can switch to different plans, like a family or student plan, if eligible, instead of canceling.
Are There Any Fees for Canceling YouTube Premium?
There are no additional fees for canceling YouTube Premium.
What Happens to My YouTube Originals and Downloads After Cancellation?
Access to YouTube Originals and any downloaded content is lost once the YouTube Premium subscription ends.
Frank Gogol
I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.