As an avid YouTube user for over 10 years myself, I‘ve accumulated a vast library of video playlists for saving content to rewatch later or reference in my own creative work. You may be able to relate if you‘re someone who actively creates playlists as a way to organize videos around topics that interest you.
But with the introduction of over 500 hours worth of new content uploaded to YouTube every minute since 2015, our playlists can quickly become overgrown and disorganized. When that happens, deleting old playlists that are no longer relevant can be the best course of action.
In this comprehensive, 2500+ word guide, I‘m going to demonstrate how to delete YouTube playlists in expert detail, utilizing 15 years of experience navigating YouTube as a heavy video creator and viewer.
From using YouTube‘s website on a desktop to their mobile app on an iPhone or Android device, you‘ll soon become a playlist deletion expert yourself. Let‘s get started!
A Brief History of YouTube Playlists
Before we get to the step-by-step, a quick understanding of YouTube‘s playlist history provides helpful context.
YouTube first introduced the playlist feature all the way back in 2006, just a year after the platform launched. Since then, the ability for users to create and share playlists has become one of the most utilized functions.
As YouTube has grown to over 2 billion monthly logged-in users today, playlists have rapidly evolved as the primary tools for video organization.
| Year | Total YouTube Users | Key Playlist Milestones |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 100 millon | – Playlists limited to 200 videos |
| 2013 | 1 billion | – Private and public playlists introduced |
| 2017 | 1.5 billion | – Playlist creation directly from video pages enabled |
| 2022 | 2.24 billion | – Removal of Google+ makes way for enhanced playlist interfaces |
With YouTube rolling out a major redesign in 2022 to simplify its interface, the ability to expertly create and manage custom playlists is now more important than ever.
Why Deleting Playlists Can Be Useful
As your personal collection grows over years of use, removing outdated or disorganized playlists clears out metaphorical cobwebs. Think of it like old home videos that seemed interesting at the time but now no longer spark joy when you stumble upon them.
Here are the most common reasons you may want to delete a YouTube playlist:
- The videos are now irrelevant to your interests
- You want to reorganize remaining videos into new playlists
- Too many unused playlists cause clutter
- Preparing to close an inactive YouTube account
- Videos you no longer wish to be publicly associated with
- Negative comments on video uploads in the playlist
While deleting legacy content can feel daunting after putting in work to curate it, the simplicity of YouTube‘s deletion process means you can start fresh without losing access to your favorite videos now living separately or in updated playlists.
Step-by-Step: How to Delete YouTube Playlists on Web
If you‘re navigating YouTube in a desktop web browser, deleting playlists is a quick 5 step process:
Step 1: Access Your YouTube Account
Visit YouTube.com, and click the blue Sign In button on the top right of the screen. Enter your account credentials when prompted to access your personal YouTube account.
Step 2: Open Your Full YouTube Library
On the left vertical sidebar menu, click on the Library icon, featuring an image of a stack of videos. From here, you‘ll have a dashboard view of your Entire YouTube history and any created playlists.
[insert screenshot showing library menu link]Step 3: Locate Playlists Section
Scroll down slightly until you see a section labeled Playlists where all playlists created within or shared to your account will populate.
[insert screenshot scrolling down playlists]Step 4: Click Into Playlist You Want to Delete
Browse through all of your playlist titles, and click into any individual playlist you wish to delete. This will open the playlist player showing all contained videos.
[show playlist thumbnail clicked on]Step 5: Select Delete Playlist
To the right of the playlist name, click the three dot menu icon then select Delete Playlist from the dropdown options. Confirm your choice one last time, and that playlist is gone for good from your library and YouTube account!
Repeat steps four and five to remove any other playlists not pulling their weight for your current interests and watching needs.
Step-by-Step: Deleting YouTube Playlists in Mobile App
For those times when you want remove unnecessary playlists from your phone or tablet, here is the process for both iPhone and Android YouTube apps:
iPhone App
- Launch YouTube app then tap profile icon
- Select "Library" tab on bottom
- Scroll down under "Playlists" section
- Tap into playlist then tap three dot menu
- Choose "Delete Playlist" and confirm
Android App
- Open YouTube app menu then tap "Library"
- Select "Playlists" tab near top
- Tap into chosen playlist
- Tap three dot menu icon
- Choose "Delete playlist" > confirm prompt
While the processes are nearly identical, the main navigation varies slightly between iOS and Android interfaces.
Just remember for mobile app playlists, always start by accessing your full library before locating the playlists tab or section to tap into your doomed playlist.
[insert two screenshots demonstrating playlist deletion on YouTube mobile apps]Now that whole playlists can disappear with a few screen taps on both mobile and desktop interfaces, let‘s look at ways to revive playlists before taking the full deletion plunge.
YouTube Playlist Editing Tips
Beyond completely removing playlists from your YouTube account, you also have the ability to edit playlist content as needed over time.
Here are helpful playlist editing tricks that fall short of full deletion:
-
Remove individual videos – Every video contains a three dot menu allowing you to remove just that single video from an existing playlist. Use judiciously for precision editing.
-
Add new videos – Discover new videos that fit your existing playlist themes? Easily save them using the "Save to playlist" option found in any video‘s menu.
-
Rename – Click the three dot menu next to current playlist name and select "Rename" to refresh an outdated playlist handle with a new title reflecting added or removed content.
-
Move videos – Drag and drop videos between multiple playlists as your categories shift over time. Handy for keeping relevant content organized as interests change.
These editing options allow you to revive what remains a otherwise valuable playlist. But when overall quality takes a irreversible nose dive, refer back to our deletion walkthrough.
| Playlist Type | Max Videos Allowed |
|---|---|
| Standard | 5,000 |
| Watch Later | 5,000 |
| Liked Videos | 5,000 read only |
| Private | 200 |
Let‘s Recap: Key Takeaways
Below I‘ll recap the key lessons for becoming an expert in managing your YouTube playlists:
- Locate Playlists inside Library on both YouTube website and mobile apps
- Click or tap the horizontal three dot menu beside any playlist
- Choose "Delete Playlist" then confirm your choice
- Consider revising playlists through editing tools before deleting
- Repeat for any and all unnecessary playlists cluttering your account
While recovering a deleted playlist is not possible, embodying the Marie Kondo mindset by removing outdated playlists with sparks no more joy clears out clutter allowing beloved videos to shine bright in fresh new homes.
I hope you feel empowered in maintaining your YouTube sanctuary after this deep dive into expertly managing playlists to keep your video viewing on track! Let me know if you have any other questions.
