How to Cancel YouTube Premium (2026 Guide)
Here's how to cancel YouTube Premium in 2026 — about a minute on the web, where the button is labeled Deactivate rather than "cancel." If Apple bills you, the path runs through Apple's subscription settings instead, and you also lose access to the pause option the rest of us get.
Quick answer
- Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships and sign in.
- Click Deactivate.
- Click Continue to cancel.
- Pick a reason, click Next, then Yes, cancel.
- Billed through Apple? Cancel via Manage Apple Subscriptions instead.
Cancel YouTube Premium on the web
- Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships.
- Click Deactivate next to your membership.
- Click Continue to cancel.
- Select your reason for cancelling and click Next.
- Click Yes, cancel.
Cancel YouTube Premium on Android
- In the YouTube app, tap your profile picture.
- Go to Paid memberships.
- Tap the membership you want to cancel.
- Tap Continue to cancel, select your reason, tap Next, then Yes, cancel.
Subscribed through Google Play instead? Open the Play Store → profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → YouTube Premium → Cancel, pick a reason if prompted, and confirm Cancel subscription.
Cancel YouTube Premium on iPhone/iPad
If Apple bills you, YouTube hands the cancellation to Apple:
- In the YouTube app, tap Settings.
- Go to Purchases and memberships.
- Tap the membership you want to cancel.
- Tap Manage Apple Subscriptions.
- Tap your membership, then Cancel.
Before you cancel
Pause instead: Google lets you pause Premium for 1 to 6 months with a slider (except Apple-billed members). While paused you drop to regular free YouTube, and billing resumes automatically when the pause ends — so set a renewal reminder for the restart date if you're on the fence.
You keep benefits to the end of the cycle: ad-free playback, downloads, and the bundled YouTube Music Premium all run until your current billing period closes. Cancelling early costs nothing.
After cancelling, you're back on free YouTube with ads — your account, subscriptions, and playlists are untouched. Watch your next statement to confirm the recurring charge stopped; a Premium charge that survives cancellation usually means a second Google account is subscribed, which is a classic gray charge to hunt down.
Where you subscribed matters more than where you watch: Google can't cancel an Apple-billed membership, and Apple can't touch a Google-billed one. The name next to the charge on your card statement — Google or Apple — tells you which door to use. If neither store shows the subscription under your usual login, check an old Google account; memberships have a habit of living on the email address you stopped using.
Why this one slips through audits: ad-free is easy to forget you're paying for precisely because its absence is invisible — no bill-shaped reminder ever appears on screen. That makes Premium the textbook quiet recurring charge, and the first place subscription creep hides on a family's card. Deciding once a year whether the ad-free months were worth it beats never deciding at all. Put that yearly check on the same day you review the rest of your recurring charges, and this page becomes a once-a-year read instead of a rescue mission.
FAQ
Can I pause instead of cancelling?
Yes, 1–6 months via the slider — unless Apple bills you, in which case pausing isn't available.
How do I cancel if I subscribed through Apple?
YouTube app → Settings → Purchases and memberships → your membership → Manage Apple Subscriptions → Cancel.
Do I keep benefits after cancelling?
Yes, until the end of the billing period you've paid for. No further charges after that.
Does this also cancel YouTube Music Premium?
If Music comes bundled with your Premium membership, yes — they end together.
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Start Free — No Card NeededSteps verified: July 2026. Noticed a change? Email support@subfoxy.com.