How to Cancel YouTube Premium (Formerly YouTube Red)

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Updated June 24, 2019

YouTube Premium, previously YouTube Red, has a lot of benefits that many viewers will appreciate but it isn't for everyone and you may find yourself wanting to cancel your membership.

Whether you're taking a break from YouTube and social media, cutting back on paid subscriptions, or simply wanting to terminate your membership before your free trial is up, canceling your YouTube Premium subscription is both possible and relatively straight forward.

Here's everything you need to know about how to unsubscribe from YouTube Premium.

What Does YouTube Premium Do?

YouTube Premium offers several, well, premium perks that you will lose once you cancel your membership.

Ad-free viewing. YouTube Premium subscribers will see now banner advertisements nor any pre, mid, or post-roll video ads while using YouTube.
Offline viewing. Those with a YouTube Premium membership can download some videos to the YouTube app for viewing at a later time.
YouTube Originals. Unlimited access to TV series, specials, and movies created exclusively for YouTube Premium subscribers. One such example is the Karate Kid sequel series, Cobra Kai.
Background play. Paid subscribers can still listen to YouTube videos and music with the app minimized on their device.
YouTube Music Premium. Access to YouTube Music's library of music completely ad-free and with offline listening options.

Are YouTube Red and YouTube Premium the Same?

YouTube Red and YouTube Premium are exactly the same thing. YouTube Red was the original name of the service which was later rebranded as YouTube Premium. Many early adopters still refer to the service as YouTube Red, simply out of habit, but it is officially now called YouTube Premium.

The regular YouTube smartphone, tablet, and gaming console apps are used to access YouTube Premium content. There is no YouTube Premium app.

How to Unsubscribe From YouTube Premium on the Web

You can cancel your YouTube Premium membership from within any web browser on your smartphone, tablet, or computer as long as you're logged into your YouTube account.

Go to YouTube.com in your preferred internet browser.
Click on your avatar in the top-right corner of the screen.
Click on Paid memberships.
Within the YouTube Premium box, click on Cancel Membership.
You may be asked to provide a reason for canceling YouTube Premium. Select your reason and then click on Next.
You will now be asked to confirm your cancellation. Click on Yes, Cancel to terminate your YouTube Premium membership and revert back to a free YouTube account.

How to Cancel YouTube Premium on Mobile

Your YouTube Premium subscription can also be stopped by using the official iOS or Android YouTube apps.

Open the YouTube app on your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet.
Tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner.
Tap on Paid memberships.
Under YouTube Premium, tap on Manage.
You'll be asked to open a link in a web browser app. Tap on Open next to the browser you wasn’t to use.
Your selected internet browser should have opened and loaded the mobile web version of your paid memberships. Under YouTube Premium, tap on Cancel Membership.
Tap on Yes, cancel to confirm your cancellation of YouTube Premium.