How to Cancel YouTube Premium (2026): Step-by-Step

Updated September 9, 2026 · 5 min read · By SubLess Team

Quick answer

Open youtube.com/paid_memberships, click Manage membership next to YouTube Premium, then Deactivate and Continue to cancel. You keep Premium until the end of the billing period; after that, ads return, background play and downloads stop, and YouTube Music Premium ends with it. If you subscribed through the iPhone app, Apple bills you and the cancel is in iPhone Settings instead. There is also a Pause option for 1 to 6 months if you only want a break.

Official cancellation page ↗

Cancel YouTube Premium on the web or Android

Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships in a browser, signed in to the Google account that pays. If you use more than one Google account, this is the moment to check which one has the membership.
Click Manage membership next to YouTube Premium.
Click Deactivate. YouTube shows two choices: Pause and Continue to cancel.
Click Continue to cancel, pick a reason if you like, and confirm with Yes, cancel. The page now shows the date your benefits end, and Google sends a confirmation email.

The same path exists inside the YouTube app on Android and on the iPhone app if Google bills you: tap your profile picture → Purchases and memberships → YouTube Premium → Deactivate. If that screen tells you the membership is managed through the App Store, read the next section.

Cancel YouTube Premium billed through Apple

Subscribing inside the iPhone app means Apple takes the payment (and, historically, charged more for it). Google cannot cancel that subscription; only Apple can.

Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
Tap Subscriptions, then YouTube Premium.
Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.

If YouTube Premium is not in that list, Apple is not billing you and the web steps above are the ones you need. Deleting the app changes nothing either way.

Pause instead of cancel

YouTube is one of the few services with a real pause button. On the Deactivate screen, choose Pause and pick 1 to 6 months. Billing stops, your Premium benefits stop at the end of the current period, and the membership restarts automatically when the pause ends, at whatever the price is then. It suits a summer away from screens; it does not suit "I am not sure I want this", because it will quietly resume. If in doubt, cancel. Resubscribing later takes thirty seconds and nothing about your account is lost.

Family and Student plans

Family: only the family manager can cancel the plan, and doing so ends Premium for all members on the same date. Members can leave the family group from their own Google account settings, which removes their benefits without affecting the manager's billing.

Student: cancelling works like the individual plan. The discount itself expires if you fail the annual verification, in which case YouTube moves you to the standard price rather than cancelling; if you do not want that, cancel before the verification date.

What happens after you cancel YouTube Premium

Everything continues until the end of the billing period. Then, at once: ads come back, background play stops, picture-in-picture goes back to whatever your phone allows without Premium, and offline downloads are removed from the app.

YouTube Music Premium ends too. It is included in YouTube Premium, so cancelling one cancels both. Your playlists and library stay; they just play with ads and without background listening.

Your Google account, channel, subscriptions and watch history are untouched. Premium is a layer on top of the account, not the account.

No refund for unused days. Google Play refunds are possible within 48 hours of a charge for billing mistakes; beyond that, the month is yours to use.

Cheaper ways to keep it: a Family plan for up to five other people in your household costs less per person than two individual plans; YouTube Premium Lite (ad-free videos without the Music part, in countries where it exists) is the cheapest plan; and the annual plan is priced below twelve monthly payments.

Charged after cancelling: three things to check

Wrong Google account. The membership is on a different Google account than the one you cancelled from. Open youtube.com/paid_memberships while signed in to each account you own.
Apple bills you. The charge says "Apple" on your statement. Cancel in iPhone Settings as described above.
You paused, not cancelled. The pause ended and billing resumed. Go back and choose Continue to cancel this time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I cancel YouTube Premium from the iPhone app?

If Google bills you, yes: profile picture → Purchases and memberships → YouTube Premium → Deactivate. If you subscribed through the App Store, the app will say the membership is managed by Apple, and you cancel it in iPhone Settings under Subscriptions.

Does cancelling YouTube Premium also cancel YouTube Music?

Yes. YouTube Music Premium is included in YouTube Premium, so both end on the same date. Your playlists and library remain on your account.

What is the difference between pausing and cancelling?

Pausing stops billing for 1 to 6 months and then restarts automatically. Cancelling stops it for good until you resubscribe. If you are unsure whether you want it back, cancel; resubscribing later is quick and nothing is lost.

When does YouTube Premium end after I cancel?

At the end of the period you already paid for. The date is shown on the memberships page after you confirm and in the email from Google.

Can a family member cancel YouTube Premium?

Only the family manager can cancel the plan. A member can leave the family group from their Google account settings, which ends their own benefits without changing the manager's subscription.

Do I get a refund for the rest of the month?

No. You keep the benefits until the period ends instead. Google Play may refund a charge reported within 48 hours if it was a mistake; after that, the current period is not refunded.

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Sources

Steps checked on September 9, 2026. Menus change from time to time; if something looks different, the official page linked above is always current.

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