How to reset YouTube recommendations: A step-by-step guide

The Google-owned video sharing platform is popular for its algorithms, which offer content according to the user’s likes and dislikes. YouTube tends to suggest similar videos the user prefers watching. YouTube recommendations can be a helpful tool for some users, but others may find it unnecessary.

YouTube recommendations

YouTube uses one primary method to recommend videos which is based on your watch time, clicks, and shares. The app’s algorithm knows your search history and makes suggestions of videos you might enjoy.

The majority of people enjoy recommendations that introduce them to fresh content, but some people don't want them. For this reason, the popular social media app allows users to reset the recommendations.

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The main method is still your YouTube history, which includes the keywords users search for and the videos they have watched. YouTube users have to delete all of their search history and data in order to restart the algorithm. Here's how it’s done:

Deleting YouTube search history

Open the YouTube app on your phone.

Go to your Profile by tapping on the profile picture available at the top right corner.

Tap on the Settings option.

Then, go to the History & Privacy section.

Tap on the Clear Search History option.

Confirm the deletion by hitting the Clear search history button.

Deleting YouTube watched data
It's possible that even after you delete your search history, some older content suggestions may still appear. To avoid further recommendations, users can delete their unnecessary data stored on YouTube, which can still be saved after they have deleted search and watch history from all their devices. Here’s how you can delete YouTube watched data:

Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.

Tap on the small profile picture available in the top right corner to access your Profile.

Then, go to the Settings tab.

Tap on the Your data in YouTube option.

Go to the YouTube Watch History section.

Scroll down to the Manage history option.

Tap on the Delete button, and then select the Delete all time option from the drop-down menu.

Preview your watch history and confirm the deletion by tapping on the Delete button.

Then, hit the OK button.