The fastest way to delete YouTube from Roku
To remove YouTube from your Roku TV, go to the home screen, highlight the YouTube app, press the Options button (the star icon on your remote), and select "Remove channel." The app disappears when ready. If you want to reinstall it later, you can find it in the Roku Channel Store under the Search tab.
The whole process takes about 30 seconds. You do not need to restart your TV or sign out of anything first — removing the channel clears it completely from your home screen and your device storage.
Key Takeaways
- Press the Options button (star icon) on your Roku remote while YouTube is highlighted to see the remove option.
- Deleting the app from your home screen also removes it from your Roku device's storage.
- You can reinstall YouTube at any time by searching for it in the Roku Channel Store.
- Removing YouTube does not affect other apps or your Roku account settings.
Step-by-step removal process
Start from your Roku home screen. Use the arrow buttons on your remote to navigate left and right across your app tiles until YouTube is highlighted with a colored border around it.
Once YouTube is selected, press the Options button on your remote — this is the button with a star icon, usually located near the center of the remote below the directional pad. A small menu will pop up with several choices. Look for "Remove channel" in that menu and press OK to select it. A confirmation message may appear asking if you are sure; select "Yes" to confirm the deletion.
YouTube will vanish from your home screen within seconds. You will not see it listed among your apps anymore unless you search for it in the Channel Store.
What happens to your YouTube account and data
Removing the YouTube app from your Roku TV does not delete your YouTube account or affect your watch history, subscriptions, or saved playlists. All of that information stays on YouTube's servers and remains tied to your Google account.
If you sign back into YouTube on any device — whether it is another Roku, a phone, a computer, or a tablet — you will see the same subscriptions, watch history, and recommendations you had before. The app removal only affects what is installed on that specific Roku device.
How to reinstall YouTube if you change your mind
To put YouTube back on your Roku TV, press the Home button on your remote to go to the home screen. Navigate to the Search icon (usually a magnifying glass) and select it. Type "YouTube" using the on-screen keyboard or voice search if your remote has a microphone button.
When YouTube appears in the search results, select it and choose "Add channel." The app will read and install within a minute or two, and it will appear on your home screen. You can then sign in with the same Google account you used before, and all your subscriptions and history will be there waiting for you.
Freeing up storage space on your Roku
Roku devices have limited built-in storage, and removing apps you do not use regularly can help keep your TV running smoothly. YouTube is one of the larger apps available for Roku, so deleting it can free up several hundred megabytes of space if your device is running slow or if you are having trouble installing other apps.
If your Roku is sluggish or you see messages about storage being full, removing unused apps is often faster than restarting your device. You can check how much space you have left by going to Settings > System > About, where Roku displays your available storage.
Removing YouTube without affecting other Google services
Deleting the YouTube app does not sign you out of other Google services on your Roku, such as Google Play Music or any other apps that use your Google account. Each app is independent, so removing YouTube leaves your Google login and other apps untouched.
If you have multiple user profiles set up on your Roku TV, removing YouTube from one profile does not remove it from others. Each profile can have its own set of apps, so you may need to remove YouTube separately from each profile if that is what you want to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting YouTube remove my watch history and subscriptions?
No. Your YouTube account, watch history, subscriptions, and playlists stay on YouTube's servers. They are tied to your Google account, not to the app on your Roku. When you reinstall YouTube or sign in on another device, everything will be there.
Can I remove YouTube from just one profile on my Roku?
Yes. If your Roku has multiple user profiles, you can remove YouTube from one profile while keeping it on another. Each profile manages its own apps independently. Go to the profile where you want to remove YouTube and follow the removal steps for that profile only.
What if the Options button does not work when I highlight YouTube?
Make sure YouTube is fully highlighted with a colored border around it before pressing Options. If your remote is not responding, try replacing the batteries. If the button still does not work, you can also remove apps by going to Settings > Manage Installed Channels, finding YouTube in the list, and selecting "Remove."
How much storage space will I free up by removing YouTube?
YouTube typically uses between 300 and 500 megabytes of storage on a Roku device, depending on your model and how much cached data has built up. Removing it can help if your Roku is running out of space, though the exact amount freed varies by device.
Can I remove YouTube temporarily and add it back later?
Yes. You can remove and reinstall YouTube as many times as you want. There is no limit on how many times you can add or remove it from the Channel Store. Your account information and settings will remain the same each time you sign back in.