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 on your remote (the button with three horizontal lines), and select "Remove channel". The app disappears from your home screen when ready. If you want to reinstall it later, you can find it in the Roku Channel Store and add it back at any time.
This process takes about 30 seconds and does not affect any other apps or settings on your TV. Your Roku account and viewing history remain unchanged — you are only removing the app from your home screen.
Key Takeaways
- Press the Options button (three lines) on your remote while YouTube is highlighted to see the remove option.
- Removing the app from your home screen does not delete your YouTube account or viewing history.
- You can reinstall YouTube from the Roku Channel Store whenever you want.
- If the Options button does not work, try pressing the star button on your remote instead — older Roku models use different buttons.
- Removing an app frees up space on your home screen but does not free up storage on the TV itself.
Step-by-step removal process
Start on your Roku home screen. Use the arrow buttons on your remote to highlight the YouTube app tile. Once it is highlighted (you will see a border around it), press the Options button. On most current Roku remotes, this is the button with three horizontal lines, usually in the upper left area of the remote.
A menu will appear with several choices. Select "Remove channel" from the list. A confirmation message may appear asking if you are sure — select "Yes" to confirm. The app tile will vanish from your home screen within a few seconds.
If you do not see an Options button on your remote, look for a button with a star symbol instead. Older Roku models and some third-party remotes use the star button to open the same menu. Press it while YouTube is highlighted and you should see the same removal option.
What happens after you remove the app
Once YouTube is deleted, it no longer appears on your home screen or in your list of installed apps. You will not receive updates for it, and you cannot launch it from your Roku TV. However, your YouTube account itself is not affected — your subscriptions, playlists, and watch history remain on YouTube's servers and will be there if you log in on another device.
Removing the app also does not free up significant storage space on your Roku TV. Roku devices stream apps rather than storing them permanently, so uninstalling YouTube saves only a small amount of cache data. If your TV is running slowly, removing apps will not solve the problem — restarting your Roku is usually more effective.
How to reinstall YouTube later
If you change your mind, reinstalling YouTube is straightforward. Press the Home button on your remote to go to the home screen. Navigate to the Roku Channel Store (usually a tile on the home screen labeled "Search Channels" or "Channel Store"). Use the search function to find YouTube, select it, and press the button to add it back to your home screen.
The app will reappear on your home screen within seconds. When you open it, you will be logged into the same YouTube account you used before, and all your subscriptions and history will be there. There is no penalty for removing and reinstalling apps — you can do this as many times as you want.
Troubleshooting if the remove option does not appear
Some apps cannot be removed from certain Roku models because they come pre-installed by Roku. If you highlight YouTube and the Options menu does not show a "Remove channel" choice, your TV model may have YouTube built in as a permanent app. In this case, you can hide it from your home screen instead.
To hide an app, highlight it, press Options, and look for "Hide channel" or "Hide app" instead of "Remove channel". The app will no longer appear on your home screen, though it may still be accessible through the Channel Store. If neither option appears, the app is locked to your device and cannot be removed or hidden through the normal menu.
Removing YouTube from a Roku remote with voice control
If your Roku remote has a microphone button (usually labeled with a microphone icon), you can use voice commands to navigate, but you cannot remove apps by voice alone. You still need to use the Options button method described above. Voice control on Roku is designed for searching and launching apps, not for managing your home screen.
After you remove YouTube using the Options menu, you can still use voice search to find other apps or content. Voice commands will not bring YouTube back — it will remain removed until you manually reinstall it from the Channel Store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will removing YouTube delete my account or watch history?
No. Removing the app from your Roku TV does not affect your YouTube account in any way. Your subscriptions, playlists, watch history, and saved videos remain on YouTube's servers. When you log back in on any device, everything will be there.
Can I remove YouTube if it came pre-installed on my Roku?
It depends on your Roku model. Some models allow you to remove pre-installed apps, while others do not. If the "Remove channel" option does not appear in the Options menu, try "Hide channel" instead. If neither option is available, the app is locked to your device.
Does removing YouTube free up storage space on my TV?
Very little. Roku devices stream apps rather than storing them permanently, so uninstalling YouTube removes only a small amount of cached data. If your TV is running slowly, restarting it is usually more effective than removing apps.
What if I accidentally remove YouTube and want it back?
Go to the Roku Channel Store, search for YouTube, and select "Add channel". It will reappear on your home screen within seconds, and you will be logged into your account automatically.
Can I remove YouTube from my account across all my Roku devices at once?
No. You must remove the app individually from each Roku TV or device. There is no account-level setting to remove an app from all devices at the same time.