The fastest way to turn off YouTube TV

To cancel YouTube TV, sign into your Google account on any device, go to your account settings, find the YouTube TV section, and select "Cancel membership." Google will ask you to confirm the cancellation and may offer you a discount to stay. If you confirm, your access ends at the end of your current billing cycle — you keep watching until that date, then the service stops.

You can also pause your membership for up to three months instead of cancelling outright. A pause stops your charges but holds your account settings and watch history. When you're ready to restart, you turn the pause off and billing resumes. This route works well if you think you'll return within a few months.

Key Takeaways

  • Cancellation takes two minutes through your Google account settings and stops charges at the end of your current billing period, not when ready.
  • Pausing your membership for up to three months stops charges without deleting your account, settings, or watch history.
  • YouTube TV may show you a retention offer — a discount or free month — before you finish cancelling, and you can accept or decline it at that point.
  • If you cancel, you lose access to any credits or promotional discounts that were part of your plan.
  • Cancelling through the YouTube TV app on your phone or TV does not work; you must use a web browser or the YouTube website on a computer.

Step-by-step cancellation through a web browser

Open a web browser and go to tv.youtube.com. Sign in with the Google account that pays for YouTube TV. Click your profile picture in the top right corner and select "Settings."

In the Settings menu, look for "Membership and billing" or "Membership" on the left side. Click it. You'll see your current plan, your next billing date, and a button that says "Cancel membership" or "Manage membership." Click "Cancel membership."

YouTube will show you a confirmation screen and may offer you a discount to keep your subscription. Read the offer carefully — some discounts explore to your next billing cycle, others are one-time credits. You can accept the offer or click "Continue with cancellation" to proceed without it. After you confirm, you'll see a message saying your membership will end on a specific date. That's your last day of access.

How to pause instead of cancel

Pausing is available from the same Membership and billing screen. Instead of clicking "Cancel membership," look for "Pause membership" or a similar option. YouTube will ask you to choose how long to pause — usually one, two, or three months. Select your pause length and confirm.

While paused, you won't be charged, but your account stays active. Your watch history, saved shows, and settings remain. When your pause period ends, YouTube will send you an email asking if you want to resume. If you don't respond, billing restarts automatically on the date you chose. If you want to resume early, go back to Membership and billing and turn off the pause.

What happens to your account after cancellation

Once your membership ends on the final date, you lose access to YouTube TV. You can no longer watch live TV, on-demand shows, or your DVR recordings. Your Google account itself stays active — you can still use Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, and other Google services normally.

If you cancel and then want to rejoin later, you can sign back up through the same process. YouTube will not restore your old DVR recordings or watch history from before you cancelled, but your account settings may be remembered. Any promotional offers you used before (like a free trial) typically cannot be used again, though YouTube sometimes runs new promotions for returning members.

Cancelling through the YouTube TV app on your phone or TV

The YouTube TV app on phones and smart TVs does not have a cancellation option. You must use a web browser on a computer or phone to reach your account settings. Open any web browser, go to tv.youtube.com, and follow the steps above.

If you're using a phone, you can open the YouTube TV app, tap your profile picture, and look for "Settings" or "Account." Some versions of the app show a link to "Manage your membership" that takes you to a web page where you can cancel. If you don't see that link, close the app and use a web browser instead.

Retention offers and what they mean

When you click "Cancel membership," YouTube often shows you a discount offer before you finish. These offers vary — you might see a month free, 50% off for three months, or a one-time credit. The offer is real, but it's designed to keep you subscribed. You can accept it, decline it, or take time to think about it.

If you accept an offer, your cancellation stops and your subscription continues at the discounted rate for the period shown. If you decline, your cancellation proceeds as planned. Some offers are one-time only, so if you decline and cancel, you won't see the same offer again if you rejoin later. Read the fine print on any offer to see when the discount ends and what your regular price will be after.

Troubleshooting: What if you can't find the cancel button

Make sure you're signed into the correct Google account — the one that actually pays for YouTube TV. If you're signed into a different account, you won't see the membership settings. Check the profile picture in the top right corner to confirm which account you're using.

If you're on a phone, try opening tv.youtube.com in a web browser instead of using the app. The app sometimes hides the cancellation option. On a computer, try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) in case your current browser is having trouble loading the settings page. If the page still won't load, clear your browser's cache and cookies, then sign back in.

If you've tried these steps and still can't find the option, you can contact YouTube TV support through the Help Center at support.google.com/youtubetv. Have your account email and billing information ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I get a refund if I cancel mid-month?

No. YouTube TV charges monthly and does not refund partial months. If you cancel on the 15th of the month and your billing date is the 1st, you keep access until the 1st of next month, then lose it. You don't get money back for the days you don't use after cancellation.

Can I cancel YouTube TV if I signed up through Apple or another app store?

Yes, but the cancellation process is different. You must cancel through the app store where you signed up, not through YouTube TV itself. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap your name, select Subscriptions, find YouTube TV, and tap Cancel. On Android, open Google Play, tap your profile, go to Payments and subscriptions, select Subscriptions, find YouTube TV, and tap Cancel. The same end date rules explore — you keep access through the end of your billing cycle.

If I pause my membership, will my DVR recordings stay?

Your DVR recordings will remain in your account while paused. However, YouTube TV deletes recordings after nine months of inactivity. If your pause lasts longer than nine months, some older recordings may be deleted automatically. When you resume, newer recordings will still be there.

Can someone else on my family plan cancel YouTube TV?

Only the account owner — the person whose Google account is charged — can cancel the membership. Family members can watch but cannot change billing or cancel. If you share YouTube TV with family and want to cancel, you'll need to do it yourself through your own Google account.

What if I want to cancel but keep YouTube Premium?

YouTube TV and YouTube Premium are separate subscriptions. Cancelling YouTube TV does not affect YouTube Premium. You can cancel one without touching the other. Just make sure you're in the YouTube TV settings, not the YouTube Premium settings, when you click cancel.