You cancel YouTube Premium where you signed up, and cancelling does not cut you off that day: you keep Premium until the trial or the billing period you paid for runs out. Here are the steps, and the answers to what happens next.
Quick steps (web)
- Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships and sign in.
- Select Manage membership.
- Select Deactivate and confirm.
Five things to know before you cancel
- Where do I cancel? Where you signed up. On the web at youtube.com/paid_memberships if YouTube bills you; in iPhone Settings → your name → Subscriptions if Apple bills you.
- If I cancel during the free trial, am I charged? Not if you cancel before the trial ends. If you do nothing, YouTube charges the current membership price when the trial ends and every month after.
- Does Premium stop straight away? No. In a trial you keep Premium until the trial period ends. On a paid membership you keep it until the end of the billing period.
- What is the deadline? Before the trial or billing period ends. Do it a day or two early rather than on the last day; if Apple bills you, Apple asks for at least 24 hours.
- What if I am charged anyway? Find out who billed you, then ask that company: Google for a direct membership, Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com for one bought in the iOS app. See charged after cancelling.
From YouTube Help, checked 10 October 2026.
Not sure which day your trial ends? The free trial end date calculator works out the likely charge date and a safe day to cancel by.
Step by step
1. Open your memberships. On the web, go to youtube.com/paid_memberships. In the app, tap your profile picture → Purchases and memberships.
2. Manage membership → Deactivate. Choose a reason if prompted and confirm the cancellation.
Subscribed through Apple or Google Play? If you started Premium in the iOS app, cancel via Settings → your name → Subscriptions → YouTube Premium. If you subscribed on Android through Google Play, cancel in the Play Store. On a family plan, the family manager cancels for everyone.
What happens after you cancel
- You keep Premium — ad-free videos, background play and YouTube Music — until the end of the current billing period.
- To verify: your memberships page should show Premium ending on a specific date rather than renewing.
Cancelling during the free trial
This is the case people worry about, so to be exact: cancelling a YouTube Premium trial does not end the trial. YouTube's own wording is that you lose access to Premium benefits at the end of the trial period. So there is no reason to wait until the last day. Cancel as soon as you know you will not keep it, and the rest of the trial is still yours.
If you leave it, the trial turns into a paid membership at the current price and bills every month until you cancel.
Not ready to cancel? You can pause
YouTube lets you pause a membership for 1 to 6 months instead of cancelling. Three things to know:
- The pause starts after your current billing cycle ends, not on the day you ask.
- While paused you have no Premium or YouTube Music Premium benefits.
- Annual plans cannot be paused.
A pause ends on its own and billing starts again, so it needs a reminder just as a renewal does.
Premium usually renews monthly. Set a cancel-by reminder a couple of days before the renewal so you decide on purpose, not by default.
Decide on purpose, not by default
TrialBell reminds you before YouTube Premium — or any subscription — renews. Private, on your iPhone, no bank connection.
Download on theApp StoreFrequently asked
If I cancel during the free trial, do I lose Premium immediately?
No. You keep Premium until the trial period ends, and you are not charged as long as you cancelled before that date.
Can I pause YouTube Premium instead of cancelling?
Yes, for 1 to 6 months on a monthly membership. The pause begins after your current billing cycle, you have no Premium benefits while paused, and annual plans cannot be paused.
Do I lose access immediately when I cancel?
No. Premium features continue until the end of the billing period you've already paid for, then your account returns to the free, ad-supported YouTube.
I can't find the cancel option in the app — why?
You cancel where you subscribed. If Apple or Google Play billed you, cancel through iOS Settings or the Play Store rather than inside YouTube.
Sources
- YouTube Help — Cancel YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium (support.google.com/youtube/answer/6308278), checked 10 October 2026
- YouTube Help — Learn about YouTube Premium trials and promotions (support.google.com/youtube/answer/10324204), checked 10 October 2026
- YouTube Help — Pause or resume YouTube Premium (support.google.com/youtube/answer/11950175), checked 10 October 2026
- Apple Support — Cancel a subscription from Apple (support.apple.com/en-us/118428), checked 10 October 2026
Not affiliated with YouTube or Google. YouTube is a trademark of Google LLC. Cancellation steps, trial, pause and access details verified against YouTube Help on 10 October 2026; the interface may change.