YouTube Premium: How to Pause and Cancel Your Membership

August 17, 2024

If you’re considering your YouTube Premium membership, you might be weighing whether to cancel or pause it. Both options can be useful depending on your current needs, but they have different outcomes. Canceling means ending your subscription entirely, while pausing gives you a temporary break.

YouTube Premium: How to Pause and Cancel Your Membership

Choosing between these options can seem a bit tricky. Canceling will stop your subscription and you’ll lose access to all the premium features immediately. Pausing, on the other hand, lets you take a break without losing your benefits completely, and you can start up again later.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to both cancel and pause your YouTube premium membership. We’ll also explain the differences between these choices to help you make an informed decision. Keep reading to find out which option fits your needs best and what each choice will mean for you.

How to Cancel Your YouTube Premium Membership

Canceling your YouTube Premium membership means ending your subscription entirely. This is a permanent action, and you will lose access to all premium features once the cancellation is complete. Here’s how to do it:

Open your device’s YouTube app and ensure you’re signed in to your account.
Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen.
From the menu that appears, select purchases and memberships. This will take you to a new screen where you can manage your subscriptions.
Find and choose the membership you want to cancel. This will bring up more details about your subscription.
Tap on manage membership to proceed. A pop-up window will appear with additional choices.
Select the option to continue to cancel your membership. This will move you further along in the cancellation process.
Choose a reason for canceling and then tap on next to proceed.
Confirm your cancellation by tapping on yes, cancel. This will complete the cancellation process and your membership will be terminated.

Once you complete these steps, your YouTube Premium membership will be canceled, and you’ll no longer have access to premium features.

How to Pause Your YouTube Premium Membership

If you’re not ready to cancel your membership entirely, YouTube offers the option to pause it instead. Pausing is a temporary halt that allows you to stop paying for a certain period without losing your membership benefits permanently. Here’s how you can pause your membership:

Open the YouTube app on your device and sign in to your account if you haven’t already.
Tap on your profile picture, located in the top right corner of the screen.
Go to purchases and memberships from the menu that appears. This will direct you to the relevant management options.
Find and select the membership you wish to pause. This will provide you with the option to manage your subscription.
Tap on manage membership to open a pop-up with more choices.
Choose the option to pause instead. This will allow you to temporarily stop your membership.
Use the slider to select the duration for which you want to pause your membership. You can choose a period ranging from one month to six months.
Confirm the pause by tapping the pause instead button. Your membership will be suspended for the selected time and will automatically resume afterward.

Pausing allows you to stop using YouTube Premium temporarily without canceling your subscription completely. After the pause period ends, your membership will resume automatically.

Pausing vs. Canceling: What’s the Difference?

Choosing between pausing and canceling your YouTube membership depends on what you need. Here’s a quick look at the key differences:

Pausing Your Membership

Temporary: Pausing halts your membership for a set time. After that, your subscription resumes automatically.
Keep Some Benefits: You’ll still enjoy features like offline playback, background play, and ad-free videos.
No Refund: Since your membership is paused rather than canceled, no refund is given.
Flexibility: Pausing is ideal if you only need a short break from YouTube Premium.

Canceling Your Membership

Permanent: Canceling ends your membership entirely. If you want to rejoin later, you’ll need to start a new subscription.
Immediate Loss of Benefits: You lose access to premium features like ad-free videos, offline playback, and exclusive content right away.
Possible Refund: You may be eligible for a refund, depending on your payment plan (monthly or annually).
No Auto-Renewal: If you cancel, your membership won’t resume automatically. You’ll need to sign up again if you want to return.

What Happens When You Pause Your Youtube Premium Membership?

Pausing your YouTube Premium membership allows you to take a break without completely losing your benefits. Here’s what happens when you pause:

You’ll immediately lose your YouTube music premium benefits.
You won’t be charged while your membership is paused.
You still have access to features like offline playback, background play, ad-free videos, and some exclusive content.
Any new exclusive content added during the pause won’t be available to you until your membership resumes.
You may lose access to priority customer support while your membership is paused.

What Happens When You Cancel Your Youtube Premium Membership?

Canceling your YouTube Premium membership has more permanent effects. Here’s what happens when you cancel:

You’ll immediately lose your YouTube music premium benefits.
You’ll lose access to premium features like ad-free videos, offline playback, and exclusive content right after canceling.
If you’ve already paid for the current month, you won’t receive a refund.
You’ll no longer be able to view YouTube Premium Originals and other exclusive content.
You’ll start seeing ads on videos again.
Premium features like background play and offline playback will no longer be available.
You’ll lose access to priority customer support.

If you decide to rejoin YouTube Premium after canceling, you’ll need to sign up for a new subscription. None of your previous benefits will carry over.

Conclusion on YouTube Premium Cancel

Deciding whether to pause or cancel your YouTube Premium membership depends on your needs. Pausing is a good choice if you just need a break but plan to return soon. It keeps your benefits and makes it easy to pick up where you left off when you come back.

Canceling is better if you’re sure you won’t use the service for a while or want to try something new. Once you cancel, you lose all the premium features right away, and you’ll need to sign up again if you want to come back later. Think about how long you’ll be away from YouTube Premium. If it’s just for a short time, pausing is usually best. If you’re done, for now, canceling is the way to go. Choose what works best for you before making your decision.

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