How to Turn Off YouTube Notifications (Bell, Email and Phone)

If your phone buzzes every time a channel you half remember uploads something, you're not alone. YouTube notifications are handy until they aren't, and the controls are scattered across a few places: a bell on each channel, an account-level page, email options, and a couple of phone-only settings. I'll walk through each one using what YouTube's help centre says, and I'll be upfront about the one thing it doesn't offer, which is a single master switch.

Turn off YouTube notifications for one channel with the bell

This is the quickest fix when one channel is the culprit. YouTube's help says to go to the channel or a watch page, click the bell, and choose one of three options. You must be subscribed to the channel first.

Bell setting	What you get
All	Alerts for long-form uploads and live streams, plus some personalised Shorts notifications
Personalized	Alerts for some uploads, Shorts and live streams, chosen by YouTube from signals like your watch history
None	No notifications from that channel

Choose None and that channel goes quiet while you stay subscribed. Two details from the help: if you unsubscribe and resubscribe, the bell resets, and channels marked as made for kids send no notifications at all, which you can't change. If you'd rather leave a channel altogether, my guide to unsubscribing from YouTube channels has the steps.

Change YouTube notification settings on a computer

For account-wide control, the help article gives these steps:

1. Sign in to YouTube and click your profile picture at the top of the screen.
2. Click Settings, then Notifications.
3. Under General, choose which mobile and desktop notification types you want.
4. Under Email notifications, choose which email types you want.

Untick the types you don't need. It's worth a careful read, because the list covers more than uploads. YouTube's help notes that notifications can also include activity updates, recommendations, comment replies and shares.

Stop YouTube notifications popping up in your browser

If it's your computer that keeps pinging, the help article describes a Desktop notifications section on that same page. Click the button next to Chrome to turn browser pop-ups on or off. If you don't see the option, Chrome's own notifications may be switched off in your browser settings, and the article links to Chrome's help for that. Other browsers may differ, so menus vary.

Turn off YouTube notifications on your phone

The help article on notifications doesn't give written phone steps for the full settings page, only a link to a video, and it says settings can differ slightly between devices. The Android steps it does give for individual features start the same way: tap your profile picture, tap Settings, then tap Notifications. From there you'll find the toggles YouTube offers. If you want to stop every alert from the app, your phone's own settings for the YouTube app are the other place to look, and menus vary by phone and version.

Quieten YouTube notifications at night without turning them off

Two Android settings suit people who don't want to lose notifications altogether.

• Disable sounds and vibrations: YouTube's help says this silences notifications for a set time each day, by default from 10 PM to 8 AM, and you can change the times. You still receive every notification, just without sound or vibration. It works on phones, not tablets. Go to your profile picture, Settings, Notifications, then the Disable sounds & vibrations option.
• Scheduled digest: this combines your daily push notifications into one, delivered at a time you choose. It's off by default and covers live streams, uploads and comments. The catch, according to the help, is that live stream alerts are included, so you may not see a live stream until after it has ended.

Stop YouTube email notifications

Emails are controlled on the same Notifications page on a computer. Under Email notifications, clear the types you don't want. If emails keep arriving after that, check which channel they relate to, because the bell on that channel is a separate control.

Is there one switch to turn off all YouTube notifications?

Not according to the help centre. There's no single master switch in the article, so stopping most alerts takes a few steps: set each channel's bell to None, clear the types you don't want under General and Email notifications, and turn off Chrome desktop notifications. It's a bit of a chore, but you only do it once. If you subscribe to a long list of channels, it's usually quicker to prune the list. My explainer on what subscribing means on YouTube shows how the bell and the feed fit together.

You can turn off notifications and still see new videos

This surprises people. The help article points out that the feed of recent uploads from channels you follow still shows new videos even if notifications are off. So switching alerts off doesn't mean missing out, it just means you check in on your own schedule. For a business channel owner, that's worth remembering from the other side too: many of your followers will have the bell on None, which is one reason a video can do well without a spike of alerts.

If YouTube notifications still won't stop

• Check you changed the right place: the channel's bell, the account page, and the email section are three different controls.
• Check you're signed in to the account you expect, since settings belong to the account.
• Look at your phone's own notification settings for the YouTube app.
• If you're not getting notifications you do want, YouTube's help links to a troubleshooter.

If you're running a channel and wondering how people see your uploads, my guide to seeing your subscribers on YouTube is a useful next read.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off notifications for one YouTube channel?

Go to the channel or a watch page, click the bell and choose None. You need to be subscribed to the channel to see the bell.

How do I turn off all YouTube notifications?

YouTube's help doesn't describe a single master switch. Set each channel's bell to None, clear the types under General and Email notifications, and turn off Chrome desktop notifications.

Can I keep YouTube notifications but silence them at night?

On Android phones, the Disable sounds & vibrations setting silences them for a time you set each day. You still receive the notifications.

What is the scheduled digest on YouTube?

It combines your daily push notifications into one notification at a time you choose. YouTube's help says it's off by default.

Will I still see new videos if I turn notifications off?

Yes. YouTube's help says your feed of recent uploads from channels you follow still shows them.