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The YouTube app on Windows 11 is usually a browser-installed Progressive Web App (PWA), not a traditional native Windows program. To remove it, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find YouTube, open its … menu, and select Uninstall. If it is not listed, remove it from the browser that installed it—Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
What you are actually uninstalling
Windows can display a website as an app when Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome installs it as a standalone web app. The YouTube PWA opens in a separate, app-like window, but it still relies on the browser and the YouTube website.
Your installation may instead be only a desktop, Start, or taskbar shortcut. Some systems may also have a separately packaged Microsoft Store app. The correct removal method depends on how YouTube was added.
Uninstalling the PWA removes the app installation. It does not delete YouTube, your Google account, subscriptions, watch history, or the YouTube website from Edge or Chrome.
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Method 1: Uninstall YouTube from Windows 11 Settings
This is the quickest general method when YouTube appears in Windows’ installed-app list.
- Press Windows + I to open Settings.
- Select Apps.
- Select Installed apps.
- Search for YouTube.
- Select the … button beside YouTube.
- Select Uninstall, then confirm if Windows asks again.
Microsoft documents this route for Windows 11 and Windows 10. The exact appearance of the More button can vary slightly between Windows updates. See Microsoft’s Windows uninstall guidance.
What should happen?
The YouTube PWA should disappear from the Installed apps list and normally from the Start menu. A separately created taskbar or desktop shortcut may remain; remove that shortcut manually if necessary.
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Method 2: Uninstall YouTube from Microsoft Edge
Use Edge’s app manager if Edge installed YouTube, or if Windows Settings does not show it.
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- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Enter
edge://appsin the address bar and press Enter. - Find the YouTube app.
- Select Details.
- Select Uninstall and confirm.
- If Edge offers to delete the app’s history and data, choose that option if you want the local PWA data removed as well.
Edge’s app page can also expose app permissions, shortcuts, and auto-start settings. This page manages web apps installed through Edge; an app installed through Chrome may not appear there. Microsoft’s instructions are available in its guide to installing, managing, and uninstalling Edge apps.
Method 3: Uninstall YouTube from Google Chrome
If YouTube opens in a Chrome-branded standalone window, use Chrome’s web-app controls.
- Open the YouTube app.
- Select the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner.
- Choose Uninstall YouTube (the wording may use the app’s current name).
- Select Remove.
- If Chrome offers an option to delete the app’s data, select it if you also want the locally stored web-app data removed.
Chrome also documents chrome://apps as an app-management location. The available context-menu labels can differ between Chrome versions, so the app window’s uninstall command is usually the clearest route. Refer to Google’s Chrome web-app removal instructions.
Should you delete the app’s data?
Deleting app data is optional and affects local browser/PWA data, not information stored in your Google account.
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- Keep the data: may preserve locally stored app-related information, depending on the browser and installation.
- Delete the data: removes local web-app data and may require you to sign in again or recreate local preferences if you reinstall the app.
Deleting local data does not delete YouTube watch history, subscriptions, channels, or other Google-hosted account information. Those are separate account actions.
If YouTube is not listed in Installed apps
Try to identify how the icon was created:
- If you used Edge, open
edge://appsand remove YouTube from there. - If you used Chrome, open the YouTube app and use its three-dot menu, or check
chrome://apps. - Search Windows for another YouTube entry or a different display name.
- Right-click the Start or taskbar icon and select Unpin from Start or Unpin from taskbar.
- Delete a desktop shortcut if one remains.
- Restart Windows and try the relevant uninstall route again.
If no browser app entry exists and only an icon remains, it is probably a shortcut rather than an installed PWA. Removing the shortcut does not uninstall Edge or Chrome.
If the Uninstall button is missing or fails
First close the YouTube app window and restart the PC. Then try the browser-specific removal route, since a browser-managed PWA may not be fully controlled from Windows Settings.
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Microsoft’s Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter is mainly intended for conventional Windows programs with damaged uninstall information, corrupted registry keys, or incomplete installation data. It may be less relevant to a browser-managed YouTube PWA, for which Edge or Chrome’s own uninstall controls are normally the better fallback.
Do not begin by deleting random folders from AppData or editing the registry. Those actions can remove unrelated browser data or create additional problems.
Remove leftover YouTube icons
- Start menu: right-click YouTube and choose Unpin from Start, if available.
- Taskbar: right-click the icon and choose Unpin from taskbar.
- Desktop: right-click the shortcut and choose Delete.
These actions remove shortcuts only. They do not block YouTube in a browser, and they are not the same as uninstalling the PWA.
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Removing the YouTube web app does not:
- Uninstall Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
- Sign you out of Google everywhere.
- Delete your YouTube account or channel.
- Delete subscriptions or watch history.
- Remove YouTube from a browser tab or prevent access to YouTube.com.
- Delete downloads created by another application.
If the app returns later, someone may have reinstalled the PWA or recreated its shortcut. On a work or school computer, administrator policies may also restrict installation and removal.
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How to verify that it is gone
- YouTube no longer appears under Settings > Apps > Installed apps, or in the browser’s web-app manager.
- The separate YouTube app window no longer opens from Start or the taskbar.
- Any unwanted Start, taskbar, or desktop shortcut has been removed.
- Optional app data has been deleted through Edge or Chrome if a clean local reset was required.
You can still visit YouTube in your browser after uninstalling the app. If the unfamiliar program is not the normal YouTube PWA or appears suspicious, do not assume it is legitimate; investigate it with Windows Security rather than deleting system files manually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reinstall the YouTube app later?
Yes. You can install YouTube again as a web app from Edge or Chrome whenever the browser offers its install-app option.
How do I remove only the YouTube taskbar icon?
Right-click the taskbar icon and select Unpin from taskbar. This removes the shortcut without uninstalling the browser or deleting YouTube account data.
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