YouTube, with its vast archive of videos, relies on a recommendation system and personalization algorithms to help users find new content. This system tries to show content suited to each user’s interests by examining cues such as watch history, searches, liked videos, and subscribed channels.
However, YouTube’s algorithm does not always perform accurately and sometimes fills the homepage, sidebar, and post-video suggestions with content that has no relation to the user's real interests. In such cases, a few simple actions can provide YouTube with more precise signals and gradually reduce unrelated suggestions.
1. First make sure watch history is enabled
For YouTube to better recognize users’ interests, the option to record watched videos must be enabled. If this feature is disabled, YouTube will not have enough data to analyze the user’s interests and may even display the homepage without personalized suggestions.
To check these settings, the user should click their profile picture at the top right corner of YouTube and go to the Google Account section. Then, in the Data & privacy section, select Personalization settings and ensure YouTube History is enabled.
Enabling the additional options in this section can also provide more information for YouTube to personalize suggestions.
Users should also review their auto-delete history settings. Google provides the option to automatically delete data at 3, 18, or 36-month intervals. Periodic deletion of data means less information is available for analysis, but it can also help the algorithm focus more on the user's newer interests.
2. Show YouTube what content you like and what you don’t
One of the most important ways to improve YouTube’s suggestions is to send clear and direct signals to the platform. If a user enjoys a video, they can watch it to the end and click the “Like” option.
Subscribing to favorite channels, enabling notifications for preferred creators, leaving comments, and searching for topics of interest can also help YouTube better learn the user's tastes.
Conversely, users should give negative feedback about content they are not interested in. For example, they can click the “Dislike” option on a video or choose “Not interested” from the three-dot menu next to suggestions.
If a user does not want to see content from a particular channel, they can choose “Don’t recommend channel.” Unsubscribing from channels that no longer interest the user will also help improve future suggestions.
Of course these changes are usually not immediate and the algorithm needs time to adjust its suggestions. However, combining positive and negative feedback helps YouTube build a clearer picture of each user’s true interests.
3. Prevent sending wrong signals
Sometimes the main reason for unrelated suggestions is activity that does not truly reflect the user’s interests. For example, a child might watch videos on a parent’s account on a TV or tablet, and this can change the account’s future suggestions.
In such situations, users can manually remove unwanted searches and videos from their activity history. To delete recent searches, use the X option next to search suggestions. Also, in the History section it is possible to delete videos recorded in the watch history.
However, preventing such activity from being recorded in the first place is a better solution. If family members use a shared TV to watch YouTube, it is better that each person has a separate account so others’ viewing habits do not affect personal recommendations.
The TV version of YouTube also offers an account lock feature. Users can enable Account Lock in the account settings and set a code to use their account.
To watch videos that you don’t want to affect future suggestions, using Incognito mode is also a suitable option. In the mobile version of YouTube, Incognito can be enabled from the accounts section. One or a few occasional videos usually do not have a significant impact on the algorithm, but using this feature can prevent the continuous sending of wrong signals.
4. Manage watch history selectively
The YouTube history management section gives users finer control over past activities. In this section you can view the list of watched videos and performed searches and delete each item individually.
There is also the ability to search and filter activities by date or keyword. In addition, users can use the Delete option to remove data for a day, a specified time range, or all of their activity history.
This feature is especially useful when a user researched a particular topic for a short time but does not want to receive more suggestions about that topic. For example, if someone watched videos about car repair for a while but does not want to continue receiving such suggestions, they can delete only the history related to that time period.
Completely clearing YouTube watch history is also a way to reset suggestions, but this option is not always the best choice. If the recommendation system has become completely unrelated, deleting all data and starting over can be helpful.
However, after completely deleting history, YouTube initially shows videos with broader general appeal and recreating a personalized pattern takes time. Therefore, in many cases, selectively deleting unrelated activities and providing positive and negative feedback can be a more balanced and effective approach.
In the end, by managing watch history, preventing unwanted activities from being recorded, and giving direct feedback to YouTube, users can gradually receive more accurate and relevant suggestions and reduce the share of unwanted or unrelated videos on their homepage.