Creators regularly want to hide one number or another on their videos — usually the like count, the dislike count, or the view count. YouTube allows some of this and not the rest, and a lot of advice online confuses the three. Here’s exactly what’s possible.
Quick Answer
- Like count — yes, you can hide it publicly, per video.
- Dislike count — already hidden from the public everywhere since 2021; nothing for you to toggle.
- View count — no, there’s no native way to hide this from viewers.
- The Like/Dislike buttons themselves — no, viewers can always click them.
How to Hide Your Public Like Count
- Go to YouTube Studio and open the video from the Content tab.
- Click into the video’s details, then find the Show ratings on video page option (under Options / Show more).
- Turn it off to hide the like count from public view on that video.
This is a per-video setting, not a channel-wide one, so you can hide it selectively — for example on a controversial upload while leaving it visible elsewhere. You and your Studio dashboard still see the real like and dislike numbers; only the public display changes.
Why Dislike Counts Aren’t Your Decision
YouTube removed public dislike counts platform-wide in 2021 for every channel. Viewers can still press dislike (and that feedback still shapes their own recommendations), but nobody except the creator sees the total. There’s no setting to turn this on or off per video, and no way to restore public dislike numbers.
Why You Can’t Hide View Counts
View counts remain public by default, and unlike likes, there’s no creator setting to suppress them. This is deliberate — view counts function as a basic signal of a video’s reach for viewers, advertisers, and the platform itself.
What Browser Extensions Actually Do
Extensions that claim to “hide view counts” only change what appears in your own browser. They don’t remove or hide the count for anyone else watching the same video. If your goal is making the number invisible to your audience, no extension can do that.
Where they genuinely help is personal focus: if checking view counts constantly is stressful or distracting, an extension that hides stats from your own view is a reasonable tool for you — just understand it’s a personal filter, not a channel privacy setting.
Related Settings People Confuse With This
- Watch history — Settings > Privacy > Pause watch history controls what YouTube tracks about your own viewing. It has nothing to do with what others see on your videos.
- Subscriber count — this one you can hide, under YouTube Studio > Settings > Channel > Advanced settings. It’s a separate toggle from the like-count option above.
- Video privacy — if you want a video itself unlisted or private rather than just its stats hidden, that’s the visibility setting on the video, not a stats setting.
Should You Hide These Numbers?
Hiding the like count can reduce “pile-on” behavior, where a video already showing heavy negative reaction attracts more of the same out of momentum rather than genuine response. The tradeoff is that a healthy like count is social proof that encourages new viewers to take a video seriously. For most channels, leaving it visible is the better default; hiding it makes most sense for a specific upload you expect to draw brigading.
FAQ
Can I hide my YouTube view count from viewers?
No. YouTube offers no native setting to hide view counts from viewers, unlike like counts which you can hide per video.
Does a browser extension really hide view counts from others?
No. It only changes what you personally see in your own browser — everyone else still sees the count.
Can I remove the Like and Dislike buttons entirely?
No, viewers can always click them. You can only hide the public like count, not the buttons themselves.
Is hiding the like count per video or channel-wide?
It’s per video, set in YouTube Studio under that video’s details — not a channel-wide toggle.