Skip to content

How to Hide, Block & Unblock Someone from Your YouTube Channel

When you post videos on YouTube, you are hoping to have a healthy interaction with YouTube users. However, that doesn’t happen all the time, and you are likely to come across users you can’t tolerate anymore. They may be sending you annoying private messages or leaving comments you don’t like. 

Such users don’t deserve to give you sleepless nights anymore because you can block them from making additional comments on your videos. Here is how to do this:

Block someone on YouTube from his or her channel

To do this:

  • Click his or her comment. You will be prompted to his or her channel, where you will see a small flag sign at the right-hand side.
  • Click on the flag and select “Block User.”
  • Then click “submit.”
Block someone on YouTube from his or her channel

Block someone on YouTube channel dashboard community messages

If you are no longer interested in receiving specific messages from someone, then follow these steps carefully:

  • Go to Creator Studio> Community> Messages
  • Click on the person’s message that you want to block.
  • Click on the flag icon 
  • Finally, select “Ban from channel”

Hide user’s comment on your channel

When you do this, specific users’ comments won’t show on your comment page in the YouTube Studio. He or she is also blocked from posting comments on any of your videos. 

Here is what you need to do:

  • Login to your YouTube Account 
  • Go to the video and then to who commented on it
  • Go to the comment section and hit the three dots at the right-hand side
  • Select “Hide user from channel”

Note that users are not alerted when you block them.

Hide user's comment on your channel

Banning users that have already published YouTube comments

If looking to ban users that have already published comments, do this:

  • On the same dashboard, click on the “Published” tab. Next to each comment, on this page, you will see 3 dots. Tap them to display the following:
  • Pin
  • Remove
  • Report
  • Hide User From Channel
  • Always Approve Comments From This User
  • Add This User as a Comment Moderator
  • Choose “Hide User From Channel” to ban him or her from ever commenting on your channel and videos.
Banning users that have already published YouTube comments

If interested in keeping track of all users you have banned from your channel:

  • Go to “Settings” on the left-hand menu
  • Click on the “Community”
  • A pop-up screen will appear. Choose “Hide Users” 

Pro tip! 

  • Note that this won’t prevent them from viewing your comments; it only stops them from engaging with your comments, including live chats.
  • You can ban users via the YouTube Creator Studio app, but you can’t manage them. You have to go back to the desktop if you want to remove that user from the hidden user’s list.
Hidden Users YouTube

How to unblock someone on YouTube

Assuming you do have a change of heart and you want to reinstate the comment privileges for some users, here is what you need to do to remove them:

  • From the YouTube homepage, tap your account avatar at the top-right and then click “YouTube Studio” in the drop-down menu. 
  • In the navigation pane on the left, tap “Settings.” The Settings window should appear.
  • Go to Settings in YouTube Studio to see users who have been blocked. 
  • Click “Community.” 
  • In the “Hidden users” section, locate the person you want to unblock and tap the “X” to remove them from the list.
How to unblock someone on YouTube

Bonus! 

  • You can also unblock a user by going to his or her profile page (either in the on the mobile app or web browser) and selecting “Unblock user” from the flag or three-dot menu.
  • Any blocked user can be unblocked from the same menu they were initially blocked from. 

What is the difference between blocking and hiding someone?

Actually, there is no difference. Content creators use these two terms interchangeably. 

Can I resist access to my YouTube channel? 

Sure, it is possible. And when you do this, only people you invite to the channel can view content. To restrict access, sign in to your YouTube account and then click on the channel name you want to make private. 

In the channel settings, under Privacy, there is an option to make the channel videos private. Select the box and save the changes. The channel videos are now private unless you go back in and change that same setting back to public.