Guide: Clearing Up YouTube Watchlater Stored List

The YouTube Watch Later playlist is a great way to save videos and view them later. But if you don’t keep on top of it, your Watch Later list can quickly become unmanageable and cluttered with content that you no longer want to watch afterward.

If you are wondering how, you can declutter the playlist, we’ve got you covered. To help you with the task, we’ve compiled a comprehensive step-by-step guide. In this article, we will show you how to clear Watch Later on YouTube with just a few clicks.

So, without beating around the bush, let’s get started with our tutorial!

How To Delete YouTube Watch Later Playlist

If your YouTube Watch Later playlist is filled with videos you’ll never watch again, or you are not interested in that specific content type, you can quickly delete these videos at any time.

Here’s the step-by-step process on how to clear Watch Later on YouTube Web and App:

How To Delete YouTube Watch Later Playlist On Web?

You can delete the YouTube Watch Later Playlist on your desktop in the following ways:

From YouTube Homepage

To clear the YouTube Watch Later Playlist from the YouTube Homepage, do the following steps:

Step1 First, open a browser on your PC and visit the YouTube homepage. Sign into your account if needed and click the “Library” option located at the left-hand side menu panel.

Step2 Croll down and click the “See All” option under the Watch Later header. Click the Three Dots below the Watch Later playlist details on the next page.

Step3 From the drop-down menu, click “Remove Watch Videos.” This will instantly remove all the videos you’ve watched but are still in the playlist.

Step4 Finally, to remove the unwatched videos, hover over a video and click the Three Dots. Select the “Remove from Watch Later” option to delete the video. You can repeat this process to remove all the content from the playlist until it is decluttered at the point of your satisfaction.

Using A Script

Since the above process can be tiring, you can use a script to remove all the videos at once from the Watch Later playlist in the following way:

Step1 In the first step, launch the Google Chrome browser on your system and head to the YouTube website**.** Next, select the “Library” option in the left pane and click “Watch Later” from the menu.

Step2 Now, hit the “Ctrl + Shift + J” keys on Windows or the “Command + Option+ J” buttons on Mac to launch the developer mode and open the console window.

Step3 Copy and paste the following lines of the script at the end of the line under the Console tab where the cursor is blinking.

setInterval(function () { document.querySelector(‘#primary button[aria-label=”Action menu”]‘).click(); var things = document.evaluate( ‘//span[contains(text(),”Remove from”)]‘, document, null, XPathResult.ORDERED_NODE_SNAPSHOT_TYPE, null ); for (var i = 0; i < things.snapshotLength; i++) { things.snapshotItem(i).click(); } }, 1000);

Step4 In the last step, hit the “Enter” key to clear the Watch Later Playlist on YouTube. However, the process may take some time, depending on the number of videos in your playlist.

Although a bit tech-savvy, the script execution method is the most effective way to delete all Watch Later videos at once.

You can also replace the number at the end of the script with a lower entry to delete videos according to your preference. Also, choosing a lesser number can speed up the video deletion process from YouTube Watch Later list by a great deal.

Note: It is important to note that experimenting with scripts is only for some. The script above has been confirmed to work, but others still need to be thoroughly checked and could potentially damage your computer. To prevent this from happening, only look for scripts from reliable sources instead of those posted by random people in various forums.

How To Delete YouTube Watch Later Playlist On YouTube App?

If you are using YouTube on an Android or iOS device, it is possible to clear the Watch Later Playlist by doing the steps below:

Step1 In the first step, swipe up on the Homescreen of your Android device or swipe right on your iOS device to launch App Drawer, and tap “YouTube” to launch the app.

Step2 Now, tap the “Library” option in the bottom-right corner of the screen and tap “Watch Later.”

Step3 Next, tap the three dots (vertical ellipses) icon on the top-right side of the screen and choose the “Remove Watched Videos” option to delete them from the playlist.

Step4 If there are still unwatched videos in the playlist, select a video and tap the three dots next to it. Now, tap the “Remove from Watch Later” option. Repeat the process to remove all the unwatched videos to clear the playlist.

Is there an Alternative Way to Download YouTube Videos without Using Software?

Now that you’ve learned how you can clear the Watch Later playlist on YouTube, you might be looking for a way to download your favorite videos on your PC for later watch without using any software. If so,click here to find out 13 proven ways to get this done.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

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Bonus Video Tutorial: From a User to a Creator, How To Edit YouTube Videos Like a Pro

Hopefully, you have found the most appropriate solution to clear your YouTube Watcher Later playlist. However, while you are a YouTube user, how can you transfer your character from a user to a creator? In this video era, why not participate in the creation party and be one of them?

If you have any interests, you can watch the video we specially prepared for you. This video will show you how to use a user-friendly video editor, Filmora , to create your own YouTube videos!

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed how to clear your YouTube watch later playlist from both the YouTube web from the homepage and using the script in the browser’s developer mode. We’ve also provided a step-by-step process for deleting the Watch Later playlist on the YouTube mobile app.

This guide was informative enough to answer most of your queries, and after reading it, you can now unclutter your YouTube Watch Later without any issues.

How To Delete YouTube Watch Later Playlist On YouTube App?

If you are using YouTube on an Android or iOS device, it is possible to clear the Watch Later Playlist by doing the steps below:

Step1 In the first step, swipe up on the Homescreen of your Android device or swipe right on your iOS device to launch App Drawer, and tap “YouTube” to launch the app.

Step2 Now, tap the “Library” option in the bottom-right corner of the screen and tap “Watch Later.”

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Step3 Next, tap the three dots (vertical ellipses) icon on the top-right side of the screen and choose the “Remove Watched Videos” option to delete them from the playlist.

Is there an Alternative Way to Download YouTube Videos without Using Software?

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Bonus Video Tutorial: From a User to a Creator, How To Edit YouTube Videos Like a Pro

If you have any interests, you can watch the video we specially prepared for you. This video will show you how to use a user-friendly video editor, Filmora , to create your own YouTube videos!

Conclusion

This guide was informative enough to answer most of your queries, and after reading it, you can now unclutter your YouTube Watch Later without any issues.

6 Ways To Increase Audience Retention on YouTube - Filmora

6 Ways To Increase Audience Retention on YouTube

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Audience retention is one of your most important stats on YouTube. It is even more important than your view count. Your view count really only tells you how many people are finding and clicking on your videos, not whether they are actually watching them. Audience retention refers to how much of a video a viewer watches before clicking away, which is very useful information to have. If you know when people are leaving your videos then you know what you need to work on.

Part 1: What is Audience Retention?
Part 2: How to See Your Audience Retention Report in YouTube?
Part 3: What is a Good Audience Retention Rate on YouTube?
Part 4: 6 Ways to Increase YouTube Audience Retention

Part 1: What is Audience Retention?

To put it in simple terms, YouTube audience retention is about how much of each video your viewers watch. It’s usually expressed as a percentage, so if your viewer gets half way through, they will have a retention of 50 per cent.

For YouTube analytics, audience retention is taken as a mean of the retention figures for each of your viewers. For example, if you post a ten-minute video and half your viewers get to the five-minute mark, that’s a retention of 50 per cent. If the other half watch it right to the end, that’s a retention of 100 per cent. The mean of these two figures is 75 per cent, and that’s what YouTube will use as your audience retention figure.

This retention rate affects how highly your video is ranked on YouTube, with videos boasting higher audience retention rates appearing higher in the search results than those which do not. This is because both YouTube and Google are highly focussed on customer satisfaction, and a long watch time means a very happy customer was watching that video. For this reason, it’s well worth considering how to increase YouTube audience retention as it demonstrates that you’re making great content as well as helping you get more viewers.

Part 2: How to See Your Audience Retention Report in YouTube?

YouTube will produce reports to help you keep track of your audience retention. There are two types of audience retention reports; absolute and relative. Absolute allows you to view a graph of your video’s retention and see when people might be clicking away, or if they are skipping to later parts of your video. If you lose a lot of viewers in the first 15 seconds of your videos then that is a clear indication that your content is not what the viewers who find your videos really want. The relative report is where your video is compared to the average retention of similar videos.

Note that by ‘similar videos’, YouTube means videos of a similar length. There is no way to compare your videos only to other videos in your genre. The relative report will always be somewhat skewed because your videos will be measured against very different content.

To see an audience retention report log into your YouTube account and go to yourCreator Studio. There, selectAudience RetentionunderAnalytics.

Part 3: What is a Good Audience Retention Rate on YouTube?

When you’re considering how to increase YouTube audience retention, it can be good to have a goal in mind. Obviously 100 per cent is going to be the Holy Grail of retention rates, but how many videos are actually going to achieve that? It only takes for one person to ‘accidentally’ click on your video and rapidly click away, or for someone to have to stop for outside reasons, to drag your average down.

According to the YouTube community, a good goal to aim for is around 50 per cent, but as there is a lot which can affect your retention rate, that number may be different for you. Low view numbers sometimes get higher retention rates because it’s mainly subscribers watching, whereas channels with millions of views may suffer due to more people abandoning. Rather than setting yourself a golden number, focus instead on increasing your retention rate from wherever it is now, and celebrate your own success instead of measuring yourself against others.

Part 4: 6 Ways to Increase YouTube Audience Retention

If you’re serious about learning how to increase YouTube audience retention, here are five of the best ideas for you:

1. Compare your videos

Investigating your audience retention report will highlight the videos where you achieved maximum success. Think about what you did here, and work to replicate that technique. Perhaps you were talking about a product, or maybe your structured your video slightly differently. It’s up to you to dissect your video and find out what it was that kept people watching for longer, so that you can repeat this success in the future. You can also use some influencer marketing platform such as InflueNex to take a look at the videos in your similar channels, and learn the popular videos on their channels.

2. Get on with it

Research shows that YouTube viewers have an incredibly short attention span. Depending on who you believe, you could have as much as six seconds or as little as just three to grab their attention and compel them to carry on watching. If you want to improve your audience retention, coming in with an engaging, attention grabbing statement right at the start is crucial to your success. Nobody wants to waste their time watching someone waffle on for ages about their granny or their favorite hobbies, so get right down to it straight away, by telling them what’s in store.

3. Make it visually engaging

Perhaps all you’ve got is a presentation to make. You’re not a gamer, you’re not showing clips of your cat and you’re not doing a makeup tutorial, so surely all you need is a camera, good lighting and your face, right? Wrong. Viewers like to see the visual content changing, and videos which have a range of scenes are usually far more successful than those where it’s just a person talking to camera. Think about how you can insert cutaways, pop up text, different footage and other graphics to keep it interesting for your viewers.

4. Make it shorter

This one is a no brainer really. If you make a one-minute video, how hard is it going to be to keep viewers watching to the end compared to a 20-minute marathon. However, going too short can be negative too, unless you really do have something very quick and simple to showcase. Long videos work well for YouTubers in the gaming niche, in particular, because viewers want to know the end result, but for most of us, these sorts of viewing statistics are hard to reach.

If you consider a viewer who watches three minutes of your content, would you rather they watched three minutes of a ten-minute video and then clicked away bored, or would you rather they finished an entire video that was only three minutes long? Both in terms of audience retention and of your own reputation, having a viewer finish a short video is much more valuable to you than losing someone half way through a long one. That person probably enjoyed your content to the end and will more than likely watch another one of your videos. Conversely, the one you lost half way through was bored enough to stop watching and will probably not bother viewing any other videos of yours in future.

5. Keep them hooked

Think carefully about your YouTube video structure. Ideally, you will tell them at the very start that you’ve got something amazing to share with them later on. This could be a tip, a tutorial, a new product reveal or even something funny. Whatever it is, tell them they’re going to love it from the start, and keep reminding them to watch from the end to get this gift. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give them great content all the way through, just that you should save a carrot for the end of the ride to reward those loyal viewers.

So, now you know how to increase YouTube audience retention, what are you going to do about it? Have a go at modifying your videos to boost the numbers who will watch to the end and let us know how you got on.

6. Use an Excellent Video Editor

Content is the king. It is necessary to use a powerful video editor to help you edit videos. With an excellent video editor like Filmora, you can custom stunning videos effortlessly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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