How to See Dislikes on YouTube (What's Actually Possible in 2026)
TL;DR - Quick Answer
18 min readComprehensive guide with practical insights you can apply today.
YouTube hid the public dislike count in November 2021. The dislike button still works, but the number is no longer shown to viewers. That means there is no way to fully bring back accurate public dislike counts, and any guide promising a simple "3 clicks to see real dislikes" is overselling it.
Here is the honest version of what you can and cannot see in 2026.
Quick Answer
- Your own videos: exact dislike counts in YouTube Studio (the only accurate source).
- Anyone else's videos: no accurate count exists. The Return YouTube Dislike extension shows an estimate, not the real number.
- The count is gone for good. No creator can re-enable the public count, and there is no official setting to bring it back.
Jump to:
- The honest answer
- See dislikes on your own videos (YouTube Studio)
- Estimate dislikes on any video (Return YouTube Dislike)
- How accurate is the extension?
- Third-party analytics tools
- Does the dislike button still do anything?
- Why did YouTube remove the dislike count?
- FAQ
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The Honest Answer
Since 13 December 2021, YouTube's public API also stopped returning dislike data, so no tool has direct access to live dislike numbers anymore. There are exactly two things you can do:
- If it is your video (or a channel you manage), you can see the exact count. YouTube Studio still reports real dislike totals to the creator. This is accurate.
- If it is someone else's video, you can only estimate. The popular Return YouTube Dislike extension reconstructs a number from archived data plus votes from its own users. It is a useful signal, but it is an estimate and it can be wrong, sometimes badly wrong.
The rest of this guide covers both paths and, importantly, why the extension number should not be treated as fact.
See Dislikes on Your Own Videos (YouTube Studio)
This is the only method that shows a real, exact dislike count. It works for channels you own or manage. It is the same analytics dashboard you would use to track audience retention and other engagement metrics.
Steps:
- Go to studio.youtube.com
- Click Content in the left sidebar
- Click the video you want to check
- Click Analytics, then Engagement
- Find the Likes vs. Dislikes breakdown
You will see exact counts, ratios over time, and any spikes that might indicate a coordinated dislike campaign. This data is private to the creator, so you cannot use Studio to check anyone else's video.
What is the only way to see an EXACT dislike count in 2026?
Estimate Dislikes on Any Video (Return YouTube Dislike)
For videos you do not own, the Return YouTube Dislike browser extension is the most common way to get a dislike number. Just be clear on what it is: an estimate, not the hidden real count.
The project is open-source on GitHub, so you can verify exactly how it works.
Install in 3 Steps:
- Search "Return YouTube Dislike" in your browser's extension store (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari)
- Click Add to browser
- Open any YouTube video, and an estimated dislike count appears next to the dislike button
No account is needed.
Where the Number Comes From:
How Accurate Is the Extension?
This is the part most guides skip. The extension only sees votes from the fraction of viewers who have it installed, then extrapolates to everyone else, so accuracy varies a lot:
The extension's own maintainers acknowledge the limits. In documented cases the displayed number has deviated sharply from reality, including one instance where the shown count was many times higher than the actual total. Treat the number as a directional signal ("this video was disliked a lot") rather than a precise figure.
Which method gives an accurate dislike count for a video you did NOT upload?
Third-Party Analytics Tools
These tools estimate engagement rather than showing exact dislike numbers:
They report engagement ratios, not dislike counts, so they are useful for research but do not answer "how many dislikes does this video have." You can also use our engagement calculator to analyze overall video performance metrics.
Does the Dislike Button Still Do Anything?
Yes. The count is hidden, but clicking dislike still has real effects:
The button is still worth using. It just does not show the count publicly.
If you are a creator trying to improve engagement, knowing your dislike ratio helps you create more engaging content and optimize your YouTube SEO.
Why Did YouTube Remove the Dislike Count?
YouTube announced the change in a November 2021 blog post. Their stated reasons:
- Dislike attacks: organized campaigns were targeting creators
- Creator well-being: reducing harassment and pile-on behavior
- Smaller creators hit hardest: new channels took the most damage
The change was controversial. Viewers lost a quick way to judge video quality, especially for tutorials and product reviews where a high dislike ratio was a strong signal that the content did not deliver on its title.
Creators cannot opt back in. This is a platform-wide policy with no override.
Before vs. After: What Changed
Can YouTube creators choose to show dislikes on their own videos?
FAQ
Can you still see dislikes on YouTube in 2026?
Only in two ways. For your own videos, YouTube Studio shows the exact dislike count. For anyone else's video, there is no accurate count. The Return YouTube Dislike extension shows an estimate, not the real number.
How accurate is the Return YouTube Dislike extension?
It varies. Pre-December 2021 videos are backed by real archived API data and are fairly reliable. Newer videos rely on votes from the subset of viewers who have the extension installed, then extrapolate to the full audience. That estimate can be off, and it is least reliable for small or recent videos with few extension users. Treat it as a directional signal, not a precise figure.
Can I see the exact dislike count on someone else's video?
No. Since YouTube hid the count in November 2021 and stopped returning dislike data through its API in December 2021, no tool can show the true dislike total for a video you do not own or manage. Every third-party number is an estimate.
Is the Return YouTube Dislike extension safe?
It is open-source, widely used, and available on the major extension stores, so its behavior can be independently verified. As with any extension, install it only from an official store and review the permissions it requests.
Do dislikes still affect the YouTube algorithm?
Yes. Pressing dislike still tunes your own recommendations and is used as an engagement signal, so heavily disliked content tends to be recommended less. Only the public display of the count was removed.
Can I see dislikes on mobile?
The Return YouTube Dislike extension works on desktop browsers only. On Android, some modified clients such as ReVanced include a dislike-count patch, though those are unofficial and outside YouTube's terms.
How many dislikes did YouTube Rewind 2018 have?
Around 20 million, making it the most disliked video on YouTube before the count was hidden. YouTube unlisted all of its Rewind videos in December 2025 and set them to private in early 2026, so the original upload is no longer publicly viewable.
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