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How to see dislikes on YouTube

Updated · tested in Chrome

Short answer

YouTube stopped showing public dislike counts in 2021; only a video’s creator sees them, in YouTube Studio. To see an estimate, turn on “Dislike counts” in ytbud for YouTube. It shows the Return YouTube Dislike estimate inside the dislike button, labelled as estimated.

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Dislike counts, recorded on YouTube with ytbud.

What YouTube shows

The dislike button still works, but the number is hidden from viewers. Creators can see their own dislikes in YouTube Studio → Analytics.

With ytbud, step by step

  1. Add ytbud to Chrome.
  2. Open Tools → Ads and segments and turn on Dislike counts.
  3. Chrome asks once to allow returnyoutubedislikeapi.com. Allow it: that’s where the estimates come from.
  4. Open any video. The estimated count appears in the dislike button, and its tooltip says it’s an estimate.

Good to know

Where the number comes from
Return YouTube Dislike combines dislike counts archived before the API change with votes from its own users. It’s most accurate on popular videos and on videos uploaded before December 2021.
What leaves your browser
Only the ID of the video you’re watching, and only while the switch is on. Results are cached for 10 minutes.

Questions

Are the dislike counts accurate?

They’re estimates. Return YouTube Dislike extrapolates from its users’ votes for newer videos, so a small, new video can be off.

Can I see dislikes on my phone?

ytbud is a desktop Chrome extension. It also runs in Edge, Brave and Opera on a computer.