YouTube Denies Testing Hidden Dislike Button, Confirms Creator UI Change
After screenshots shared by at least two X users suggested the button had moved into a three-dot menu, YouTube denied testing the change for general viewers. The platform is instead moving it in a new interface for creators viewing their own uploads.
YouTube has confirmed it is not testing a hidden dislike button for general users, pushing back on reports that circulated earlier this week suggesting the feature was being moved out of plain sight.
The clarification came after The Verge reported on Tuesday, October 21, 2026, that at least two users on X had shared screenshots appearing to show YouTube’s dislike button relocated inside a three-dot menu, rather than displayed prominently beneath videos. The screenshots suggested YouTube may have been experimenting with reducing the visibility of the dislike option for viewers.
A YouTube spokesperson addressed the reports in a Wednesday statement to The Verge, confirming that YouTube is “not testing hiding the dislike button on YouTube for users.”
However, YouTube did acknowledge one related change: the platform is introducing a new interface for creators on their own uploaded videos, where the dislike button will be moved. The spokesperson’s statement did not provide further detail on the scope or timeline of that creator-side UI update.
The distinction matters for the platform’s broader user base. While general viewers will continue to see the dislike button in its current location, creators reviewing their own content may encounter a different layout going forward. For viewers who rely on the dislike count — or its visible presence — as a signal of video quality, the denial may offer some reassurance, though the creator-facing change suggests YouTube is still making adjustments to how the button is surfaced in certain contexts.