It happened back in late 2021. You clicked on a tutorial, maybe something about fixing a leaky faucet or coding a Python script, and you noticed something felt... empty. The dislike button was still there, sitting right next to the like button, but the number was gone. You could click it, sure, but you had no idea if 5 people hated the video or 50,000. YouTube's decision to hide public dislike counts was one of the most controversial UI changes in the history of the platform.
They said it was about protecting creators from "dislike attacks" and harassment. Critics, however, screamed that it destroyed the internet's most efficient "BS meter."
Honestly? They were both kind of right.
But here’s the thing: just because the number is invisible doesn't mean the data is gone. If you want to see dislikes on YouTube, you aren't totally out of luck. There are workarounds that actually work, though they come with some pretty heavy caveats that most people ignore.
The Drama Behind the Disappearing Dislike Count
Matt Koval, who was YouTube's Creator Liaison at the time, had the unenviable task of explaining this to a very angry internet. The official line was that small creators were being targeted by organized groups who would "dislike-bomb" videos before even watching them. YouTube ran an experiment and claimed that hiding the count reduced this behavior.
Users hated it.
The primary argument for keeping the count public was utility. If you're looking for a "How to fix a MacBook" video, and you see 10,000 dislikes and 200 likes, you know within one second that the video is either a scam or contains dangerous advice. Without that count, you have to scrub through the video or read the comments—which, let's be real, are often moderated or filled with bot spam anyway.
Even YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim weighed in. He famously updated the description of "Me at the zoo" (the first-ever YouTube video) to call the move "stupid." He argued that the ability to easily identify bad content is essential for a platform built on user-generated material.
How to Actually See Dislikes on YouTube Right Now
If you're on a desktop, the most popular way to bring back the "shame meter" is an open-source browser extension called Return YouTube Dislike (RYD). It’s available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and even Brave.
How does it work if YouTube shut off the API? It’s a bit of a workaround.
Back in late 2021, YouTube left the dislike data available in their API for a short "grace period." The developers behind RYD crawled as much of that data as they could, archiving the counts for millions of existing videos. For new videos uploaded after the API was fully closed, the extension uses a combination of two things:
- Creator Data: Creators who use the extension can choose to share their actual, private dislike stats with the RYD database.
- Extrapolation: The extension tracks how its own users (the millions of people who have it installed) interact with a video. If 10% of RYD users dislike a video, it assumes roughly 10% of the general public would too, and it calculates an estimated number to show you.
It's not perfect. It’s an estimate. But for most videos, it's surprisingly accurate. You’ll see a number again. It feels like the old YouTube.
What About Mobile?
Seeing dislikes on a phone is a massive pain in the neck compared to desktop. Since you can't easily install Chrome extensions on the official YouTube app, you have to get creative.
If you’re on Android, some third-party apps and "revived" versions of older players integrate the RYD API. However, Google is constantly playing cat-and-mouse with these apps, often breaking their functionality or issuing C&D orders. For iPhone users, your best bet is using a browser like Orion that supports Chrome extensions, or using a "Siri Shortcut" that pulls data from the RYD API when you share a video link to it.
It's clunky. You’ve probably realized by now that Google really doesn't want you seeing those numbers.
Why the Numbers Aren't Always "Real"
You have to be careful when you see dislikes on YouTube using these tools. Because the official API is dead to the public, the numbers you see on a video uploaded yesterday are purely statistical guesses based on the behavior of extension users.
Think about the bias there.
People who install a "Return YouTube Dislike" extension are a specific subset of the internet. They are likely more tech-savvy, perhaps more critical, and definitely more invested in the platform's features than the average person watching "Baby Shark" or a cooking vlog. Therefore, the "estimated" dislikes might be skewed higher or lower depending on the niche.
For example, a technical video about Linux might have a very high percentage of RYD users watching it, making the dislike count very accurate. A mainstream pop music video? Probably less so.
The Creator’s Perspective: Is it Better Now?
If you ask a big YouTuber, their answer might surprise you. Most creators can still see their own dislike counts in the YouTube Studio dashboard. For them, nothing changed except the public's ability to join in on a "pile-on."
Some creators argue that the removal of the public count has actually made their comment sections more toxic. Instead of just hitting the thumb down and moving on, angry viewers now feel the need to write a scathing comment to "warn" others, since the visual warning is gone.
On the flip side, some educators have noted that they feel less "anxiety" when experimenting with new formats. They don't have to worry about a small group of trolls tanking the "public perception" of a video before it even has a chance to find its audience.
There is also the "dislike as a bookmark" theory. Many users used the dislike button not because they hated a video, but to tell the algorithm "don't show me stuff like this anymore." That function still works perfectly fine. Your personal algorithm still knows what you disliked.
The Business Logic Behind the Move
Why would Google risk the wrath of its entire user base? Follow the money.
Advertisers generally don't like their products being associated with "negativity." If a major brand releases a commercial that gets 500,000 dislikes (which has happened many times), it’s a PR nightmare. By hiding the count, YouTube made the platform a "safer" space for brands to dump content without the immediate public feedback loop that could lead to a viral "ratio."
It also keeps people on the site longer.
If you see a video has a ton of dislikes, you leave. If you don't know, you might watch for three minutes before realizing it's garbage. Those three minutes are three minutes of potential ad revenue or data collection. It’s a cynical view, but in the world of big tech, it’s rarely a wrong one.
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Is There a Future Where Dislikes Return?
Don't hold your breath.
YouTube has doubled down on this path. They are moving more toward "sentiment-based" feedback. You might notice more surveys asking "Was this video helpful?" or "Is this a good recommendation?" They want nuanced data that they control, not a blunt instrument like a public dislike counter.
The rise of AI-generated content also complicates things. As the platform gets flooded with AI videos, the need for a quality filter is higher than ever. Ironically, the removal of the dislike count makes it easier for low-quality AI "slop" to blend in with human-made content.
How to Protect Yourself from Bad Content Without the Counter
Since you can't always trust the estimated numbers from extensions, you have to develop a bit of "internet literacy" to replace the old dislike bar.
- Check the Comment-to-View Ratio: If a video has 100,000 views but only 10 comments, and those comments are all "Great video!" or "I love this!", the creator is likely deleting negative feedback or buying views.
- The "Vibe" Check: Fast-forward to the middle of the video. Does the quality match the thumbnail? Is the person actually doing what they promised?
- Check the Channel History: A channel that was created three days ago and has one viral "how-to" video is much more suspicious than an established creator with a ten-year history.
- Use Extensions Wisely: Keep Return YouTube Dislike installed, but treat the number as a "strong suggestion" rather than an absolute fact. If you see a video with a 50% dislike ratio on RYD, proceed with extreme caution.
The internet changed the day that counter went dark. We moved from a transparent, democratic rating system to one where the platform holds all the cards. While tools like RYD help us claw back some of that transparency, the era of the "unbiased internet BS meter" is mostly over.
Practical Steps for Better Browsing
- Install the Extension: If you are on a computer, go to the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons and search for Return YouTube Dislike. It takes 10 seconds.
- Verify New Info: If you're watching a tutorial for something high-stakes (like electrical work or financial advice), never rely on just one video, especially now that you can't see the public's consensus on it.
- Support Honest Creators: Use the comment section to leave time-stamped warnings if a video is misleading. Since the dislike count is gone, your voice in the comments is now the primary way to warn the next person who clicks.
- Monitor Your Algorithm: Remember that disliking a video still trains your personal "Recommended" feed. Even if nobody else sees it, it tells YouTube to stop serving you junk.