Creators see exact dislike counts in YouTube Studio, while viewers can only get third-party estimates, because YouTube has hidden the public dislike count since November 10, 2021. That is the short answer to how to see dislikes on YouTube, and which route applies depends on whether you own the video.
This guide shows where YouTube dislikes appear in Studio, how to work out a like-to-dislike ratio, and what viewer extensions can and cannot tell you.
| Audience | Where to look | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | YouTube Studio, video Analytics > Engagement | Exact counts; can change when some are marked invalid |
| Viewer | Third-party dislike extension | Estimate, not a Studio count |
Why YouTube hid public dislike counts
YouTube kept the dislike button but made the public dislike count private, according to its November 10, 2021 announcement. Creators can still see exact numbers in Studio. A hidden count does not mean a video has no dislikes.
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How creators see dislikes in YouTube Studio
The steps below follow YouTube Help's engagement guide (checked Oct 24, 2026):
- Sign in to YouTube Studio for the channel that owns the video.
- Select Content, then the video.
- Open Analytics, then Engagement.
- Find the Likes (vs. dislikes) report, which shows how many viewers liked and disliked.
For a channel-level view, add the Likes (vs. dislikes) metric in the expanded (advanced) report. Counts can change when YouTube marks some likes or dislikes as invalid, and Help lists a known issue where Analytics counts differ from the watch page. For the wider reporting workflow, see the YouTube Studio analytics guide.
Can you see who disliked your video?
No. If you are asking 'who disliked my video', Studio reports counts only, and YouTube Help documents no way to see who disliked a video. A critical comment does not show that its author clicked dislike either. Use comments for the reasons people choose to share, such as a missing step or a title that promises more than the video delivers.
Like-to-dislike ratio: how to calculate it and what 'good' looks like
People use the ratio two ways, so say which one you mean.
Likes per dislike: likes ÷ dislikes. It is undefined when there are no dislikes.
Like percentage: likes ÷ (likes + dislikes) × 100. It measures recorded votes, not all viewers, and is undefined when there are no votes.
None of the sources used for this guide publishes a 'good' ratio. Compare similar uploads on your own channel over the same reporting window, and check total votes: a ratio built on a handful of votes is weak evidence.
Video engagement rate is a broader formula. The engagement rate calculator computes that, not the like percentage.
Viewer options: Return YouTube Dislike and other extensions
Return YouTube Dislike is an open-source extension for Chrome and Firefox, with a userscript for other browsers. Its README (checked Oct 24, 2026) says that after dislike stats were removed from the YouTube API, "our backend switched to using a combination of scraped dislike stats and estimates extrapolated from extension user data." It dates the removal of the API's dislike field to December 13, 2021.
So the number is an estimate, not a Studio count, and this guide has no independent accuracy figure for it. For any other extension, look for a stated data source and method: a restored number alone says nothing about accuracy.
For your own video: use Studio. For someone else's video: treat an extension number as a rough guide and judge the video itself.
What dislikes do (and don't do) to the algorithm
YouTube Help's engagement page does not document how dislikes affect recommendations, so this guide gives no penalty or formula. More dislikes alongside fewer views is a pattern to investigate, not proof of cause: a changed topic, a different audience or a misleading title could explain it too. Our YouTube recommendation algorithm guide covers the broader topic.
Use dislikes as a feedback signal
A count cannot tell you when or why viewers reacted, so pair it with retention and comments:
- Record likes and dislikes with the date and the video.
- Read comments for complaints about clarity, accuracy, pacing or the title's promise.
- Check retention around any visible drop-offs.
- Write down a possible explanation, labeled as a hypothesis.
- Change one thing in a future upload and compare it with similar videos.
If comments call a tutorial hard to follow, check that part for skipped steps; a retention dip nearby is another reason to inspect it. See our guide to identifying viewer drop-off points.
See likes, comments and retention side by side for each video you select in TubeAnalytics, next to the dislikes you read in Studio. See pricing for the 7-day trial, card required for eligible new customers.
Methodology and Evidence
Reporting steps follow YouTube Help, checked Oct 24, 2026. The history note uses YouTube's November 10, 2021 announcement. Extension method comes from the Return YouTube Dislike README. The ratio formulas are arithmetic.
Limitations
No extension was tested for this guide, and no independent accuracy figure is available. The Studio mobile app is not covered.
Editorial FAQ: how to see dislikes on YouTube
Editorial FAQ: these questions were written by the TubeAnalytics editorial team, not taken from Google's People Also Ask.