How to Block Someone on YouTube

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in Local SEO Services and have outlined how to block someone on youtube to help you manage community safety and maintain a positive channel environment.

YouTube is one of the largest platforms for sharing and engaging with video content, but sometimes interactions can turn negative. Whether it’s unwanted comments, spam, or harassment, blocking someone on YouTube is a quick way to maintain a positive experience on your channel. Knowing how to do it helps protect your community and keep discussions respectful.

This guide explains how to block someone on YouTube using both desktop and mobile, what happens when you block them, and how to manage your privacy settings effectively.

Why You Might Need to Block Someone on YouTube

There are several reasons you might want to block another user:

• They post spam comments or links under your videos.

• They leave offensive, inappropriate, or harassing messages.

• They repeatedly dislike or troll your content.

• They contact you through YouTube features in a way that makes you uncomfortable.

Blocking is an important part of community moderation. It doesn’t remove existing comments automatically, but it prevents the person from interacting with your future content or leaving new comments.

What Happens When You Block Someone

Blocking a user on YouTube restricts their ability to engage with your channel. Specifically:

• They can still view your public videos and playlists.

• They cannot comment on your videos or posts.

• They cannot send you private messages.

• You won’t receive notifications or replies from them.

Blocking doesn’t make your channel private. It simply stops unwanted interactions from specific users.

How to Block Someone on YouTube (Desktop Version)

If you’re using YouTube on a computer, follow these steps to block a user:

1. Go to the YouTube channel of the person you want to block. You can do this by clicking their username on a comment or searching for their profile.

2. On their channel page, click the About tab.

3. Click the flag icon, usually found below the channel’s banner.

4. Select Block user from the dropdown menu.

5. A confirmation message will appear. Click Submit to confirm.

The user will now be blocked and unable to comment or interact with your channel.

How to Block Someone on YouTube (Mobile App)

Blocking on mobile works in a similar way.

1. Open the YouTube app on your smartphone.

2. Go to the profile of the person you want to block.

3. Tap the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of their profile.

4. Select Block user.

5. Confirm your choice when prompted.

The action is instant, and you won’t receive any more interactions from that person.

How to Block Someone Through Comments

You can also block a user directly from a comment they’ve made on your video.

1. Go to the comment section of your video.

2. Find a comment from the user you want to block.

3. Click the three dots next to their comment.

4. Select Hide user from channel.

This automatically blocks them from commenting on any of your videos in the future. They’ll still be able to watch your videos, but their new comments won’t appear publicly.

How to Unblock Someone

If you change your mind later, you can easily unblock someone.

1. Go to YouTube Studio.

2. Click Settings on the left-hand menu.

3. Select Community, then Hidden users.

4. Find the person you want to unblock and remove them from the list.

5. Save your changes.

Once unblocked, they’ll be able to comment again and interact with your content normally.

Additional Ways to Control Comments and Privacy

Blocking isn’t the only way to manage your YouTube community. You can also adjust comment settings to reduce spam or inappropriate behaviour.

• Hold comments for review: Go to YouTube Studio > Settings > Community > Defaults, then select “Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review.”

• Add moderators: Assign trusted people to help monitor and manage your comment section.

• Disable comments: For particularly sensitive videos, you can turn off comments entirely.

You can also customise your privacy settings to limit who can see your subscriptions, saved playlists, or liked videos.

Managing Your Channel’s Reputation

For creators and businesses, managing interactions on YouTube is part of maintaining a strong digital presence. A channel full of spam or negativity can affect brand perception. By taking control of your comment settings and blocking disruptive users, you create a more professional and welcoming space for your audience.

If you use YouTube as part of your marketing strategy, positive engagement and clean comment sections help your content perform better. Google’s algorithms measure engagement quality as part of search visibility, so maintaining a healthy community can even support your SEO goals.

Expert Advice for Safer YouTube Engagement

YouTube is one of the most powerful platforms for building an audience, sharing expertise, and promoting your brand. However, with millions of users interacting daily, it’s also a space where negative comments, spam, and harassment can appear. Maintaining a safe and positive community takes consistent attention and clear moderation. Whether you manage a personal channel or represent a business, having strong engagement policies in place ensures your viewers feel respected and comfortable. Here’s how to manage YouTube engagement responsibly and protect both your audience and your brand reputation.

Regularly Monitor Your Comments Section

The comments section is one of the main areas where audience interaction happens. While it can be a great source of feedback and engagement, it’s also where inappropriate or offensive behaviour often begins. Make a habit of reviewing comments frequently, ideally every day if your channel has steady traffic.

Keep an eye out for spam links, hate speech, and misleading promotions. Many spammers use comment sections to push scams or unrelated content, which can damage your credibility if left unchecked. Using YouTube’s built-in moderation tools, you can automatically filter comments containing offensive words, links, or specific phrases. Consistent moderation helps set the tone for your community and shows viewers that your channel is well managed and respectful.

Report Users Who Violate YouTube Policies

If you encounter users who harass others, post offensive material, or repeatedly spam your channel, it’s important to report them directly to YouTube. The platform has strict policies against harassment, threats, and harmful behaviour. By reporting violations, you help protect not only your channel but also the wider community.

You can also block specific users to prevent them from commenting or interacting further. This is especially useful if you’re dealing with persistent trolls or individuals who attempt to derail constructive discussions. Remember, responding emotionally to such users often escalates the situation, while quietly reporting and blocking maintains professionalism.

Establish Clear Community Guidelines

Setting expectations for how viewers should engage with your content is one of the most effective ways to promote positive interaction. Create a simple set of community guidelines and post them in your video descriptions, About section, or as a pinned comment.

Your guidelines might include rules such as being respectful, avoiding spam, and keeping discussions relevant to the topic. When you establish clear boundaries from the start, you make it easier to justify moderation actions later. This proactive approach encourages thoughtful conversation and reduces misunderstandings among your audience.

Promote Positive Engagement

A positive community starts with the creator’s attitude. Make an effort to acknowledge genuine comments, answer viewer questions, and thank people for their feedback. This type of engagement shows you value your audience and helps foster loyalty.

At the same time, avoid getting drawn into negative exchanges. If someone leaves a rude or inflammatory comment, it’s usually best not to engage. Trolls thrive on attention, and ignoring them is often the quickest way to discourage further interaction. For persistent negativity, rely on YouTube’s moderation tools to hide or remove the comment instead of responding publicly.

Creating a respectful tone in your comment section encourages viewers to follow suit. When people see that discussions remain civil, they’re more likely to participate constructively and share your content.

Integrate YouTube Moderation into Your Social Media Policy

For businesses or brands that manage multiple online platforms, YouTube moderation should be part of a broader social media policy. Assign clear roles within your team for monitoring comments, handling reports, and deciding when to escalate issues.

If you work with external agencies or moderators, ensure they understand your company values and tone of voice. Consistency across all platforms reinforces brand trust. You should also have a plan for how to respond to negative reviews or criticism in a professional manner. Training staff in digital communication and conflict resolution helps them manage challenging situations effectively without damaging your brand reputation.

Use YouTube’s Advanced Moderation Tools

YouTube offers several tools to make moderation easier and more effective. Use the “Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review” feature to automatically flag suspicious content. You can also add trusted users as moderators to help manage discussions during live streams or in the comments section.

For larger channels, consider using third-party moderation tools that can automate repetitive tasks or provide more advanced filtering options. Combining automation with human oversight helps maintain both efficiency and empathy in community management.

Encourage Responsible Viewer Interaction

Remind your audience that they play a role in maintaining a positive environment. Encourage viewers to report inappropriate comments they encounter and to support respectful discussion. When audiences feel empowered to help maintain standards, your community becomes self-regulating and more enjoyable for everyone.

Including occasional reminders about respectful engagement in your videos can also reinforce good behaviour. Phrases like “We love hearing from you—please keep the conversation friendly and on-topic” help set the right expectations without sounding overly strict.

Summary

Blocking someone on YouTube is simple but effective for maintaining a positive environment on your channel. It prevents unwanted comments, spam, and harassment while allowing you to stay in control of your content. You can block users directly through their profile, the comment section, or the mobile app in just a few clicks.

If you’re managing YouTube as part of your business marketing, moderation and engagement are just as important as SEO. At Lillian Purge, we help businesses build visibility, protect their reputation, and maximise their performance across digital platforms.

We have also written in depth articles on How to advertise on YouTube with a small budget and How to create YouTube videos without expensive equipment as well as our YouTube Hub to give you further guidance.