Subscriber counts
The number of users subscribed to your YouTube channel is a metric that reflects how many people are following your channel. Subscriber numbers displayed in the following places update in real time:
- Your channel page
- Account switcher
- Video watch page
- Third-party sites and applications using the YouTube Data API
Removing closed accounts & spammy subscribers
What are closed accounts and spam subscribers?
- Closed accounts: These are accounts that were either closed by the user, or terminated by YouTube due to a policy violation.
- Spam subscribers: Subscribers gained through artificial means, such as purchasing subscribers through a third party service.
We regularly verify the legitimacy of the accounts and actions on your YouTube channel. This is part of a process to ensure that our site metrics are free of spam, abuse, and closed accounts to keep YouTube a fair playing field for everyone. It’s important that subscriber numbers stay meaningful to ensure that when your sub count grows, it’s because you’re organically building a community of authentic fans who will keep watching and supporting you.
Closed accounts as well as subscribers that are identified as spam will not count toward your total number of subscribers, and won't show in your subscriber list. Since these are artificial actions, removing them does not impact views or watch time.
Changes to subscriber count
Learn more about why your subscriber count may change.