Can a YouTube Editor delete videos?
A YouTube Editor can delete some things — but not everything. Here's exactly where the line sits, so you know what you're handing over when you grant the role.
The Editor role gives someone the full content workflow — uploading, editing, thumbnails, playlists — including the ability to delete videos. That deletion power is real, and it applies to published videos as well as drafts. The channel itself, however, can only be deleted by an Owner. Understanding where that line sits helps you decide whether Editor is the right role or whether you need to add a safeguard.
What an Editor can delete
An Editor working in YouTube Studio can delete any video on the channel — published, scheduled, or saved as a draft. This is the same deletion access the channel owner has for content. There is no separate "delete" permission that can be switched off while leaving upload and edit access on.
Editors can also remove individual items from playlists, delete custom thumbnails, and remove community post drafts. Anything that lives inside the content layer of Studio is within reach.
What an Editor cannot delete is the channel itself. Deleting the channel — or the Brand Account it sits on — requires Owner-level access, specifically the primary owner acting through myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts.
What this means in practice
Video deletion on YouTube is not recoverable through Studio. Once a published video is deleted, the view count, comments, and URL are gone. If the video was monetised, the revenue history tied to that URL is also lost. YouTube does not offer an undo, and there is no recycle-bin equivalent in Studio.
This is worth weighing before granting Editor access to someone you don't fully trust. The risk isn't the Editor gaining ownership of the channel — that's structurally blocked. The risk is permanent content loss, which is harder to recover from than a role you can revoke.
If you need someone to upload and edit but want to reduce deletion exposure, consider whether Editor Limited fits the work. Editor Limited carries the same content-editing scope as Editor but removes revenue visibility — it does not restrict deletion. There is no YouTube role that allows editing while blocking deletion outright.
Frequently asked questions
Before you hand over access
A clear record of who can do what protects your content
Most video-deletion incidents happen when access was granted informally and no one kept track of who had the Editor role. Knowing exactly who has access — and reviewing it regularly — is the simplest protection available.