YouTube appears to be testing a new layout that makes the dislike button harder to find on regular videos, moving the thumbs-down icon from its familiar position beside the like button into the three-dot menu. The change has reportedly reached a small group of users, with early sightings concentrated on the platform’s desktop website.

Screenshots shared on X and Reddit show the dislike option placed inside the overflow menu, alongside the option to report a video. The like button, however, remains visible in its usual position, creating a noticeable difference in how viewers can respond to content.

Some users reportedly began noticing the change around two weeks ago. For now, the experiment appears limited, with most viewers continuing to see the dislike button in its original location. Google has not publicly commented on the test.

YouTube’s Dislike Button Is Becoming Less Visible

The latest experiment changes how viewers access an existing feature rather than removing it altogether. Users can still dislike a video, but they must first open the three-dot menu to find the option.

That extra step could influence how frequently people use the feature. When the dislike button sits directly beside the like button, viewers can react almost immediately. Hiding it behind another menu makes the process less convenient and could discourage some people from sharing negative feedback.

The potential impact extends beyond the viewing experience. Dislikes are one of the signals associated with how users respond to videos, and making the feature less accessible could affect the volume of feedback generated by viewers. However, there is no confirmation that YouTube intends to change its recommendation system through this experiment.

The current test also leaves an important question unanswered: whether the new layout is a temporary interface experiment or a change the platform is considering for a wider audience.

The Change Follows YouTube’s 2021 Dislike Count Removal

YouTube’s latest move comes nearly five years after the platform removed public dislike counts in November 2021.

At the time, the company said the decision was intended to protect creators from harassment and targeted dislike campaigns. Although viewers could still press the dislike button, the total number of dislikes was no longer displayed publicly.

Creators retained access to their dislike figures through YouTube Studio, allowing them to review audience feedback privately. For viewers, however, the removal meant losing a quick way to assess how others had responded to a video before watching it.

The distinction between the button and the count is important. YouTube did not eliminate the ability to dislike regular videos in 2021. Instead, it removed the public numbers that had made negative audience reactions immediately visible.

The newly reported test takes the change a step further by making the button itself less prominent, although it does not currently appear to remove the feature.

YouTube Already Removed Dislikes From Shorts

The platform has also experimented with changing how viewers provide negative feedback on Shorts.

Earlier this year, YouTube removed the dislike button from the Shorts interface, directing users towards feedback options in the three-dot menu instead. At the time, Google said dislikes would continue to function normally on long-form videos and live streams.

That distinction now matters because the reported desktop experiment appears to bring a similar interface change to regular videos. Rather than having the dislike button immediately available, some viewers must open a menu to access it.

The two changes are not identical, since the latest test reportedly retains the dislike option for long-form content. Still, both make negative feedback less immediate than it was under the previous layout.

Will YouTube Hide the Dislike Button for Everyone?

For now, there is no confirmation that YouTube plans to roll out the new layout to all users. The available reports point to a limited test, and most viewers still have access to the dislike button beside the like button.

The response to the experiment on X and Reddit has been largely critical, with users questioning the need to make an established feature harder to access.

Whether the change becomes permanent remains unclear. YouTube could retain the existing layout, expand the experiment or introduce a revised version after evaluating the test.

For viewers, the immediate difference is straightforward: if the dislike button has disappeared from beside the like button, opening the three-dot menu may reveal where it has moved. For creators, the larger question is whether making the feature less visible will change how audiences express dissatisfaction with their videos.

Until YouTube clarifies its plans, the experiment remains a test rather than a confirmed platform-wide change.

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