YouTube Shuts Down Trending Section Amid Declining Viewership
Arkadiy Andrienko
Starting July 25, 2025, YouTube will completely remove the "Trending" section from its mobile apps and web interface, according to the platform’s updated help documentation. The tab — a staple for nearly a decade, showcasing the platform’s most-viewed videos — will be discontinued.
YouTube attributes the move to shifting user behavior. Over the past five years, visits to the Trending page have steadily declined. Users increasingly discover relevant content through personalized recommendations, search, the Shorts feed, comments, and community discussions — not a one-size-fits-all national ranking. The section also faced criticism for frequently promoting content from major channels and lagging behind niche audience interests.
Trending features will fully migrate to YouTube’s existing Explore tab (formerly "Browse"). Here’s what users will find there:
- Themed collections: Curated blocks like Music, Gaming, Movies & TV, Shorts, and local trends (by city/region).
- Category-specific charts: Dedicated rankings (e.g., top music videos, popular podcasts, hot movie trailers) instead of a single generic list.
- Personalized picks: Algorithmic recommendations based on watch history and subscriptions.
- Non-personalized content: For users seeking fresh perspectives, the Explore tab will highlight new videos from diverse creators and topics.
Users won’t need to take action — the Explore tab will automatically replace Trending in YouTube’s interface. Discovering popular content will now be more topic-focused. YouTube clarifies that recommendation mechanics (for Explore and homepage placement) remain unchanged. Creator tools like the Inspiration tab in YouTube Studio stay available for tracking trends. The platform also continues testing its Hype feature (beta), which lets viewers boost new videos, and will keep spotlighting promising creators via its social media channels.
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