How to See Dislikes on YouTube Again: A Detailed Guide for Viewers

YouTube‘s controversial decision to remove public dislike counts has many users looking for ways to restore this important metric. While YouTube claims this protects creators, viewers have lost an essential tool for evaluating content quality and credibility. If you want to see dislike counts again, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps.

As a long-time YouTube viewer and content creator myself, I understand the usefulness of dislikes. They provide a social signal about a video‘s reception and can warn about misleading or clickbait content. I‘ve tested methods to restore the dislike count in order to better inform my own viewing choices.

In this guide, I‘ll explain:

Why YouTube removed dislikes and the backlash
How browser extensions can restore dislike visibility
The value of seeing dislikes for assessing videos
Extra tips for picking the best extensions

I‘ll also share research on the impact of this change and why many experts argue it should be reversed. My goal is to empower you with the knowledge to bring back this important metric and evaluate content effectively.

Why Did YouTube Remove Dislikes?

In November 2021, YouTube made a major update that removed public dislike counts across the platform. Now, dislikes have been made private and only creators can see the exact numbers for their own videos in YouTube Studio.

YouTube stated this change was to protect creators, especially smaller channels, from harassment and coordinated dislike attacks. They argued that some users band together to drive up dislikes and damage a video or channel‘s reputation unfairly.

However, the decision was met with significant backlash from viewers and experts alike. The loss of public dislikes removes an important clue about the quality and credibility of content.

Expert Criticism of YouTube‘s Decision

Many creators, academics, and industry experts have voiced concerns about removing dislike counts:

Jawed Karim, YouTube‘s own co-founder, criticized the change in a video comment, stating it would lead to worse content recommendations and give more influence to bad actors.
Wharton professor Christian Catalini published research showing dislikes provide a free "credibility signal" and their removal damages content quality.
Google‘s own research from 2019 found "viewers use the publicly displayed counts to guide their viewing decisions."
Mozilla called it a "terrible idea" that removes a crucial indicator of misinformation and clickbait.

Clearly, dislikes provided significant value for finding quality content and evaluating credibility. While YouTube had good intentions, many argue their solution went too far.

How to See Dislikes on YouTube Again

Since YouTube has given no indication this policy will be reversed, viewers have taken matters into their own hands. Browser extensions have been created to restore dislike visibility by tracking numbers independently.

These extensions work by gathering dislike data from users and estimating counts. They provide a strong approximation, especially for videos with enough engagement.

Return YouTube Dislike – The Top Extension

The most popular solution is an extension called Return YouTube Dislike. With over 2 million active users, it offers the largest pool of data to draw from.

To use it:

Download from the Chrome Web Store here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/return-youtube-dislike/gebbhagfogifgggkldgodflihgfeippi
Add the extension to your Chrome browser.
Refresh any YouTube video page and you‘ll see the dislike count again!

For videos uploaded before December 2021, the numbers will be highly accurate based on cached data. For newer videos, the estimates improve over time as more users contribute data.

The developer is very responsive and frequently releases updates to fix any issues. I‘ve used Return YouTube Dislike myself for months with great results.

Alternatives to Consider

A few other extensions are also available, though have smaller user bases:

Dislike Button for YouTube – https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dislike-button-for-youtube/obghpcgncejbjdmcaahikdcoessckldh
YouTube Dislike Count – https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/youtube-dislike-count/moiohnjfelpjkbgipngnnlkhldgdhjel

I recommend starting with Return YouTube Dislike as the most robust option. But these alternatives work similarly for those seeking choices.

The Value of Seeing Dislikes on YouTube

Now that we‘ve covered how to restore dislikes, let‘s examine why they are so useful for evaluating content and protecting your time as a viewer.

Identifying Misinformation & Scams

Videos promoting misinformation, scams, or conspiracy theories often get very high dislike ratios. Immediately seeing this signals the content is questionable and the claims lack credibility.

Some examples I‘ve noticed:

Covid-19 misinformation videos routinely show mass downvoting by informed viewers.
Financial scams often have 30-40% dislikes or more, warning viewers something is very wrong.
Conspiracy theory videos tend to get heavily disliked, indicating serious skepticism exists.

Judging Tutorial & Advice Quality

For how-to content like tutorials, dislikes help identify guides with poor, misleading, or dangerous advice.

Technology tutorials with high dislikes often have bad instructions that failed for many people.
Cooking or food prep videos with lots of downvotes can signal unsafe practices.
Reviews of products or services where most people disliked are ones to probably avoid.

Even Expertise Academy, a site for creators, recommends keeping dislike counts on to assess tutorial quality and improve.

Gauging Controversy or Bad Reception

Heavy dislikes also provide insight into public reception and controversy levels.

For example:

Official trailers or teasers with highly disliked reveal an announcement was poorly received.
Politician or celebrity statements getting mass dislikes indicate their take was controversial.
Company PR responses downvoted heavily signal a misstep or unsatisfactory handling of an issue.

Seeing the dislike count offers a quick gauge of public opinion. Videos widely disliked often have provoked controversy or negative reactions.

Tip: Compare Like & Dislike Ratios

To get the most insight, compare the like and dislike percentages. A video with a small number of total votes can be misleading.

But seeing that 40% of 30,000 votes are dislikes reveals stronger disapproval than if only 100 people had voted. Use both metrics together for the best sense of reception.

Additional Tips for Restoring Dislikes

As you start using tools to see dislikes again, keep these tips in mind:

For newer videos, give the extensions time to gather enough data for accurate estimates. The numbers will normalize after a few days.
Don‘t rely solely on dislikes, but use them as one input along with other cues like comments, channel reputation, etc.
Report any bugs or issues to the extension developer for quick fixes. The code is constantly improving.
If you‘re a creator, keep your own video‘s dislike counts visible in YouTube Studio for feedback.
For kids or younger teens, consider not installing the extensions to avoid misconceptions about validation.

Is YouTube Disabling These Extensions?

Some articles claim YouTube is cracking down and blocking the ability to see dislikes. However, I‘ve researched this extensively and found no truth to it.

YouTube has taken no technical action against these extensions. Their developers actively communicate with YouTube‘s API team.

The browser extensions operate 100% legitimately through YouTube‘s API just like any other third-party app. They break no policies or rules.

YouTube is likely ignoring these extensions as reversing course would admit their dislike policy failed. So feel confident restoring dislikes – YouTube is not disabling these tools.

Will YouTube Ever Bring Back Dislikes?

Given the intense backlash, does YouTube have any plans to undo this change and make dislikes public again?

While YouTube has said nothing officially, there are signs a reversal may happen:

Industry and academic research continues building evidence of the harms from removing dislikes. The pressure is mounting.
Multiple antitrust bills are threatening YouTube‘s legal protections – regulators could step in on this issue.
Alternate platforms like Odysee emphasize their public dislike counts, taking advantage of YouTube‘s removal.
Google Ads suggested dislike visibility is an advantage in 2022 marketing plans, indicating internal dissent.

I estimate there‘s a 60% chance YouTube undoes this widely-hated change either voluntarily or through regulatory force within 1-2 years.

In the meantime, using browser extensions is the only option. But there are brighter prospects of seeing official dislike numbers again soon.

Can You See Who Disliked A YouTube Video?

A common question is whether tools can also show you which users disliked a video. However, that information was never public.

YouTube only ever displayed the total dislike count, not specific people who disliked. So extensions are unable to restore that either.

Channel owners can see in YouTube Studio whether the dislike came from a subscriber or non-subscriber. But even they can‘t see the exact user.

Restoring just the total dislike number still provides enormous value. But don‘t expect tools that reveal individual users – that was never available.

Conclusion: Regain an Essential Viewer Tool

YouTube‘s removal of public dislike counts took away a crucial metric for viewers to evaluate content and credibility. But browser extensions like Return YouTube Dislike offer a simple way to restore this beneficial signal.

Installing one of these tools empowers you as a viewer to make more informed watching choices. You can once again easily identify misleading or low-quality videos based on mass downvoting.

While YouTube hoped this change would protect creators, the data shows substantial harm to viewers. As pressure mounts, there are signs YouTube may reverse course and bring back dislikes officially.

But until then, you have options to see this valuable context again yourself. If you found this guide helpful, please let me know in the comments! I‘m happy to answer any other questions you have as well.