YouTube to Retire Its Trending Page After Nearly a Decade as User Discovery Habits Evolve

In a drastic change that signals the closing of an era, YouTube has finally announced it is going to end the Trending Page, a feature that has been a constant on the site since 2015. The change, effective July 21, 2025, is a response to evolving user trends and a sharp decline in users' engagement with the page in recent years.

Why YouTube is Removing the Trending Page

As per YouTube's official blog post, the Trending Page and the "Trending Now" list will be discontinued forever, with the firm stating that "fewer people have been visiting the Trending Page" in recent years. Instead of depending on a static list, audiences now interact with trending content in more dynamic and personalized manners thanks to features such as Shorts, algorithmic recommendations, comments sections, Community posts, and subscription feeds.

This shift reveals a larger industry trend: algorithmic personalization is replacing curated discovery. YouTube observed that over the past five years, its metrics indicated a steady drop in user visits to the Trending page, compelling the firm to rethink its approach.

YouTube Charts and Explore to Take Center Stage

To make up for the loss of the Trending Page, YouTube is focusing more attention elsewhere, primarily on the YouTube Charts and Explore Pages. Originally launched to monitor popular music videos, YouTube Charts now also include weekly best podcasts and viral movie trailers. And the best part? The company plans to open Charts to additional content categories in the future, giving users a more relevant and timely snapshot of what's trending with them.

Gaming enthusiasts won't be left behind either they can still browse popular game videos through the Gaming Explore page. For a more general experience, YouTube's overall Explore page is still live, in addition to creator channels and the subscription feed, offering users multiple ways of accessing fresh content without depending on the outdated Trending section.

Personalized Suggestions Are the New Default

As YouTube doubles down on algorithmic suggestions, the company reaffirmed how its AI-driven suggestion engine is now at the center of surfacing trending videos. Rather than a one-size-fits-all list of the Trending Page, viewers are now shown videos that fit their personal viewing tendencies, location, interests, and watch history.

This method, though dynamic and effective, is also liable to generate filter bubbles, which has been a subject of discussion within digital communities. Yet, no one can dispute the fact that the contemporary viewer anticipates content to arrive at him/her, and not vice versa.

What This Means for YouTube Creators

For creators, the elimination of the Trending Page is bittersweet. Previously, being on Trending was a status symbol, giving creators a popularity lift and potential to widen their reach across social media. Creators will now have to increasingly depend on the algorithm, engagement from the community, and intentional content planning to be found.

To aid creators in this shift, YouTube suggests utilizing the Inspiration tab on YouTube Studio, which offers evidence-driven recommendations considering a channel's history, trending content, and viewer interests. Such a tool is likely to become a key tool for creators seeking to remain competitive in a crowded world without access to a centralized trending page.

YouTube's announcement to sunset its venerable Trending Page is a strategic shift on how the platform serves up content to its audience. Though it's perhaps a wistful moment for some creators and veteran viewers, the shift is indicative of the current reality of content consumption, in which personal recommendations and Shorts now take center stage in the user experience.

With Explore and YouTube Charts moving in to spotlight top and viral content, both viewers and creators have to get used to the changing digital landscape. As YouTube continues to update its algorithm and multiply ways of discovering content, one thing is certain—the future of trending content on YouTube is more algorithmic, personalized, and data-driven than ever.