YouTube has announced it is retiring its long-standing Trending page, marking the end of a feature that has been part of the platform for nearly a decade. The decision reflects how the platform’s audience and content landscape have evolved, and introduces a more organized replacement: YouTube Charts.
A Feature From 2015 Comes to an End
The Trending tab, first launched in 2015, was designed to showcase the biggest viral and popular videos on the site. At the time, the task was relatively straightforward — a single feed of what was being watched the most worldwide.
Over the years, however, the breadth and diversity of YouTube content grew dramatically. According to YouTube’s official support post, the Trending page became less effective for many users as it lacked the ability to filter by interest, such as gaming, hobbies, or specific genres. This limitation, combined with declining traffic to the page, motivated the company to retire it in favor of a more flexible approach.
YouTube Charts: The New Destination for Popular Content
YouTube Charts, which is already live in some regions, will officially replace the Trending tab in the coming weeks. Unlike Trending, Charts is divided into subcategories, making it easier for viewers to discover popular content in specific niches.
Currently, YouTube Charts includes dedicated charts for:
- Trending music videos
- Popular podcasts
- Top movie trailers
YouTube has stated that more categories will follow over time. For gaming enthusiasts, the platform recommends using the Gaming Explore page, which continues to highlight trending gaming content, such as Let’s Plays, trailers, and walkthroughs.
Personalized recommendations will also remain a central part of the experience, relying on a user’s watch history, preferences, subscriptions, and other signals.
How Will Users React?
Since the announcement was made only hours ago, it remains to be seen how long-time users of the Trending page will respond to the change. Many users already rely heavily on personalized feeds and search, and YouTube hopes the more organized nature of Charts will attract those who still want to see what’s popular across the platform without wading through irrelevant content.
Some users have also expressed a wish for further improvements, particularly when it comes to the abundance of shorts content appearing in search results and home feeds. Shorts have become a significant part of the platform, but repeated reuploads and a lack of filtering options have left some viewers frustrated. While YouTube hasn’t addressed that concern in this update, the introduction of Charts shows the company’s willingness to rethink how content discovery works on its platform.
For now, YouTube Charts is the next step in helping users navigate its vast and growing library of content — in a way that’s more organized and tailored to their interests.
