YouTube Announces End of Trending Page, Shifts Focus to Charts and Personal Picks

After more than a decade of showcasing what’s buzzing around the world, YouTube is officially shutting down its ‘Trending’ page on July 21, 2025. This iconic feature, which once showed the most talked-about videos globally or regionally, will soon disappear from the platform.

In its place, YouTube is putting more energy into Charts and personalised recommendations that reflect not just what’s popular but what matters more to you as a user.

For many, this is the end of an era. For others, it’s a long-overdue upgrade.

Let’s explore why YouTube is getting rid of its Trending page and Trending Now list, and what it means for creators, viewers, and the future of online content.

The End of a YouTube Era: What Is Happening on July 21?

On July 21, 2025, YouTube will shut down the Trending tab on both desktop and mobile versions of the platform. This move is part of a broader shift in how the video giant wants to surface content.

The Trending section, located under the ‘Explore’ tab, was originally designed to highlight viral videos, music releases, news, and cultural moments. But according to YouTube, user behaviour has changed drastically over the past few years.

People no longer rely on a single page to discover what’s hot. Instead, they’re drawn toward customised content, real-time notifications, Shorts, community feeds, and smart recommendations.

Why YouTube Is Saying Goodbye to Trending

YouTube cites shift in user behaviour

YouTube has officially explained that the Trending page is no longer the main source of content discovery. In fact, internal data shows that more users now find videos through:

• Home feed recommendations
• Search results
• YouTube Shorts
• Subscriptions and notifications
• External sharing on WhatsApp, Instagram, or Reddit

This means that the need for a separate, manually curated ‘Trending’ tab has reduced. Moreover, the page was often criticised for showing similar content repeatedly – usually dominated by big YouTubers, music videos, or mainstream media.

Many viewers and even creators felt disconnected from the Trending list, believing it didn’t truly represent “what’s trending among the real audience.”

What Will Replace Trending? Say Hello to Charts and Personalised Picks

YouTube shifts focus to Charts and personalised experiences

Instead of a general list of popular videos, YouTube will now focus more on ‘Charts’, which provide data-based rankings for different categories:

• Top Songs
• Top Artists
• Top Shorts
• Trending Creators
• Viral Music Videos

These are already available under the YouTube Charts section and are curated more transparently using views, likes, and regional stats.

In addition to this, YouTube will now put even more effort into customised home feeds powered by AI. This means your homepage will become smarter, showing you content based on:

• What you watched recently
• Your likes and dislikes
• Time spent on different videos
• Devices used (TV, mobile, desktop)

So in short, YouTube is moving from one-size-fits-all to a “what fits you best” model.

Creators React: Mixed Feelings Across the Board

Not everyone is happy, but some see opportunity

For many small creators, the Trending tab was like a dream stage. Even one appearance on it could skyrocket views, attract sponsorships, or go viral overnight.

Now with it gone, some YouTubers feel like another door to visibility is closing.

But others see it differently. Since the Trending page was often dominated by big music labels and mega influencers, smaller creators never really got fair visibility anyway. Now, with personalised discovery and Shorts gaining ground, everyone has a shot at finding their niche audience.

One Indian YouTuber tweeted:

“Trending never helped most of us. But Shorts and home recommendations gave me 10x growth. If YouTube fine-tunes its algorithms well, this could be a good thing.”

A Look at Other Platforms: Is This a New Trend?

YouTube isn’t alone. Other platforms are also moving away from rigid, public “Top Lists.”

• Instagram promotes Reels based on user preferences, not global trends.
• TikTok relies on the For You Page which adapts continuously.
• Spotify has removed some global trend lists in favour of AI-curated playlists.
• Netflix still shows “Top 10 in your country,” but personalises suggestions heavily.

In this way, YouTube’s decision to shut down the Trending page is not random, but part of a bigger wave across platforms: Hyper-personalisation is the future.

This is something rarely talked about.

The Trending page was never really “real-time.” It used a secret algorithm that considered:

• View count
• Growth velocity
• Geography
• “Content appropriateness”

This meant that a video going viral in small towns or regional communities might never appear there. Instead, highly polished music videos, late-night talk show clips, or brand content would dominate.

That’s why many users felt disconnected from what the Trending tab showed.

In contrast, Charts offer transparency. And personal feeds actually reflect your world — what your friends, your city, or your language group is engaging with.

In short, the Trending page was iconic, but outdated.

How Will This Impact Viewership and Engagement?

YouTube expects that user engagement will rise, as people spend more time on videos they actually care about.
The platform also hopes that this will:

• Improve watch time
• Boost creator retention
• Reduce algorithmic complaints
• Diversify content discovery
• Strengthen the Shorts ecosystem

Especially in markets like India, Brazil, and Southeast Asia, where local language content is booming, personalisation will play a huge role in helping creators grow regionally.

This might actually level the playing field for non-English and rural creators who never made it to the old Trending list.

What You Need to Know as a Viewer or Creator

For Viewers:

• From July 21, the ‘Trending’ tab will disappear under Explore.
• Charts and Shorts will become more visible.
• Your home feed will adapt faster to your preferences.
• Try exploring YouTube Charts if you still want to track top videos globally.

For Creators:

• Focus on engaging thumbnails, watch time, and Shorts.
• Build regional or niche communities – that’s where growth is happening.
• Explore YouTube Studio insights to understand what’s working.
• Use community posts, polls, and live chats to boost visibility.

Farewell Trending, Hello Future

The end of the YouTube Trending page may feel bittersweet for those who remember its early days. But this shift is part of a much bigger evolution.

With over 2.5 billion logged-in users monthly, YouTube can no longer rely on generalised features. People want relevance, speed, and connection. And that’s what Charts and personalised recommendations offer.

So while July 21 will mark the end of an era, it’s also the beginning of a more customised, creator-friendly, and dynamic YouTube.

The question is no longer “What’s trending?”
It’s now: “What’s trending for YOU?”