YouTube Shorts, the company’s attempt to mimic the success of TikTok, have become an inescapable part of the YouTube experience. These short-form vertical videos constantly pop up on your homepage, sidebar, and even in the recommendations after watching a regular video. While some users might enjoy this bite-sized content, others find it annoying and disruptive to their YouTube experience. If you fall into the latter category, this blog post will guide you through various methods to hide or remove YouTube Shorts from your feed.
Built-in Option: Temporarily Hide Shorts (Desktop Only)
YouTube offers a built-in option to temporarily hide Shorts from your feed, but it’s only available on the desktop version of YouTube. Here’s how you can use it:
- Open YouTube in your web browser (Chrome recommended).
- When the Shorts row appears on your homepage, look for the “Not interested” button (represented by an “X”) in the top-right corner of the Shorts row.
- Click the “Not interested” button.
This method will hide Shorts from your feed for about 30 days. After that, YouTube will start recommending Shorts again, and you’ll have to repeat the process.
Mobile Apps: Limited Control
Unfortunately, the mobile apps for iOS and Android do not offer a dedicated option to hide or remove YouTube Shorts entirely. However, you can train the algorithm to show you fewer Shorts by indicating your lack of interest in specific Shorts.
- Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
- When a Short appears, tap the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the Short.
- Select “Not interested” from the menu.
Repeating this process for multiple Shorts may eventually reduce the number of Shorts appearing in your feed, but it’s not a guaranteed solution.
Browser Extensions: The Ultimate Solution
If you want to permanently remove YouTube Shorts from your feed, your best bet is to use third-party browser extensions. Here are some popular options:
ShortsBlocker (Chrome and Firefox)
ShortsBlocker is a browser extension that completely hides YouTube Shorts from your view. It works on the homepage, subscriptions, search results, the navigation column on the left, and the video recommendations column on the right.
Unhook (Chrome, Firefox, and Edge)
Unhook is a versatile extension that gives you control over what you want to hide on the YouTube homepage. In addition to Shorts, you can also hide related videos, comments, homepage recommendations, trending tabs, and more.
YouTube Shorts Blocker (Chrome)
As the name suggests, YouTube Shorts Blocker is designed specifically to remove Shorts from your YouTube experience. It also offers a custom block list feature, allowing you to selectively block content from channels you don’t want to see on your feed. Additionally, it can automatically convert Shorts videos into a regular format if you want to watch specific Shorts from certain channels.
BlockYT for Safari
If you’re a Safari user, BlockYT is a great option to make YouTube distraction-free by blocking Shorts, comments, and recommendations. It works on both the desktop and mobile versions of Safari.
Conclusion
While YouTube Shorts may be a fun addition for some users, others find them intrusive and disruptive to their viewing experience. Fortunately, with the methods outlined in this blog post, you can regain control over your YouTube feed and enjoy a more personalized and focused viewing experience. Whether you choose to use YouTube’s built-in option (on desktop), train the algorithm on mobile apps, or utilize third-party browser extensions, there’s a solution that suits your needs.