How to Disable Shorts on YouTube: What Actually Works and What Doesn't
YouTube Shorts — the platform's short-form vertical video format — has become deeply embedded in the YouTube experience. For many users, the Shorts feed feels intrusive, algorithmically aggressive, or simply distracting when all they want is to watch regular long-form content. Naturally, people want to turn it off. The honest answer is: YouTube doesn't offer a native "disable Shorts" toggle, but there are several approaches that reduce or eliminate Shorts from your experience — each with meaningful trade-offs depending on how and where you use YouTube.
Why YouTube Doesn't Let You Simply Turn Shorts Off
YouTube Shorts competes directly with TikTok and Instagram Reels. From Google's perspective, it's a high-priority surface for engagement and advertising. Because of this, YouTube has deliberately avoided giving users a clean opt-out. The Shorts shelf appears on the homepage, the dedicated Shorts tab sits permanently in the bottom navigation bar, and Shorts creators are featured throughout search results and recommendations.
This doesn't mean you're stuck. It means the available solutions come from third-party tools, browser extensions, workarounds, and platform feedback mechanisms — not a single settings toggle.
Method 1: Using Browser Extensions on Desktop 🖥️
If you primarily watch YouTube in a desktop browser, this is the most reliable route. Several browser extensions are specifically designed to filter or hide YouTube Shorts.
Popular extension categories include:
- "Unhook" or similar distraction-removal extensions — These let you selectively hide the Shorts shelf, recommended feed, comments, and other UI elements. You choose exactly which components disappear.
- uBlock Origin with custom filter lists — More technical users can add filter rules that target the Shorts shelf and Shorts tab in YouTube's interface. This requires manually editing filter lists but offers granular control.
- YouTube-specific extensions — Some extensions are built solely around cleaning up the YouTube interface, often including Shorts removal as a core feature.
The effectiveness of these tools depends on your browser (Chrome, Firefox, and Edge are best supported), how actively the extension is maintained (YouTube's interface updates can break filters), and your comfort level with installing and configuring browser add-ons.
Method 2: "Not Interested" and Feed Training on Mobile 📱
On the YouTube mobile app — whether Android or iOS — there's no extension support. Your main levers here are:
- Long-pressing a Short and selecting "Not interested" — This sends a signal to the algorithm, but it doesn't remove the Shorts tab or shelf. It reduces the frequency of specific content without eliminating the format.
- Repeatedly dismissing Shorts recommendations — Over time, this can shift your feed, but results vary widely by account and usage patterns. Heavy YouTube users may see faster results; lighter users may see little change.
This approach is behavioral rather than technical. It works best as a complement to other methods, not as a standalone fix. It also won't hide the Shorts tab from the navigation bar.
Method 3: Third-Party YouTube Apps
On Android, third-party YouTube clients offer more aggressive control. ReVanced (the successor to the discontinued YouTube Vanced) is the most well-known option and includes a built-in toggle to disable or hide Shorts entirely — from the feed, the tab bar, and search results.
Key variables here:
- Android only — iOS heavily restricts third-party app installations, making this route essentially unavailable to iPhone users without significant technical workarounds.
- No official support — These apps are not endorsed by YouTube or Google. They exist in a legal gray area and carry their own risks around account safety and app stability.
- Setup complexity — Installing ReVanced requires sideloading an APK, which involves enabling developer or unknown source settings on your device. This is manageable for technically comfortable users but not trivial for everyone.
Method 4: YouTube Premium and Settings (What They Don't Do)
It's worth clarifying what YouTube Premium does not include: a Shorts disable option. Premium removes ads and adds background play, but the Shorts tab, shelf, and algorithm remain unchanged. Some users assume the paid tier offers more interface control — it doesn't.
Similarly, YouTube's general settings menu has no option to hide Shorts. Checking "autoplay," "notifications," or "content preferences" won't get you there.
Comparing the Main Approaches
| Method | Platform | Shorts Tab Removed | Shorts Feed Hidden | Technical Skill Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browser extension (Unhook, etc.) | Desktop | Often yes | Yes | Low–Medium |
| uBlock Origin custom filters | Desktop | Yes | Yes | Medium–High |
| "Not interested" training | Mobile & Desktop | No | Partial | None |
| ReVanced (Android) | Android only | Yes | Yes | Medium |
| YouTube Premium | All | No | No | None |
The Variable That Changes Everything
Which of these methods makes sense depends heavily on where and how you use YouTube. A desktop-first user with Chrome installed is in a very different position from someone who watches almost entirely on an iPhone. A user comfortable with sideloading APKs has options unavailable to someone who's never installed an app outside an app store. Someone who mainly wants fewer Shorts in their recommendations — rather than zero Shorts everywhere — has different needs from a user who wants the tab and shelf gone entirely. 🎯
The tools exist. Their usefulness is almost entirely determined by your specific setup, device ecosystem, and how much friction you're willing to accept to get the result you're after.