Not a big fan of YouTube's short-form videos in your feed and want to get rid of them? Unfortunately, there's no longer an official method to turn off YouTube Shorts , and while workarounds to hide them stopped working, you do have a few ways to block or otherwise see fewer Shorts. We'll show you how on iPhone, Android phone, and desktop computer.
In 2024, there were a few ways to disable YouTube Shorts. One was to go to the mobile site on a phone and select an option to "Hide" Shorts for 30 days. This didn't work on mobile, and now it doesn't work at all. The option no longer exists, but that doesn't mean we can't help clean up your experience.
See Fewer Shorts on YouTube's Mobile App
YouTube's app for iPhone and Android doesn't offer the option to remove Shorts, but you can scroll down to where they appear and select an option to limit the number you see. Similar to other social media platforms, you can tap the settings button and choose to see fewer shorts.
To use this method, launch YouTube on your phone and scroll down past any regular videos until you get to the "Shorts" section, where Google displays some suggested Shorts content. From here, tap the 3-dot button near the right side of your screen and choose "Show Fewer Shorts."
Additionally, you can tap the same vertical 3-dots menu button near the top right corner of each individual Shorts video box and select "Not Interested." This will tell the YouTube algorithm that you want to see fewer Shorts and that you're not interested in the content being displayed.
You'll see the videos get removed, and the next time you open YouTube, you probably won't see Shorts in your feed. Unfortunately, the category will probably return in a few minutes.
These are the only two options currently available (at the time of writing) to limit or otherwise see fewer Shorts on both the mobile app and a desktop. When you open YouTube on a computer from a web browser, the same steps apply.
It's worth noting that you'll probably want to tap the 3-dots button and select "Show Fewer Shorts" on your phone, and do it again on a desktop computer.
If you start seeing Shorts again or too many, simply repeat the steps to show fewer shorts and select "Not Interested" on all the videos being shown.
Use an Old Version of the YouTube App on Your Phone
If you must use the YouTube app, but you can't live with the Shorts in it, one option you have is to downgrade your app version when Shorts didn't exist. You basically get a YouTube app version for when the company hadn't rolled out the Shorts feature.
On an iPhone, installing an old version of an app is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, we recommend you stick to the other methods outlined in this guide. However, if you want to give it a try, we have a guide on how to install an old version of an app on an iPhone. Check that out and see if you can get an old version of the YouTube app.
On Android, while you can install older versions of apps by simply loading those apps' APK files , that doesn't work too well with Google's stock apps (which include YouTube). However, if your phone came with YouTube version 14.12.56 or earlier, you can uninstall the app's updates to bring the app to that specific version, eliminating any Shorts from your YouTube feed. Any YouTube app version before v14.12.56 won't have Shorts.
To do that on your Android phone, navigate to Settings > Apps > YouTube. In the top-right corner, tap the three dots and choose "Uninstall Updates."
Select "OK" in the prompt.
When you've downgraded your app, launch YouTube, and you won't see the "Shorts" section. You'll want to keep your app from being updated automatically so that your phone doesn't download the latest version, which will start showing Shorts again.
Try a Browser Extension or App to Remove Shorts
Another option is to download third-party tools, such as a Chrome browser extension, to block shorts, but your mileage may vary. These types of apps and plugins usually only work sporadically, and Google actively tries to block them. That said, reviews online are somewhat positive.
You can try the app Shorts Block or Remove YouTube Shorts in the Chrome Web Store extension section. The same developer also has an Android version called Block Scroll .
If you're a Safari user, similar third-party tools exist. Try the app called Shorts Blocker for YouTube on the Mac App Store. It says it works for iPhone, but again, your mileage may vary.
And that's about the only option these days for getting rid of those annoying short-form videos in your feed. Now, you can get back to watching and enjoying regular YouTube.
