If you want to disable YouTube Shorts on your PC from showing up permanently, this article is for you.
A few years back, YouTube introduced Shorts to keep up with the popularity of short-form content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. While these bite-sized videos can be engaging, they’re also notorious for pulling you into endless scrolling, which can be quite a time sink.
With the rise of short-form videos on almost every big platform, people have begun to dislike YouTube Shorts in 2024, especially on their PCs and Macs. If you prefer to browse without them, there are ways to cut Shorts out of your feed altogether. So, how do you do it?
Let’s walk through it.
How to Disable YouTube Shorts on PC
To permanently remove YouTube Shorts, you can use a handy Chrome extension called No YouTube Shorts. This extension isn’t just limited to Chrome; it also works on other browsers like Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, and Arc.
Here’s what to do:
- Download and install the No YouTube Shorts extension on your browser.
- Once installed, the extension will automatically hide YouTube Shorts from your feed on your PC or Mac.
Now, whenever you open YouTube, you’ll get a Shorts-free experience. If you have an existing YouTube tab open, just refresh it to apply the changes.
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Disabling YouTube Shorts on Mobile App
Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward way to disable or hide YouTube Shorts on the mobile app. Since Shorts is a core feature, especially aimed at mobile users, YouTube has designed it to be a permanent part of the app experience. They’re free to shape it how they like, so we’re a bit limited in terms of control.
One workaround is to install an older version of the YouTube app that predates the Shorts feature. This option is a bit easier for Android users, as previous app versions can be found in APK form.
However, downloading APK files can expose your device to malware and security risks, so this method isn’t entirely safe or reliable. Similarly, for iOS users, there’s no easy or smooth way to roll back to a Shorts-free app version.a
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Final Thoughts
Disabling YouTube Shorts on your PC or Mac is simple with a browser extension, giving you a cleaner, distraction-free browsing experience. On mobile, though, the lack of built-in options makes it trickier.
Hopefully, YouTube will consider adding more customization options in the future to let users tailor their content experience across all devices.
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