How To Block YouTube Shorts, Autoplay, and Recommended Videos

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What if I told you the solution to spending less time on YouTube wasn’t to block the site entirely?

A few months ago I shared my strategy to avoid YouTube rabbit holes. It worked for me, but it had a few kinks.

Fortunately, I found something even simpler: a browser extension that takes 30 seconds to install and works automatically. Whether you want to block YouTube shorts, remove recommended videos, turn off autoplay, or all of the above, this works on desktop and mobile.

Why This Matters

You might be wondering: why go through the trouble?

The truth is, YouTube Shorts aren’t just harmless entertainment. They’re designed using the same psychological techniques that make slot machines addictive: variable rewards that keep you scrolling “just one more” video for hours.

When you eliminate Shorts, you’re not just saving time. You’re reclaiming your ability to be intentional about what you consume and how you spend your time. Instead of letting an algorithm decide, you get to choose what deserves your attention.

I’ve seen this transformation in my own life and with my clients. Without the constant pull of Shorts, people rediscover their ability to focus on longer-form content that actually teaches them something. They start finishing creative projects that have been gathering dust. They become more present with their families instead of half-watching their kids while scrolling throughendless videos.

When your technology choices match your values, life becomes more meaningful and relaxing.

The Original Method

If you read my original article, you know the big culprit behind YouTube rabbit holes is its algorithm — it chooses what you watch instead of you choosing for yourself. To combat this: search for the specific channels and topics you want to watch, don’t let YouTube choose for you.

My old way of doing this was to watch YouTube without signing in. 

Preferably on a privacy browser like DuckDuckGo or Brave because they don’t store your browsing history. Some browsers might still show you recommended videos even when you’re logged out because they’ve kept track of your history. You can try clearing your history and cookies to mediate this.

The benefits of this method:

• No targeted ads (or no ads at all depending on your browser)

• A blank YouTube home page: no recommendations, shorts, etc.

• Works on a mobile browser

The drawbacks to this method:

• You can’t comment, like, or subscribe to channels you want to support

• It’s a nuisance if you post videos to YouTube

• It’s not customizable (you’ll see what I mean later)

• YouTube might ask if you’re a bot and block your access (This happened to me using a VPN and the Brave browser. I found clearing my browsing history fixed this, but it can be annoying)

These drawbacks got me thinking, what if there was a way to get the same clean YouTube experience without the hassle?

My Favorite Method: Unhook

The old method wasn’t very user friendly. Being a dedicated digital minimalist, I was willing to live with those kinks, but I found that some of my clients weren’t.

So when I found the Unhook browser extension, I was blown away by how easy it was to setup, customize, and use.

The 30-Second Setup:

1. Download the Unhook browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Edge

2. Open the extension settings in the top left corner and toggle on the specific things you want to block: Shorts, Recommended Videos, Autoplay, etc.

3. Presto! Enjoy videos without added distractions.

   
   

Why this works better:

• You can target specific issues like Shorts or Autoplay

• You can be logged in, which fixes the subscribing and posting problem

• No interruptions from YouTube thinking you’re a bot

• Works on three popular browsers

• You’ll have access to your YouTube search history to reference later

Like anything, this method isn’t perfect. It has a few issues.

First, it only works on three browsers: Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. I generally prefer a privacy browser, so of those three, Firefox was the best option.

Second, since you’re logged in, YouTube (owned by Google) can track your search/watch history, which means they’ll be able to show you targeted ads. This isn’t the end of the world, especially if you use an ad blocker like the UBlock Extension on Firefox.

Disable YouTube Shorts on Brave Browser

If, like me, you prefer using Brave for its privacy features, you have two options:

1. Brave’s Native Settings (Go to Setting > Shields > Content Filtering > Toggle on YouTube Anti-Shorts)

2. Use the original method above (which blocks all recommendations, not just Shorts)

This works on desktop and mobile.

Block YouTube Shorts on Mobile

Mobile YouTube Shorts can be even more addictive than desktop. Unfortunately, that’s why they’ve made it difficult to remove shorts on mobile. Here are your options:

Option 1: Use YouTube in a Mobile Browser (Easiest)

• Brave Browser: Use their native YouTube Anti-Shorts setting (directions in the section above)

• Other browsers: Use the original method I described above

This gives you the same clean experience as desktop, but in your mobile browser.

Option 2: The “Not Interested” Method (Temporary)

In the YouTube app itself:

1. Go to your home page and scroll to the Shorts section

2. Tap the three dots on each Short and select “Not Interested”

3. Do this for all 4–8 shorts in that section

4. Refresh the page and the Shorts section disappears

   
   

Important limitation: This only lasts 30 days, so you’ll need to repeat the process. And it doesn’t prevent shorts from appearing in recommended videos.

Option 3: YouTube ReVanced (Android Only)

For Android users willing to use a modified app, YouTube ReVanced offers complete Shorts removal. This requires:

Note: YouTube is finding ways to crack down on third-party apps, so this may become less reliable over time. I’m also an iPhone user so I wasn’t able to test this method personally.

My Personal Recommendation

If YouTube Shorts are a major distraction for you (like it used to be for me), I recommend not using them on mobile at all. You’ll still have full access to YouTube, but you’ll eliminate the biggest source of mindless scrolling from your phone.

This is just one of five rules I follow to make my phone less addictive.

The Bottom Line

There’s no single “right” way to handle YouTube Shorts. What matters is finding an approach that actually works for your life and values.

Maybe you’ll use the Unhook extension because you want to stay logged in and support your favorite creators. Maybe you’ll switch to a privacy browser because you value the broader benefits beyond just YouTube. Or maybe you’ll delete YouTube from your phone to make it less addictive.

The point isn’t which method you choose. The point is that you get to choose. YouTube wants you to believe that endless scrolling is inevitable. But you have more control than they want you to believe.

Your digital choices are your choices. Make them count.