How to Disable YouTube Shorts A Complete Guide to Removing Short Videos from Your Feed

YouTube Shorts have become a popular feature on the platform, offering short, vertical videos for users to enjoy. However, not everyone is a fan of this new feature. If you find YouTube Shorts distracting or prefer a more traditional viewing experience, you may want to know how to disable YouTube Shorts. In this article, we will guide you through how to disable YouTube Shorts, explaining the steps, potential workarounds, and other options to customize your YouTube experience.

Understanding YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts is a feature introduced by YouTube to compete with TikTok, offering users the ability to create and watch short-form videos that are typically 15 to 60 seconds long. These videos are displayed in a vertical format and are highly engaging, designed to be consumed quickly.

YouTube Shorts have been integrated into the mobile YouTube app, where they appear in a separate feed alongside traditional videos. While many users enjoy the fast-paced content, others may find it overwhelming or prefer to focus on longer-form content. Unfortunately, YouTube does not provide a native option to fully disable Shorts on the platform, but there are some steps you can take to limit or hide them.

Why Would You Want to Disable YouTube Shorts?

There are several reasons why you might want to disable YouTube Shorts. Some users find the constant stream of short videos to be distracting, as it interrupts their usual video watching experience. Others may prefer to watch longer videos and feel that the Shorts feed diminishes the overall YouTube experience.

Here are some reasons why how to disable YouTube Shorts might be desirable:

• Distraction-Free Experience: You might prefer a clean feed with only long-form content, focusing on the videos you enjoy without interruptions.
• No Interest in Shorts: If you don’t engage with short-form videos, it can feel frustrating to see them constantly appearing in your feed.
• Data Usage: YouTube Shorts videos can use more data if you watch them frequently, and disabling them may help reduce unnecessary data consumption.
• Avoiding Ads: Shorts often come with more ads, and by limiting or hiding them, you can reduce the frequency of interruptions during your viewing.

While YouTube does not officially allow users to completely disable Shorts, there are ways to minimize their impact.

Limiting YouTube Shorts on Your Mobile Device

While there is no direct option in YouTube settings to turn off Shorts, there are some ways to limit the feature’s visibility, especially on mobile devices. Below are some strategies you can use to reduce or remove YouTube Shorts from your feed.

Method 1: Disabling Shorts via the YouTube App (Using the “Not Interested” Option)

The YouTube app allows you to mark specific Shorts videos as “Not Interested,” which will help train the algorithm to stop showing you similar content. This method is one of the easiest ways to limit the presence of YouTube Shorts in your feed.

1. Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
2. Browse through your Shorts feed and locate a video you don’t want to see again.
3. Tap the three dots next to the video title.
4. Select “Not Interested” from the menu.
5. Confirm by tapping “Tell us why” and selecting the reason, such as “I don’t like this type of video.”

By doing this repeatedly for Shorts you don’t want to see, the algorithm will eventually recognize your preferences and minimize the appearance of Shorts in your feed.

Method 2: Using YouTube on a Browser (Desktop)

While YouTube Shorts is primarily optimized for mobile viewing, you can also access Shorts via the desktop version of YouTube. The steps to limit Shorts here are similar to mobile.

1. Go to YouTube.com and sign in with your Google account.
2. Scroll through your homepage and locate the Shorts section.
3. Hover your mouse over any Shorts video and click the three dots in the upper right corner of the video.
4. Select “Not Interested” to remove that video from your suggestions.

Unfortunately, this method only affects the visibility of Shorts on the desktop version of YouTube, not on the mobile app.

Customizing Your YouTube Experience

If YouTube Shorts continues to appear in your feed despite marking videos as “Not Interested,” you can take further steps to personalize your YouTube experience.

Method 1: Unsubscribe from Channels That Post Shorts

If you notice that certain channels regularly post Shorts content, consider unsubscribing from them if they don’t align with your interests. This will help prevent their Shorts from appearing in your feed.

1. Go to the channel that is posting Shorts.
2. Click on the Subscribe button (if you’re already subscribed).
3. Select Unsubscribe to stop receiving notifications and Shorts from that channel.

By unsubscribing from these channels, you can reduce the overall number of Shorts appearing in your feed.

Method 2: Use a Custom YouTube App

For users who are looking for a more extreme approach, there are custom YouTube apps and mods that allow you to disable Shorts entirely. These apps often offer additional features that YouTube’s official app does not, such as ad-blocking and the removal of certain UI elements, including Shorts.

However, be cautious when using third-party apps, as they may not always comply with YouTube’s terms of service, and using them could result in account issues.

Other Options to Limit Shorts Visibility

While disabling YouTube Shorts entirely is not an option, there are other ways you can limit their visibility and focus on the content you enjoy.

Turn Off Notifications for Shorts

If you’re tired of receiving notifications about new Shorts videos, you can disable them in your settings.

1. Open the YouTube app or visit YouTube.com on your browser.
2. Go to Settings by clicking on your profile picture in the top right corner.
3. Tap on Notifications.
4. Scroll down and find the “Shorts” section.
5. Disable “Get notifications about new Shorts” to stop receiving alerts about Shorts content.

This will help prevent Shorts from popping up in your notifications, reducing the likelihood that you’ll be distracted by them.

Use YouTube’s Autoplay Settings

Another way to avoid being overwhelmed by Shorts is to adjust YouTube’s autoplay settings. When autoplay is enabled, the next video in the feed automatically plays once the current video ends. By turning off autoplay, you can have more control over what content you watch, ensuring you don’t get stuck in the endless loop of Shorts.

1. Open the YouTube app or go to the YouTube website.
2. Play any video, and at the bottom, you’ll see the Autoplay toggle.
3. Turn Autoplay off to stop videos, including Shorts, from playing automatically.

This will allow you to manually select videos, ensuring you don’t accidentally engage with Shorts.

Conclusion: Enjoy a More Tailored YouTube Experience

While it’s impossible to fully disable YouTube Shorts at this time, the above methods can help you significantly reduce their presence on your feed. Whether you choose to mark Shorts as “Not Interested,” unsubscribe from specific channels, or make use of third-party apps, you can regain more control over your YouTube viewing experience.

By following these steps on how to disable YouTube Shorts, you can focus on the long-form content you enjoy without constant interruptions from Shorts. Although YouTube has not yet provided an official setting to disable Shorts, these workarounds can help tailor your feed to better suit your preferences. Remember that the more you interact with the content you enjoy, the better the YouTube algorithm will understand your preferences, reducing the frequency of Shorts in your feed.