How to Block YouTube Shorts: Complete Guide for Desktop and Mobile

⬅️ Back to Tools

Block YouTube Shorts and Reclaim Your Attention

YouTube Shorts are designed to hijack your attention. Those endless vertical videos, auto-playing one after another, are engineered to keep you scrolling just like TikTok. If you’re tired of accidentally falling into the Shorts rabbit hole, there are proven solutions to eliminate them entirely from your YouTube experience.

Whether you want the easiest one-click browser extension, a technical ad-blocker approach, or alternative YouTube apps for mobile, this guide covers all the best methods.

Option 1: Unhook - The Easiest Solution (Recommended)

Unhook is a browser extension that removes YouTube distractions with a single click. It’s the most user-friendly option, works across all major browsers, and gives you granular control over what to hide.

Why Choose Unhook?

  • ✅ One-click installation - No configuration needed
  • ✅ Works on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge
  • ✅ Highly customizable - Choose exactly what to hide
  • ✅ Also hides comments, recommendations, and homepage feed
  • ✅ Works on mobile YouTube via Firefox on Android
  • ✅ Regularly updated - Maintained and actively developed

What You Can Block with Unhook

Unhook doesn’t just hide Shorts. You can customize your YouTube experience by hiding:

Homepage & Navigation:

  • Homepage feed
  • Explore and Trending tabs
  • More from YouTube section

Video Page:

  • YouTube Shorts (the main goal)
  • Video sidebar recommendations
  • Live chat
  • Playlists
  • End screen video wall and cards

Comments & Social:

  • Comments section
  • Mix radio playlists
  • Merch, tickets, and offers

Video Info:

  • Video buttons (share, likes, dislikes)
  • Channel profile and subscribe button
  • Video description

Additional Features:

  • Disable autoplay
  • Disable annotations
  • Hide notification bell
  • Hide irrelevant search results

How to Install Unhook

Chrome:

  1. Visit the Chrome Web Store
  2. Click “Add to Chrome”
  3. Open YouTube and click the Unhook icon to customize

Firefox:

  1. Visit Firefox Add-ons
  2. Click “Add to Firefox”
  3. Allow permissions and start using immediately

Microsoft Edge:

  1. Visit Edge Add-ons
  2. Click “Get”
  3. Launch YouTube and configure via the extension popup

Pro Tip: Enable “Hide YouTube Shorts”

After installing, click the Unhook icon in your browser toolbar and toggle:

  • “Hide YouTube Shorts” - Removes Shorts from everywhere
  • “Hide Homepage Feed” - Starts YouTube with a blank slate
  • “Hide Comments” - Eliminates the comment section distraction

Option 2: uBlock Origin Filter - The Advanced Approach

If you’re already using uBlock Origin (the gold standard ad blocker), you can block YouTube Shorts without installing additional extensions. This method uses custom filter lists.

Why Choose uBlock Origin?

  • ✅ No additional extensions needed - If you already use uBlock
  • ✅ Lightweight - Uses existing ad blocker infrastructure
  • ✅ Open source - Community-maintained filter lists
  • ✅ Blocks at the network level - More thorough removal
  • ✅ Bonus filters available - Can also hide comments

How to Block YouTube Shorts with uBlock Origin

Step 1: Get the Filter List

The community maintains an active filter list specifically for hiding Shorts:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/i5heu/ublock-hide-yt-shorts/master/list.txt

Step 2: Import the Filter

  1. Click the uBlock Origin icon in your browser toolbar
  2. Click the dashboard icon (gears icon)
  3. Go to the “Filter lists” tab
  4. Scroll to the bottom to the “Custom” section
  5. Check the “Import” checkbox
  6. Paste the URL above into the text field
  7. Click “Apply changes” in the top left
  8. Click “Update now” to refresh filters

Step 3: Verify It Works

Visit YouTube and check that:

  • Shorts tab is hidden from the sidebar
  • Shorts don’t appear in your subscription feed
  • Shorts recommendations are gone from the homepage

Bonus: Hide Comments Too

Want to eliminate comments as well? Add this additional filter list:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/i5heu/ublock-hide-yt-shorts/master/comments.txt

Follow the same import process as above.

Quick Subscribe Links

If the manual import process feels tedious, use these direct subscribe links (open in a new tab while uBlock is installed):

Option 3: NewPipe - The Open Source YouTube Client (Android)

NewPipe is a free, open-source YouTube client for Android that respects your privacy and gives you complete control over your viewing experience. Unlike the official YouTube app, NewPipe doesn’t require a Google account, doesn’t track you, and—crucially—lets you easily disable Shorts and other distractions.

Why Choose NewPipe?

  • ✅ 100% Open Source - Fully auditable code, community-driven development
  • ✅ No Google Account Required - Watch, subscribe, and manage playlists without signing in
  • ✅ Privacy-First - No tracking, no data collection, no Google Play Services dependency
  • ✅ Background Playback - Listen to audio with screen off (saves data too)
  • ✅ Download Videos - Save videos/audio locally for offline viewing
  • ✅ Block Shorts - Built-in options to hide Shorts section
  • ✅ Ad-Free - No ads, no sponsors, no interruptions

Key Features That Replace YouTube

Content Discovery:

  • Search videos, channels, playlists without an account
  • Subscribe to channels (locally stored, not tied to Google)
  • Browse channel groups for better organization
  • Get notifications for new uploads

Playback Control:

  • Watch videos up to 4K resolution
  • Background playback (audio-only mode)
  • Picture-in-Picture mode (floating player)
  • Popup player while using other apps
  • Download videos, audio, or subtitles

Distraction-Free Viewing:

  • Show/hide comments
  • Show/hide related videos
  • Hide Shorts section entirely
  • No algorithmic “Up Next” recommendations

How to Install NewPipe

Method 1: F-Droid (Recommended)

  1. Install F-Droid app from f-droid.org
  2. Add NewPipe’s custom repository:
    • Open F-Droid → Settings → Repositories → + button
    • Add: https://archive.newpipe.net/fdroid/repo/
  3. Search for “NewPipe” and install
  4. Updates come automatically through F-Droid

Method 2: Direct APK Download

  1. Visit GitHub Releases
  2. Download the latest APK file
  3. Enable “Install from unknown sources” in Android Settings
  4. Install the APK

Note: NewPipe is not available on Google Play Store due to Google’s policies.

How to Block Shorts in NewPipe

  1. Open NewPipe app
  2. Go to Settings → Content
  3. Find “Show YouTube Shorts” option
  4. Toggle OFF to hide all Shorts

You can also:

  • Disable auto-play for a calmer experience
  • Hide comments by default
  • Turn off related videos

Supported Services

NewPipe isn’t just for YouTube—it also supports:

  • PeerTube (decentralized video platform)
  • Bandcamp (music)
  • SoundCloud (audio)
  • media.ccc.de (conference talks)

Option 4: PipePipe - Enhanced NewPipe Fork (Android)

PipePipe is a hard fork of NewPipe that takes the original app’s philosophy and adds even more features for power users. Created in 2022 due to differences in development philosophy, PipePipe operates independently with faster updates and more aggressive feature additions.

Why Choose PipePipe Over NewPipe?

  • ✅ All NewPipe Features - Plus significant enhancements
  • ✅ SponsorBlock Integration - Skip sponsored segments automatically
  • ✅ Return YouTube Dislike - See dislike counts again
  • ✅ Blocks Shorts & Paid Videos - Cleaner, distraction-free feed
  • ✅ Advanced Filtering - Block content by keywords or channels
  • ✅ Better Codecs - AV1 and VP9 support for efficiency
  • ✅ Danmaku Comments - Live chat overlay style (for streams)
  • ✅ Frequent Updates - Faster bug fixes and feature releases

Key Enhancements Over NewPipe

YouTube Improvements:

  • SponsorBlock: Skip sponsored segments, intros, outros automatically
  • Return YouTube Dislike: Restore dislike counts using community data
  • Non-Localized Titles: Show original video titles (not translated)
  • Login Support: Optional login for age-restricted or premium content

Content Filtering:

  • Block Shorts specifically
  • Filter out paid/promotional videos
  • Advanced search filters for better discovery
  • Keyword and channel blocklists

Playback Features:

  • Swipe Gestures: Swipe to seek, fullscreen gestures
  • Long-Press Speed: Hold to speed up playback temporarily
  • Sleep Timer: Auto-stop for bedtime listening
  • AV1/VP9 Codecs: Better quality at lower bandwidth

Enhanced Playlists:

  • Download entire playlists at once
  • Search and sort within local playlists
  • Better history management

Installation

Since PipePipe is a separate fork with its own signing key:

  1. Visit PipePipe releases
  2. Download the latest APK
  3. Install on your Android device

Important: You cannot update from NewPipe to PipePipe directly due to different signing keys. If switching:

  1. Backup your NewPipe data (Settings → Backup)
  2. Uninstall NewPipe
  3. Install PipePipe
  4. Import your backup

Blocking Shorts in PipePipe

PipePipe includes dedicated filtering options:

  1. Open PipePipe → Settings → Content
  2. Enable “Filter videos”
  3. Check “Block shorts”
  4. Optionally block “Paid videos” for cleaner recommendations

You can also set up keyword filters to hide specific types of content.

Comparison: Which Method Should You Choose?

FeatureUnhookuBlock OriginNewPipePipePipe
Ease of Setup⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One click⭐⭐⭐ Manual import⭐⭐⭐⭐ F-Droid/APK⭐⭐⭐⭐ APK install
PlatformDesktop browsersDesktop browsersAndroidAndroid
Customization⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Granular⭐⭐ Basic⭐⭐⭐⭐ Settings menu⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Advanced filters
Mobile Support⭐⭐⭐ Firefox Android⭐ Firefox only⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Native app⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Native app
Background Play❌ No❌ No✅ Yes✅ Yes
Download Videos❌ No❌ No✅ Yes✅ Yes
Ad Blocking✅ Yes✅ Yes✅ Yes✅ Yes + SponsorBlock
Open Source✅ Yes✅ Yes✅ Yes✅ Yes
Updates⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Auto⭐⭐⭐⭐ Community⭐⭐⭐⭐ F-Droid⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Frequent

Choose Unhook if: You want the easiest desktop setup with maximum browser customization.

Choose uBlock if: You’re already using uBlock Origin and prefer not to add another extension.

Choose NewPipe if: You want a clean, open-source YouTube experience on Android with privacy focus.

Choose PipePipe if: You’re an Android power user who wants SponsorBlock, dislike counts, and advanced filtering.

Additional Tips for a Distraction-Free YouTube

1. Use YouTube’s Built-in Features

  • Turn off Autoplay - Stops the next video from playing automatically
  • Clear Watch History - Resets your recommendations periodically
  • “Not Interested” - Tell YouTube what you don’t want to see

2. Consider YouTube Premium

While it won’t block Shorts, YouTube Premium removes ads and enables background playback, reducing some friction in your viewing experience.

3. Use Alternative Front-Ends (Desktop)

For the ultimate distraction-free experience on desktop, try alternative YouTube interfaces:

  • Invidious - Privacy-focused YouTube alternative
  • Piped - Lightweight YouTube front-end

4. Switch to Alternative Apps (Android)

For mobile users, replace the official YouTube app entirely:

  • NewPipe - Clean, private YouTube experience
  • PipePipe - Advanced features including SponsorBlock

Why Blocking Shorts Matters

YouTube Shorts are designed with the same engagement mechanics as TikTok: infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations, and variable reward schedules that trigger dopamine releases. They’re engineered to maximize time-on-site, not to provide value.

By blocking Shorts, you:

  • Regain control over what you watch
  • Reduce context switching between short and long-form content
  • Improve focus by eliminating the infinite scroll trap
  • Curate better recommendations by signaling preference for substantial content
  • Save time that would otherwise be lost to mindless scrolling

References

Mobile Solutions

Alternative Front-Ends

Crepi il lupo! 🐺