Yes, you can disable YouTube Shorts, but the method depends on what device you use and what you want to hide
YouTube does not offer a single "turn off Shorts" button in your account settings. Instead, you have three separate options: hide Shorts from your home feed on desktop and mobile, mute the Shorts tab entirely on mobile, or use parental controls if you manage a family account. Which one works for you depends on whether you want Shorts gone from everywhere, just from your recommendations, or whether you are managing someone else's viewing.
The trade-off is straightforward: YouTube makes money from Shorts because they are short, fast-playing videos that keep you watching longer. Disabling them means YouTube loses data about what you watch in that format, which slightly reduces how much they know about your viewing habits. It also means you will see fewer targeted ads in that category. On the other hand, you lose access to that content entirely if you change your mind later.
Key Takeaways
- On desktop, you can remove the Shorts tab from your sidebar and hide Shorts from your home feed through Settings, but this does not delete Shorts from YouTube entirely.
- On mobile, you can mute the Shorts tab so it stops appearing in your feed, or hide individual Shorts by selecting "Not interested" on each video.
- YouTube still collects data about which Shorts you see and skip, even if you hide them, because the videos load before you dismiss them.
- Family Link parental controls let you block Shorts entirely for accounts you manage, but this requires setting up Family Link first.
- Disabling Shorts does not prevent YouTube from recommending short-form content in other places, like your subscriptions feed or search results.
How to hide Shorts on desktop
On desktop, start by going to YouTube.com and signing into your account. Look at the left sidebar — you should see a "Shorts" tab between "Home" and "Subscriptions." Right-click on the Shorts tab and select "Remove from sidebar." This hides the tab but does not disable Shorts everywhere on the site.
Next, go to your account settings to hide Shorts from your home feed. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select "Settings." Go to "Preferences" in the left menu, then scroll down to find "Include Shorts on the home feed." Toggle this off. YouTube will stop showing Shorts in your main feed, but they can still appear in search results or in the "Recommended" section if you scroll far enough down.
These changes only affect your account on this device and browser. If you sign into YouTube on a different computer or in a different browser, you will need to repeat these steps.
How to mute Shorts on mobile
On the YouTube mobile app (both iPhone and Android), open the app and tap the "Shorts" tab at the bottom of your screen. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner of any Shorts video, then select "Don't recommend channel" or "Not interested." Doing this repeatedly trains YouTube's algorithm, but it does not turn off Shorts entirely.
To mute the entire Shorts tab, go to your account settings within the app. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner of the home screen, then select "Settings." Tap "Notifications," then look for "Shorts notifications" and turn it off. This stops YouTube from sending you alerts about new Shorts, but the tab itself will still appear at the bottom of your screen.
If you want to hide the Shorts tab from view on mobile, you cannot do this through settings. Instead, you can customize your home feed by tapping "Explore" at the bottom, then tapping the three dots next to "Shorts" and selecting "Remove." This removes Shorts from your home feed recommendations, but the Shorts tab will still exist if you tap it directly.
What YouTube still collects when you hide Shorts
Hiding or muting Shorts does not stop YouTube from tracking your behavior around them. When a Shorts video loads on your screen — even if you when ready swipe past it — YouTube records that you saw it. The platform notes how long you watched, whether you liked or disliked it, and whether you clicked through to the channel. This data feeds into YouTube's recommendation algorithm and helps advertisers understand your interests.
YouTube also tracks which Shorts you skip, which ones you watch to completion, and which ones you interact with. This information is tied to your account and used to build a profile of your viewing preferences. Disabling Shorts visibility does not erase this data or stop YouTube from collecting it going forward — it only removes Shorts from your view.
If you want to limit what YouTube collects about your Shorts viewing, you can pause your watch history. Go to Settings, then "Privacy," then toggle off "Save your watch history." This prevents YouTube from storing which videos you watch, but it also affects all other YouTube content, not just Shorts. Your recommendations will become less personalized, and YouTube will still see your activity — it just will not tie it to your account.
Using Family Link to block Shorts for managed accounts
If you manage a child's YouTube account through Google Family Link, you can block Shorts entirely for that account. Open the Family Link app on your device, select the account you manage, tap "YouTube," then toggle off "Allow YouTube Shorts." This removes the Shorts tab and prevents Shorts from appearing in the home feed for that account.
Family Link also lets you set content restrictions (Approved content only, Older kids, or Teens) and turn off search entirely. These controls are separate from the Shorts toggle, so you can block Shorts while allowing other YouTube content, or vice versa. Changes take effect when ready on the managed account.
Family Link does not prevent a child from accessing Shorts if they sign into YouTube on a different device or browser where Family Link is not active. The controls only explore to devices where Family Link is installed and managing the account.
Why YouTube makes Shorts hard to disable
YouTube prioritizes Shorts because they generate more watch time and engagement than longer videos. A user who watches three 60-second Shorts in a row has watched three minutes of content but interacted with YouTube six times (play, like or dislike, and skip or watch-to-end for each video). This creates more opportunities to show ads and collect data about what holds your attention.
Shorts also compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels for your time. By making Shorts prominent and difficult to fully disable, YouTube encourages you to keep watching even if you initially came to the site for longer content. The harder it is to turn off Shorts, the more likely you are to watch them by accident or out of habit.
From a privacy standpoint, this means YouTube has an incentive to keep collecting data about your Shorts viewing even if you hide them from your feed. The company benefits from knowing what short-form content interests you, regardless of whether you see it recommended to you.
Alternatives if you want to avoid Shorts entirely
If hiding Shorts through settings is not enough, you can use browser extensions that block Shorts on desktop. Extensions like "Return YouTube Dislike" and "Enhancer for YouTube" include options to hide the Shorts tab and remove Shorts from your feed. These extensions run on your device and filter content before it reaches your screen, but they do not prevent YouTube from loading Shorts data in the background.
On mobile, your options are more limited because YouTube's app does not support third-party extensions. You can use a mobile browser instead of the app and explore the same desktop hiding steps, but the YouTube app itself will still show Shorts if you open it.
Another approach is to use YouTube's restricted mode, which filters out mature content and can reduce Shorts recommendations. Go to Settings, scroll to the bottom, and toggle on "Restricted Mode." This mode is designed for younger users, but it does reduce the volume of Shorts in your feed. Restricted mode is tied to your browser, not your account, so you will need to enable it on each device.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I hide Shorts, will YouTube stop recommending them to me?
Hiding Shorts from your home feed will stop them from appearing there, but they can still show up in search results, in your subscriptions feed if a channel you follow posts Shorts, or in other recommendation sections. YouTube treats the home feed separately from other parts of the site, so hiding them in one place does not hide them everywhere.
Does disabling Shorts reduce the ads I see?
Slightly. YouTube shows fewer ads targeted to your Shorts viewing habits if you hide them, but you will still see ads on longer videos and in other parts of the site. Disabling Shorts does not opt you out of YouTube's ad system — it only removes one category of content that YouTube uses to target ads to you.
Can I re-enable Shorts if I change my mind?
Yes. On desktop, right-click the sidebar and select "Add Shorts to sidebar," or go back to Settings and toggle "Include Shorts on the home feed" back on. On mobile, tap "Explore," find Shorts, and tap the three dots to add it back to your home feed. The Shorts tab will reappear when ready.
Will hiding Shorts on my phone also hide them on my desktop?
No. YouTube settings are device-specific for visibility and feed preferences. If you hide Shorts on your phone, they will still appear on your desktop unless you hide them there too. Your account data (watch history, likes, recommendations) syncs across devices, but the choice to hide Shorts does not.
What happens to my watch history if I hide Shorts?
Hiding Shorts does not delete your watch history or stop YouTube from recording which Shorts you view. YouTube continues to track your Shorts viewing in the background. If you want to stop YouTube from recording Shorts you watch, you need to pause your entire watch history in Settings, which affects all videos, not just Shorts.