You can disable YouTube Shorts, but the method depends on your device and what "disable" means to you
YouTube does not offer a single setting that removes Shorts from your account entirely. What you can do is hide the Shorts shelf from your home feed, turn off Shorts recommendations in your watch history, or use third-party tools to block them. On mobile, you can also straightforward avoid tapping the Shorts tab. The experience differs between phones, tablets, computers, and the YouTube app versus the web browser.
If you want Shorts gone from your home page but still accessible if you search for them, hiding the shelf is the fastest route. If you want them blocked completely — including the tab itself — you will need a browser extension or to use YouTube on desktop with specific settings. Neither method is a permanent account-level toggle that YouTube provides.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube's home feed lets you hide the Shorts shelf by clicking the three-dot menu next to it, but this does not remove the Shorts tab from the app.
- On mobile, the Shorts tab stays visible at the bottom of the YouTube app and cannot be removed through settings alone.
- Browser extensions like Return YouTube Dislike or uBlock Origin can block Shorts on desktop, but they do not work on the mobile app.
- Clearing your watch history and search history removes Shorts recommendations, but new ones will appear as you watch other videos.
- YouTube's algorithm learns from what you ignore, so consistently skipping Shorts may reduce how often they appear over time.
Hiding Shorts from your home feed on the YouTube app
On both iPhone and Android, open the YouTube app and look at your home feed. Scroll until you see the Shorts shelf — a row of vertical video thumbnails. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of that shelf. Select "Don't recommend shelf" or "Hide shelf" depending on your app version.
This removes the Shorts shelf from your home feed when ready. However, the Shorts tab remains at the bottom of your screen next to Home, Subscriptions, and Library. If you tap that tab, you will see Shorts. This method only hides them from the main feed, not from the app itself.
If you want to prevent Shorts from reappearing on your home feed, avoid clicking on them. YouTube's recommendation system tracks what you watch and what you ignore. Consistently skipping Shorts signals to the algorithm that you are not interested, and over time they may appear less frequently.
Removing Shorts from your desktop browser
On a computer, you can hide the Shorts shelf from your YouTube home page the same way: click the three-dot menu on the shelf and select "Don't recommend shelf." This works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
If you want to block Shorts more aggressively on desktop, use a browser extension. uBlock Origin is free and lets you create custom filters to hide the Shorts tab and shelf. After installing it, click the uBlock icon, select "Open the dashboard," go to "My filters," and add a line like youtube.com##a[href="/shorts"] to hide the Shorts navigation link. This requires some comfort with technical settings.
Another option is Return YouTube Dislike, a free extension that also includes a setting to hide Shorts. Install it, click its icon, and toggle off the Shorts shelf and tab in the extension's options menu. This is simpler than writing custom filters.
Clearing your watch and search history to reduce Shorts recommendations
YouTube recommends Shorts based on your viewing patterns. If you have watched many Shorts in the past, the algorithm will keep suggesting them. Clearing your watch history removes this signal, though new recommendations will build up as you continue to use YouTube.
To clear your watch history, go to youtube.com on desktop or open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, select "History," then tap "Clear all watch history." You can also pause watch history so YouTube stops recording what you watch, but this also affects other recommendations.
Clearing search history works the same way: tap your profile, select "History," then "Clear all search history." This removes the record of what you have searched for, which YouTube also uses to recommend Shorts and other content.
Why YouTube does not offer a complete disable option
YouTube treats Shorts as a core feature of the platform, similar to how it treats regular videos. The company does not provide an account-level setting to remove them entirely because Shorts are designed to compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels — they are a revenue stream through ads and a way to keep users on the platform longer.
This is different from other YouTube features like notifications or autoplay, which have dedicated on/off switches. YouTube has chosen to make Shorts hideable but not removable, which means the feature will always exist somewhere in the app or on the website, even if you hide it from your home feed.
What happens if you ignore Shorts consistently
YouTube's recommendation algorithm learns from your behavior. If you never click on Shorts, never watch them to completion, and consistently skip them when they appear, the system will gradually show you fewer of them. This is not a may provide — the algorithm still tests new content types on all users — but it is how YouTube learns your preferences.
The same principle applies to other content. If you watch long-form videos and ignore Shorts, your home feed will eventually skew toward long-form content. If you watch Shorts frequently, your feed will fill with them. This learning happens over days or weeks, not when ready.
Using YouTube on the web versus the app
The web version of YouTube (youtube.com in a browser) gives you more control than the mobile app. On the web, you can hide the Shorts shelf and use browser extensions to block the Shorts tab entirely. On mobile, the Shorts tab is built into the app's navigation and cannot be removed through settings.
If you strongly prefer not to see Shorts, using YouTube primarily on desktop with a browser extension is the most effective approach. The mobile app will always have the Shorts tab visible, though you can ignore it and use the app for subscriptions, playlists, and search instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete the Shorts tab from the YouTube app on my phone?
No. The Shorts tab is built into the app's bottom navigation and cannot be removed through settings. You can hide the Shorts shelf from your home feed, but the tab will remain. If you do not want to see it, avoid tapping it and use the Home, Subscriptions, or Library tabs instead.
Will hiding the Shorts shelf stop YouTube from recommending them to me?
Hiding the shelf removes them from your home feed, but YouTube may still recommend Shorts in other places, like your search results or notifications. To reduce recommendations overall, clear your watch history and consistently skip Shorts when they appear.
Do browser extensions that block Shorts work on the mobile app?
No. Browser extensions only work in web browsers, not in the YouTube mobile app. If you want to block Shorts on your phone, your only option is to hide the shelf from your home feed and avoid tapping the Shorts tab.
If I pause my watch history, will Shorts stop appearing?
Pausing watch history stops YouTube from recording what you watch, which will reduce all personalized recommendations including Shorts. However, this also affects recommendations for videos you might actually want to see, so it is a trade-off.
Can I report Shorts I do not want to see?
Yes. When a Shorts video appears, tap the three-dot menu and select "Not interested" or "Don't recommend channel." This tells YouTube's algorithm you do not want to see that specific video or content from that creator, though it does not disable Shorts as a feature.