YouTube Shorts are short videos, and you can turn them off in your settings
YouTube Shorts are videos under 60 seconds long that play in a vertical feed similar to TikTok or Instagram Reels. If you do not want to see them, you can hide the Shorts feed on the YouTube home page, remove the Shorts tab from your navigation, or use parental controls to block them entirely. The method you choose depends on whether you want to hide Shorts from yourself or from someone else using a shared device.
YouTube does not offer a single "turn off Shorts" button that works everywhere at once. Instead, you manage them through your account settings, your device settings, or your browser. The steps differ slightly between YouTube on a web browser, the YouTube app on Android, and the YouTube app on iPhone.
Key Takeaways
- On the YouTube website, you can hide the Shorts shelf from your home page by clicking the three dots next to "Shorts" and selecting "Don't recommend channel."
- On the YouTube app for Android or iPhone, you can remove the Shorts tab from your bottom navigation menu by holding down the Shorts icon and dragging it away.
- If you want to block Shorts for a child or another person on a shared device, use YouTube's restricted mode or set up a supervised account with parental controls.
- Blocking Shorts does not delete your watch history or affect your recommendations for other videos — it only hides the Shorts section itself.
Hide Shorts from your YouTube home page on a web browser
On YouTube.com in a web browser, the Shorts section appears as a horizontal row of video thumbnails on your home page. To remove it, click the three dots (menu icon) in the top right corner of the Shorts shelf. A dropdown menu will appear with options including "Don't recommend channel." Click that option, and YouTube will stop showing the Shorts shelf on your home page.
This method hides Shorts from your home feed but does not prevent you from reaching the Shorts tab if you click on it directly. If you want to remove the Shorts tab entirely from your navigation, you will need to adjust your subscriptions or use a browser extension (see the section below on third-party tools).
Remove the Shorts tab from the YouTube app on Android or iPhone
On the YouTube mobile app, the Shorts tab appears at the bottom of your screen next to Home, Subscriptions, and other tabs. To remove it, press and hold the Shorts icon for two to three seconds until a menu appears. Drag the Shorts icon downward or to the side until it disappears from the navigation bar. Release your finger, and the Shorts tab will no longer appear at the bottom of the app.
If you accidentally remove a different tab or want to add Shorts back later, you can restore the default navigation by going to Settings (your profile icon in the top right) > Settings > General > Restore default navigation tabs. This will return all tabs to their original positions.
Block Shorts using YouTube's restricted mode
If you want to prevent anyone on a shared device from watching Shorts, use Restricted Mode, a YouTube feature designed to filter out mature content. Restricted Mode also hides the Shorts tab and prevents access to the Shorts feed. To turn it on, scroll to the bottom of any YouTube page, click your profile icon, and select "Restricted Mode: Off." Toggle it to "On."
Restricted Mode applies to the device and browser you are using, not to your account. If someone else logs into YouTube on the same device, they will still see Restricted Mode enabled unless they turn it off themselves. This makes it useful for shared family devices but not for controlling what happens when someone logs into their own account.
Set up parental controls for a child's account
If you manage a child's YouTube account, you can use Family Link (on Android) or Screen Time (on iPhone) combined with YouTube's supervised account settings to block Shorts more completely. On Android, open Family Link, select your child's account, go to Controls on Google Play > Manage all settings > YouTube, and set content restrictions to "Approved content only." This limits what videos and features appear.
On iPhone, you can use the built-in Screen Time feature to restrict apps or set content limits. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps and toggle YouTube off if you want to block the app entirely, or use Content Restrictions to limit what type of content can be viewed. These methods are more restrictive than hiding Shorts alone and affect the entire YouTube experience, not just Shorts.
Use a browser extension to remove Shorts from YouTube
If you use YouTube on a desktop or laptop, browser extensions can hide or block Shorts more aggressively than YouTube's built-in settings. Extensions like "Return YouTube Dislike" and "Enhancer for YouTube" include options to hide the Shorts section, remove the Shorts tab, and customize your YouTube interface. Search your browser's extension store (Chrome Web Store for Google Chrome, Firefox Add-ons for Firefox) for "YouTube Shorts blocker" to see available options.
Browser extensions only work on the device and browser where you install them. If you use YouTube on multiple devices or browsers, you will need to install the extension on each one. Extensions also depend on the developer to maintain them, so check the reviews and update date before installing to make sure the extension is still being supported.
What happens when you block or hide Shorts
Hiding or blocking Shorts does not change your watch history, your recommendations for other videos, or your account settings. YouTube will continue to recommend regular videos based on what you have watched before. Blocking Shorts only removes the Shorts section from your view — it does not affect the algorithm that suggests content to you.
If you block Shorts on a shared device using Restricted Mode or parental controls, other people who log into their own accounts will see their own settings, not yours. Each YouTube account has its own preferences, so blocking Shorts on your account does not block them for someone else unless you use device-level controls like Family Link or Screen Time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block Shorts for just one person on a shared device?
Yes, if that person has their own YouTube account. Each account has separate settings, so you can hide Shorts on your account without affecting theirs. If you want to block Shorts for a child, use Family Link on Android or Screen Time on iPhone to restrict their account at the device level.
Will blocking Shorts affect my YouTube recommendations?
No. Hiding or blocking Shorts does not change what videos YouTube recommends to you. Your recommendations are based on your watch history and search activity, not on whether you see the Shorts section.
What if I change my mind and want to see Shorts again?
You can restore Shorts by reversing the steps you took. On the app, hold down the Shorts icon and drag it back to the navigation bar, or go to Settings > General > Restore default navigation tabs. On the web, YouTube will show the Shorts shelf again once you stop hiding it. If you used Restricted Mode, toggle it back to "Off."
Do I need to read anything to block Shorts?
No, unless you want to use a browser extension. YouTube's built-in settings (hiding the shelf, removing the tab, Restricted Mode) require no downloads. Browser extensions are optional and only needed if you want more control over your YouTube interface.
Can YouTube force Shorts back on after I hide them?
YouTube occasionally updates its interface and may restore default settings, but hiding Shorts through your account settings is persistent. If Shorts reappear after an update, you can hide them again using the same method. Browser extensions may stop working if YouTube changes its code, but YouTube's native hiding options remain stable.