The main ways to stop YouTube ads

YouTube shows ads in three places: before a video starts, in the middle of longer videos, and as banners on the page itself. You have four realistic options to reduce or remove them: pay for YouTube Premium, use an ad blocker extension, use YouTube's built-in settings to skip ads faster, or switch to a different video platform.

YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month (or $139.99 per year) and removes all ads from videos, YouTube Music, and YouTube TV. It also lets you read videos to watch offline and play videos with the screen off. If you watch YouTube daily, the math is straightforward — you pay money and ads disappear.

Ad blocker extensions like uBlock Origin, Adblock Plus, and AdGuard work on most videos, though YouTube actively works to block them. Some ad blockers stop working for weeks at a time when YouTube updates its detection. Others require you to add YouTube to a whitelist (which shows ads again) to keep the extension working. This is a cat-and-mouse game, not a permanent solution.

Key Takeaways

  • YouTube Premium removes all ads but costs $13.99 per month; it is the only method YouTube officially supports.
  • Ad blocker extensions like uBlock Origin can block most YouTube ads, but YouTube regularly updates its code to break them, so they stop working for days or weeks at a time.
  • YouTube's own settings let you skip ads after five seconds on most videos, which is faster than watching them fully but does not remove them.
  • If you use an ad blocker, YouTube may ask you to disable it or pay for Premium; continuing to use a blocker after that warning is against YouTube's terms of service.
  • Switching platforms like Vimeo or Nebula removes ads entirely but means losing access to most YouTube creators.

Using YouTube Premium to remove all ads

YouTube Premium is the only method YouTube officially supports. When you pay, ads stop on all videos, all channels, and all devices where you are signed in. You also get YouTube Music Premium included, which removes ads from music videos and the music streaming service.

The subscription renews monthly or yearly depending on which plan you choose. You can cancel anytime, and ads return when ready when your subscription ends. If you share a YouTube account with family members, only your account gets Premium — other people on the same account still see ads unless they have their own Premium subscription.

YouTube offers a one-month free trial for new users. After that, you pay the full price. Some family plans bundle YouTube Premium with other Google services, but the base YouTube Premium subscription stands alone.

Installing and using an ad blocker extension

Ad blocker extensions sit in your browser toolbar and block ads on any website, including YouTube. The most common ones are uBlock Origin (free, open-source), Adblock Plus (free with paid options), and AdGuard (paid). To install one, go to your browser's extension store — Chrome Web Store for Chrome, Add-ons for Firefox, or Edge Add-ons for Edge.

Search for the extension by name, click "Add to [Browser]", and confirm the permissions it asks for. Most ad blockers ask to see the content of every page you visit so they can identify and block ads. Once installed, the extension runs automatically on every site you visit.

On YouTube specifically, ad blockers work inconsistently. YouTube detects when an ad blocker is active and sometimes blocks the video from playing, shows a message asking you to disable the blocker, or straightforward stops showing ads for a few days before updating its detection code. When YouTube updates, the ad blocker stops working until the extension developer updates their code — this cycle repeats every few weeks to a few months.

What happens if YouTube detects your ad blocker

YouTube's terms of service say you cannot use ad blockers on their site. When YouTube detects one, it typically shows a message like "Ad blockers aren't allowed on YouTube" and asks you to disable the extension or subscribe to Premium. The video may not play until you do.

You can ignore this message and keep using the ad blocker, but you are violating YouTube's terms of service. YouTube could theoretically ban your account, though in practice they usually just keep asking you to disable the blocker or pay. Some users report that YouTube throttles video quality or shows more ads when they detect an ad blocker, though this is not officially confirmed.

If you decide to use an ad blocker despite this warning, understand that you are in a technical and legal gray area. YouTube will continue to update its code to block ad blockers, and your blocker will continue to break and be fixed. This is not a permanent solution.

Using YouTube's built-in skip feature

Most YouTube ads let you skip after five seconds. You do not need an extension or a paid subscription — this is built into YouTube for free. When an ad starts, a "Skip Ad" button appears in the bottom right corner after five seconds. Click it and the ad stops when ready.

This does not remove ads, but it makes them faster to get through. On a 30-second ad, you wait five seconds and skip the rest. On a 15-second ad, you watch the whole thing because the skip button does not appear. Some ads (usually on videos from creators who have monetized heavily) cannot be skipped at all.

This is the only method that does not violate YouTube's terms of service and does not cost money. It is also the slowest method if you watch many videos.

Why ad blockers stop working on YouTube

YouTube and ad blocker developers are in a constant technical fight. YouTube writes code that detects ad blockers; ad blocker developers write code to hide from that detection. When YouTube updates, the ad blocker breaks. When the ad blocker updates, it works again — until YouTube updates again.

This cycle happens because YouTube owns the platform and can change how it works whenever it wants. Ad blocker developers have to react to YouTube's changes, not the other way around. Some ad blockers are updated faster than others. uBlock Origin is updated frequently and usually works again within days of a YouTube update. Smaller or abandoned ad blockers may take weeks or never be fixed.

YouTube has financial incentive to win this fight — ads are how YouTube makes money. Ad blocker developers have incentive to keep their extensions working, but they are always playing catch-up. If you use an ad blocker, expect it to stop working periodically and require an update.

Alternatives: other video platforms without ads

If you want to avoid the YouTube Premium cost and the ad blocker cat-and-mouse game, you can watch videos on other platforms. Vimeo has no ads on most videos and costs $75 per year for an ad-free account, or is free with ads. Nebula is a subscription service ($5.99 per month) built by YouTube creators and has no ads. Rumble and Odysee are ad-free platforms, though they have smaller creator bases than YouTube.

The trade-off is that most YouTube creators do not upload to these platforms. You can find some creators on multiple platforms, but the majority upload only to YouTube. Switching platforms means losing access to most of the content you currently watch unless the creators you follow have moved there too.

Some creators offer their videos directly on their own websites or through Patreon, which also removes ads. This usually requires paying the creator directly or finding their free tier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to use an ad blocker on YouTube?

Ad blockers are legal software, but using one on YouTube violates YouTube's terms of service. YouTube can ask you to disable it or ban your account, though in practice they usually just ask you to pay for Premium or disable the blocker. The legal status is different from the terms-of-service status — you are not breaking the law, but you are breaking YouTube's rules.

Will YouTube ban my account if I use an ad blocker?

YouTube rarely bans accounts for using ad blockers. They usually show a message asking you to disable it or subscribe to Premium. Some users have reported account bans after repeated violations, but this is uncommon. The bigger risk is that your ad blocker stops working and you have to update it or switch methods.

Can I use an ad blocker on YouTube on my phone?

Phone browsers have fewer extension options than desktop browsers. On iPhone, Safari does not support most ad blockers. On Android, Firefox supports some ad blockers, but Chrome does not. YouTube's official app does not allow ad blockers at all. YouTube Premium works on phones and is the most reliable way to remove ads on mobile devices.

Does YouTube Premium work on all devices?

YouTube Premium works on any device where you sign into your YouTube account — phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, and streaming devices. You do not need to install anything extra. As long as you are signed in, ads are removed. If you sign out or use a different account, ads return.

What is the difference between uBlock Origin and Adblock Plus?

uBlock Origin is free, open-source, and updated frequently. It blocks more ads than Adblock Plus and uses less computer memory. Adblock Plus is also free but has a "acceptable ads" feature that allows some ads through by default — you can turn this off. Both work on YouTube until YouTube updates its detection, then both stop working until they are updated. uBlock Origin typically updates faster.