{"id":13808,"date":"2023-06-29T12:32:55","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T18:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/?p=13808"},"modified":"2026-05-25T02:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:00:20","slug":"how-to-disable-youtube-shorts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/how-to-disable-youtube-shorts","title":{"rendered":"How To Disable YouTube Shorts On Desktop or Mobile (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since its initial launch in 2020, YouTube Shorts has quickly risen to popularity as a platform for short-form videos a la TikTok or Instagram Reels. To date, it has around<\/span> 1.5 billion monthly active users<\/span><\/a> (MAUs), and its 15-60-second videos garner approximately<\/span> 50 billion views per day<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean that YouTube Shorts are popular with every user.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main YouTube platform has over<\/span> 2.5 billion MAUs<\/span><\/a>. Many of them are long-time users who are used to opening YouTube on their desktop or mobile device to watch longer content.<\/span><\/p>\n

For this demographic, seeing Shorts displayed on their homepage or beneath the video they\u2019re watching is not only distracting \u2013 it\u2019s superfluous. And they want them gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re one of these people, then we\u2019ve got good news for you: you\u2019re not stuck seeing YouTube Shorts forever. We\u2019ve collected five methods that you can use to safely disable or turn off YouTube Shorts on your desktop and mobile devices.<\/span><\/p>\n

Things To Consider Before Turning Off YouTube Shorts<\/b><\/h2>\n

But before you turn off YouTube Shorts, it\u2019s important to make sure that this is a decision you\u2019re going to be okay with for the long haul. With that in mind, here are three things to consider that will help you make the right decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. You May Miss Shorts from Your Favorite YouTube Creators<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The biggest potential downside of disabling YouTube Shorts is missing content from your favorite YouTube creators. In the interest of staying relevant, many traditionally long-form YouTubers have started making Shorts, as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

If it won\u2019t bother you to miss them, then you can proceed with the methods we recommend in this article.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. You May Have to Turn Off Automatic App Updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some of the methods we recommend to use to turn off YouTube Shorts on your Android or iPhone will require you to turn off automatic app updates. This means that every time one of your other apps needs to update, you\u2019ll have to initiate it manually.<\/span><\/p>\n

For some people, that might be too big of a hassle, just to avoid seeing Shorts on their YouTube account.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. You May Have to Be Persistent<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Finally, consider that some methods of removing Shorts from your YouTube homepage will require persistence. We\u2019ll explain what we mean by that in a moment. But just know that if you aren\u2019t willing to keep repeating the same action, you may not be able to disable YouTube Shorts on your PC or mobile device.<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Disable YouTube Shorts on PC<\/b><\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s explain how to disable YouTube Shorts on your desktop version of the platform.<\/span><\/p>\n

Method #1: Click the X Button on YouTube Shorts Shelf<\/b><\/h3>\n

While scrolling the homepage of the desktop version of YouTube, you\u2019ve probably come across a box in the middle of the screen that shows a row of Shorts. This box is called a shelf. You can remove the YouTube Shorts shelf in one simple step.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Step #1: <\/b>Click the X button in the top right-hand corner of the YouTube Shorts shelf to mark it as \u201cNot interested.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

That\u2019s it! However, please note that this isn\u2019t a permanent solution. YouTube will only hide this shelf from you for 30 days. But until then, you can enjoy not seeing them on your homepage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Method #2: Install a YouTube Shorts-Blocking Browser Extension<\/b><\/h3>\n

For some, marking the YouTube Shorts shelf on the homepage may not be enough. They may want to also remove the Shorts category altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

To do that, install a YouTube Shorts blocker browser extension. You can find them by searching for the keywords, \u201cYouTube Shorts blocker\u201d in your browser\u2019s add-on or extension library. Some extensions will even play a YouTube Short as a regular video instead of the usual vertical display.<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Disable YouTube Shorts on Android or iPhone<\/b><\/h2>\n

Now, we\u2019ll cover how to turn off YouTube Shorts on your Android or iPhone YouTube app.<\/span><\/p>\n

Method #1: Mark \u201cNot Interested\u201d on All YouTube Shorts<\/b><\/h3>\n

Remember when we mentioned that certain methods of disabling YouTube Shorts would require you to be persistent to work? This is one of the ones we were talking about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much like when you scroll the YouTube homepage on your desktop, when you scroll down below a video you\u2019re watching on the YouTube app, you\u2019ll come across a content shelf labeled \u201cShorts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to get rid of this section.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Step #1: <\/b>Select the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of each YouTube Short in the content shelf and mark it as \u201cNot interested.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Not<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Yep, that\u2019s all you have to do. But here\u2019s the kicker: you must mark every Short on the shelf this way. Only then will YouTube remove this section from the app, and only for 30 days. It\u2019s not a permanent solution, but it\u2019s the only way you can prevent Shorts from showing up during your scroll without resorting to more extreme methods.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re all about extreme, then keep reading!<\/span><\/p>\n

Method #2: Downgrade Your YouTube App To an Older Version<\/b><\/h3>\n

Because YouTube Shorts is a relatively recent feature of the YouTube app, which is over a decade old, it\u2019s possible to downgrade the current version of the app to an older one that doesn\u2019t have Shorts at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Note: This method only works for Android devices.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Before you proceed to the next steps, make sure you have the auto-update feature for your apps disabled.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Step #1: <\/b>Hold your finger over the YouTube app icon until a menu pops up.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Step #2: <\/b>Select <\/span>App info.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"App<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Step #3: <\/b>On the <\/span>App info screen, select the three dots in the top right-hand corner.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Step #4: <\/b>Select <\/span>Uninstall updates.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Uninstall<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Once you complete the final step, your app should be back to its original version \u2013 and completely Shorts-free!<\/span><\/p>\n

Method #3: Install an Older Version of the YouTube App From a Third Party<\/b><\/h3>\n

Finally, you can go through a third-party developer or app store to install an older version of the YouTube app to your phone. This method may be useful for users for whom downgrading simply doesn\u2019t work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before downloading anything from a third party, research them thoroughly to make sure they\u2019re legitimate and safe to use.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 More Tips for Customizing Your YouTube Experience<\/b><\/h2>\n

1. Click \u201cNot Interested\u201d on YouTube Shelves You Don\u2019t Want to See<\/strong><\/h3>\n

YouTube Shorts is not the only YouTube shelf you can remove from your desktop homepage. Click the X button on any shelf that doesn\u2019t pique your interest to remove it for 30 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Disable in-Video Cards<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you prefer your video-watching experience to be uninterrupted by cards, here\u2019s how to disable those.<\/span><\/p>\n

Note: You can only disable cards on the desktop version of YouTube.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Step #1: <\/b>Select <\/span>Settings from the left-hand menu on the YouTube homepage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Settings\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Step #2: <\/b>Select <\/span>Playback and Performance from the left-hand menu on the <\/span>Settings page.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Select<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Step #3: <\/b>Uncheck <\/span>Show in-video info cards.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Show<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

3. Turn Captions off Permanently<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many people nowadays prefer captions to be on, but others hate having words pop up at the bottom of their video. Here\u2019s how to toggle the captions feature on the YouTube website and the app.<\/span><\/p>\n