YouTube Shorts
How to Block Shorts on YouTube
Learn different ways that you can block YouTube Shorts for your devices.
If you’ve tried to block YouTube Shorts, you may be disappointed to find that this a lot easier said than done. For most app users, YouTube Shorts is simply not possible to remove from the app, but you can block Shorts on the browser version of YouTube pretty easily.
After some research into this topic, I was consistently met with convoluted method after confusing explanation and many methods weren't practical.
After extensive research, there are some relatively simply strategies for restricting YouTube shorts:
- Limit how tempting or appealing Shorts are on YouTube. For example, you can block thumbnails on YouTube, which will also block short thumbnails.
- Set a schedule for when YouTube shorts can be accessed to within a limited window each day.
- Switch from using the YouTube app to accessing YouTube within a web-browser. Once you do this, you can customize YouTube to completely remove access to YouTube shorts.
Before you dive into completely blocking and preventing access to the YouTube shorts feature, try some of our "gray-area" site recommendations first.
Block Shorts Preview Images
Instead of completely blocking YouTube shorts, you can block the preview images that make you want to tap on the Short to watch it. This preview image is usually designed to catch your attention using "click-bait" tactics or by showing explicit content. By blocking YouTube shorts thumbnails, you can replace the preview image with an empty space that is far less appealing and less likely to engage with it.
This works even if you have Shorts enabled:
The best way to do this is to connect your device to a DNS Content Policy . Then, you'd use that DNS Content Policy to block the YouTube content delivery network domains that are used to display images.
You can easily do this with the Tech Lockdown DNS Content Policy by using our YouTube thumbnails preset:
Filter Out Explicit YouTube Shorts and Videos
One of the most common reasons that people want to block YouTube shorts is that explicit shorts tend to trend and catch people's attention. If limiting access to explicit shorts is your goal, you could try enforcing YouTube's built-in adult content filter.
One way to enforce this is to point your device to a DNS Content Policy. For example, you can point your device to the Tech Lockdown DNS Content Policy and use the YouTube restrict mode preset to enforce YouTube's built-in filter.
Enforcing YouTube strict mode should hopefully remove most adult content videos from appearing in your shorts feed. Strict mode is even more useful when you combine it with blocking the Shorts preview thumbnails.
Schedule when YouTube Shorts can be Accessed
When it comes to mixed content websites (websites and apps that host a mix of both productive and explicit content) we recommend scheduling when the platform can be accessed.
By being intentional and strategic about when YouTube is accessed, you can increase the changes that it's used in a productive way and that YouTube shorts is less problematic.
We recommend creating a schedule block rule with a DNS Content Policy to limit the hours of the day where YouTube is unblocked (which also blocks YouTube shorts). For example, it would probably make sense to limit access in the evening.
You can easily do this with the Tech Lockdown Content policy by creating a scheduled block rule and selecting the YouTube app
Then, simply specify what hours of the day YouTube should be blocked.
Use the Browser Version of YouTube to Block Shorts Completely
Unfortunately, there isn’t much that you can do within the YouTube App. Shorts are a built-in feature, so unless you want to roll back to an older version of the app, it’s impossible. If you instead use the Browser version of YouTube, then it suddenly becomes a lot easier to customize the YouTube experience to limit Shorts.
Disable Shorts with the Brave Browser
The Brave Browser has a built-in blocker for YouTube Shorts.
The Shorts button should now be blocked along with the shorts carousels that appear within the video feeds:
Brave Browser is the most compatible YouTube shorts blocking option, since this will work on both smartphones and computers.
Filter the YouTube Shorts URL with a URL Blocker
If you're fine with only using a computer to browse YouTube, you can install a URL filtering application that completely blocks the entire Shorts section of YouTube.
Every Shorts video on YouTube looks something like this:
Using a URL filtering application like Cold Turkey , it’s pretty easy to block all Shorts by adding this to a block:
www.youtube.com/shorts/*
The star ( * ) symbol at the end means that any Shorts URL (regardless of which specific video) will be blocked.
In Cold Turkey, your block should look then like this:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to use the Browser version of YouTube in order to block Shorts?
Unfortunately, yes. Unless you also want to completely block YouTube , Shorts are a built-in feature of the app that can’t be disabled.
Can I block specific YouTube videos?
Yes! It is possible for you to use a browser extension or URL blocker to disable specific URLs. Furthermore, you can use the "YouTube Strict Mode" content policy rule to block YouTube videos that show explicit content.
What devices are supported by Brave?
Brave works on iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac devices.
How do I filter content on YouTube?
Depending on how strict you want your setup to be, you can filter content on YouTube by:
- Blocking YouTube thumbnails.
- Enforcing Strict mode for YouTube search.
- Setting a schedule for when you can use YouTube.
We cover how exactly you can do this on different devices in a dedicated guide:
App & Website Filtering
How to Filter Content on YouTube
Examining some of the best approaches to filtering content on YouTube without blocking the website entirely.
