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Sick and tired of YouTube Shorts? They can get pretty distracting, I know that myself — and that’s why I started looking for ways to disable them forever.
After spending about ~7 hours on this topic, I found the single-best solutions to turn off Shorts on your phone, tablet and computer (or any other device).
Let’s start this.
Answer: To disable YouTube Shorts on mobile, go to the YouTube settings app and downgrade to any version 14.13.54. On PC, you need install a free extension.
This may sound hard, but it’s really not. Join me!
YouTube Shorts can’t be permanently disabled within the app, but you can use a workaround to reduce their presence. This involves uninstalling updates or using a browser version of YouTube.
This will help minimize Shorts, but you might still see them occasionally. If this happens, keep marking them as ‘Not Interested’ until YouTube adjusts your feed.
The best way to disable YouTube Shorts on PC is to get a free extension that eliminates any Shorts from YouTube.
?disable_polymer=true to the YouTube URL.
On desktop, there’s no direct way to disable Shorts, but browser extensions can hide them. This method works effectively across most browsers like Chrome and Firefox.
The one above was just an example. You can use any extension!
You can reduce YouTube Shorts recommendations by setting ‘Not Interested’ repeatedly. This teaches YouTube’s algorithm to show fewer Shorts over time:
This might take a few days to adjust. Ensure you interact more with regular video content to reinforce your preferences.
Productivity is the #1 reason to disable YouTube Shorts.
If you prefer watching long-form videos that dive deeper into topics, disabling Shorts helps keep your feed focused on content that aligns with your interests.
By disabling Shorts, you can help the YouTube algorithm prioritize showing you more regular videos instead of short clips that don’t hold your interest.
Related: How the YouTube Shorts algorithm works.
Long-form content provides a more immersive experience.
Disabling Shorts can help create a consistent viewing experience without the interruption of shorter, quick clips.
Shorts can be fast-paced and sometimes irrelevant to your main interests.
Disabling them can reduce distractions and help you stay focused on content you genuinely want to watch.
If you follow channels that upload a lot of Shorts, you might find notifications overwhelming. Disabling Shorts can keep your notifications cleaner and focused on long-form videos.
If you’re a viewer who finds Shorts disruptive, these are practical reasons to disable them and improve your YouTube experience.
Answer: Version 14.50.53
YouTube introduced Shorts with the version 14.50.53 update. This version was released in September 2020 and started rolling out the Shorts feature to users in India first, before expanding globally.
Answer: Anything before 14.13.54
Any YouTube version prior to 14.13.54 does not have Shorts. If you want to avoid Shorts, you can revert to an older version like 14.12.56 or earlier, as these versions were released before Shorts.
Answer: Yes, you can remove Shorts from the YouTube browser using extensions or manual URL modifications
YouTube Shorts Blocker or uBlock Origin.?disable_polymer=true at the end.These options won’t remove Shorts entirely but will minimize their presence on the browser version of YouTube.
Thanks a lot for reading this,
David Ch
Head of the Editing Team at SendShort
Daniel is the head of our research and statistics team. With Daniel's help, our team keeps up with the latest stats and financials for your favourite social media company.
