YouTube
Hide the Shorts button on YouTube
The Shorts button sits in the center of the bottom bar, right where your thumb naturally lands. It's made to be tapped on reflex, and YouTube doesn't let you remove it. Here is how to make it disappear anyway, depending on your device.
Why it's so hard to avoid
A button in the middle of the screen, a video that starts on its own, then the next one: the gesture becomes automatic. That's exactly what an interface designed for attention is after. Removing the button breaks the reflex at its source, far better than relying on willpower.
On Android
- YouTube custom, in Livetime: tick “Hide the Shorts button”. YouTube opens in a lighter view, without the button, and you can also hide recommendations, thumbnails and suggested videos.
- Firefox and Unhook: on the mobile version of the site, Unhook hides the Shorts tab. Then add the site to your home screen.
On iPhone
Open youtube.com in Safari with an extension such as UnTrap or Shorts Blocker for YouTube: Shorts disappear from the home page, from subscriptions and from channels. The YouTube app, however, keeps its button.
On a computer
Install Unhook for Chrome, Firefox or Edge, and turn on the option that hides Shorts. The tab disappears from the left-hand menu, and so do the Shorts on the home page.
In the official app
The button can't be removed. You can only limit the time spent in the Shorts feed, with the scrolling limit in the settings, if it has reached your account. All the other options are in Remove Shorts from YouTube.
Frequently asked questions
Can you remove the Shorts button from the YouTube app?
No, no setting allows it. You have to use YouTube in another view: YouTube custom in Livetime on Android, or the website with an extension.
Written by Emile Clement, a student and the creator of Livetime, after two years of testing almost every screen-time solution out there.
