Have you ever found yourself losing hours down an endless rabbit hole of YouTube Shorts? Do little vertical videos now dominate your YouTube feed against your will?
If so, you‘re not alone. While some enjoy this new short-form video trend, others see Shorts as an annoying disruption when they just want to watch familiar long-form YouTube content.
The good news is you can remove Shorts from YouTube entirely across both mobile and desktop.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll share exactly how to block Shorts step-by-step using various simple yet effective methods. I‘ve personally tested them all for maximum impact based on your preferences:
- Use YouTube Without the Mobile App
- Disable Shorts in App Settings
- Revert to an Older YouTube Version Without Shorts
- Curate Your Shorts Feed with "Not Interested"
By the end, watching the videos you actually want on YouTube without pesky Shorts will be a breeze.
Let‘s get started!
What Are YouTube Shorts and Why Remove Them?
Before diving into the how-to, let‘s recap what Shorts actually are.
YouTube Shorts are vertical videos under 60 seconds long designed for smartphones, similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels.
As YouTube themselves explain, Shorts offer creators "a new way to express themselves" while allowing viewers to "discover short viral videos."
The company introduced Shorts in 2020 and have aggressively pushed the TikTok clone across YouTube to tap into consumer shift towards short-form video mobile consumption.
YouTube publishes some mind-boggling statistics showing the scale of Shorts:
- Over 5 trillion Shorts views per month
- More than 50 billion daily Shorts views
- 30 billion Shorts uploaded by creators
And YouTube actively promotes Shorts across the platform through dedicated feeds, linking from standard videos, integrating into recommendations and search, even email followers asking them to check out trending Shorts.
But not all YouTube users are fans.
In fact, many find the avalanche of Shorts recommendations and autoplay distraction from the type of content they actually want to see.
Common complaints around YouTube Shorts include:
- They disrupt your feed with random irrelevant videos
- Too addicting and waste far too much time
- Prefer watching longer videos from your subscribed channels
- Concerns around data privacy and personalized ads
While Shorts skyrocket in popularity, they simply don‘t align with plenty of YouTube viewers preferences.
The key is regaining control over your YouTube feed. That‘s where this guide comes in handy!
I‘ll share how to remove Shorts on both mobile and desktop for a more focused, productive, and intentional YouTube viewing experience.
Now let‘s get into the step-by-step recommendations, starting with the simplest approach…
Method 1 – Use YouTube Without the Mobile App
Believe it or not, the quickest way to remove Shorts is to avoid YouTube‘s mobile app altogether.
You see, Shorts were designed specifically for vertical, full screen, smartphone consumption.
The YouTube website accessed via mobile browser or computer does not support Shorts.
So by ditching the official app, you can eliminate Shorts in one swift blow:
Step 1: Access YouTube via Mobile or Desktop Browsers
Instead of opening the YouTube app on your iPhone or Android device, use Safari, Chrome, Firefox etc.
Or for even more real estate, access YouTube from your laptop or desktop computer.
Step 2: Enjoy YouTube Without Any Shorts
That‘s it! Without the app, Shorts completely disappear from YouTube across both mobile and desktop browsers.
You‘ll regain the classic horizontal YouTube feed filled with videos several minutes or longer from only channels you actively follow and engage with.
It will feel like turning back the clock to a pre-Shorts YouTube era!
Sure the experience loses some mobile optimizations like smooth scrolling and notifications. However, prioritizing long-form content from subscriptions makes up for that.
While the simplest workaround, avoiding YouTube‘s mobile app entirely can work wonders if you goal is strictly to remove Shorts.
Method 2 – Disable Shorts in Mobile App Settings
What if ditching the YouTube app altogether still seems too extreme?
I‘ve got you covered. The second method is simple settings tweak to disable Shorts within the app itself.
However, note YouTube has unfortunately not yet made this globally available.
The option to turn off Shorts relies on a settings toggle that only exists for select countries at the moment.
But don’t worry. We can still check if disabling Shorts is possible based on your location:
Step 1: Open Settings
From YouTube‘s mobile app home screen, tap on your profile picture, then Settings > General.
This houses all your account, video quality, ads, and other configurations.
Step 2: Locate "Shorts" Setting
Scroll down the list of options until you find one labeled “Shorts”.
If unavailable in your country, the setting won‘t even appear unfortunately.
Step 3: Flick Toggle Off
If you do see the Shorts toggle, switch it off! This instantly blocks Shorts from showing within the YouTube app.
Limitations to Consider
Now again, access to disable Shorts remains inconsistent globally at the moment.
Even if you flip the toggle, a few Shorts may sneak through like:
- Individual Short videos in search and recommendations
- Must also disable YouTube notifications
But when accessible, this handy in-app control lets you squash Shorts from the main YouTube feed.
Fingers crossed YouTube makes it universally available soon.
Method 3 – Revert to a Pre-Shorts YouTube Version
What if I told you removing Shorts can be as easy as rolling back your YouTube app version?
It may sounds too good to be true. But this clever shortcut exploits Shorts‘ reliance on the latest YouTube infrastructure.
By installing an older variant of the app from before Shorts launch, the feature won‘t properly function.
Let‘s examine how:
Step 1: Check Your Current YouTube Version
On your phone, open settings and locate the YouTube app details noting which version you have installed.
Also turn off automatic app updates to lock this version in place when we downgrade.
Step 2: Delete and Re-Install Earlier YouTube Version
Next uninstall YouTube then search for an APK file allowing you to install a 2020 or earlier variant – from before Shorts existed.
I recommend v15 or earlier just to be safe.
Step 3: Enjoy Your Throwback YouTube Experience!
Once you rollback to a retro YouTube version, Shorts will completely break since the code lacks support to render them properly!
Besides missing other new features, this clever version downgrade transports you back to a vintage YouTube era many prefer.
Now certainly, using older app versions poses potential security risks if not staying up to date.
However, for a strictly Shorts-free environment, tapping into legacy YouTube APKs works brilliantly for many.
Method 4 – Curate Your Shorts Feed With "Not Interested"
Maybe you still want to access Shorts but only relevant ones to your interests – not random stale leftovers.
I feel you. Totally reasonable.
The final approach involves actively pruning your Shorts feed using YouTube‘s "Not Interested" button.
Step 1: Tap the Three Dot Icon
When viewing any Short you want banished, tap the three vertically stacks dots icon next to it.
This opens an action menu.
Step 2: Select "Not Interested"
Choose the "Not Interested" menu option.
This tells YouTube you specifically don‘t want to see that Short or similar content again.
Step 3: Repeat Regularly!
Rinse and repeat this process each time an irrelevant Short appears.
Over time, YouTube will update suggestions to better align with topics and sounds from Shorts you actually watch, share, and like.
The Pros and Cons of YouTube Shorts
Given the polarizing nature of Shorts, let‘s explore a balanced breakdown of potential pros and cons:
Pros
- Entertaining and engaging snackable content
- Showcase creator diversity beyond traditional YouTube stars
- Revenue opportunities for brands and influencers
- Gateway for creators to expand into long-form YouTube content
Cons
- Distracting from more meaningful video consumption for many
- Data privacy concerns due to personalized ads, share buttons etc
- Algorithmic biases around recommending mostly trendy entertainment
- Potentially contribute to worsening attention span and media literacy
YouTube Shorts clearly resonate with a massive audience, especially younger generations glued to mobile devices.
However, concerns around optimizing watches vs. value of that viewing time remain hotly debated.
Hopefully the ability to remove Shorts helps resolve this by supporting user control.
Why Removing Shorts Matters
Controlling your YouTube feed plays into the larger digital wellness conversation.
Many experts now consider two of the most valuable skills:
- Recognizing distracted or excessive internet use
- Having tools and willpower to intervene
But technology companies often benefit from keeping us mindlessly scrolling as long as possible.
Attention is the currency of the digital economy after all.
That‘s why I compiled this guide – to share constructive tools for reclaiming intentional technology use.
Hopefully these Shorts removal methods help create space for whatever brings you genuine fulfilment offline too!
Balancing real world and online communities leads to long-term digital happiness.
What‘s Next for YouTube Shorts?
Consider this your crystal ball peek into the future of Shorts and YouTube‘s strategy.
While Shorts originated as just a way to answer TikTok, it’s grown into a new priority taking on a life of its own.
YouTube actively highlights major success milestones for Shorts like crossing 5 trillion lifetime views.
And they continue rolling out new features to strengthen Shorts integration:
- Adding direct camera recording from inside the YouTube app
- Testing ways for viewers to tip Shorts creators
- New filters, effects, stickers, multi-segment recording
- Over 2.5 billion monthly logged in users who could engage with Shorts
Rumors even speculate YouTube may launch a separate vertical video feed app fully devoted to Shorts alongside mainStay YouTube.
In other words: Shorts aren’t going anywhere.
YouTube is all in on dominating both short and long-form video against TikTok.
This means removing Shorts from your account requires decisive action. Otherwise their prevalence will only intensify over time.
Hopefully this guide outlined helpful starter strategies to restore your YouTube experience.
In Conclusion
YouTube Shorts clearly struck a chord among young smartphone users hungry for bite-sized, vertical video entertainment.
But not all YouTube viewers welcome this TikTok-ification.
Many find Shorts distracting from long-form content they actually want to see.
The good news? As we explored, you can still easily block and remove Shorts from YouTube across both mobile and desktop:
- Avoid the YouTube mobile app by using browsers
- Disable Shorts in settings (when country allows)
- Revert back to a no-Shorts legacy YouTube app
- Curate your recommendations with "Not Interested"
Take back control and selectively enjoy YouTube your way.
Next time Shorts threaten to swallow hours, revisit this guide to quickly eliminate them!
What other hacks have worked for you? Share any tips in the comments for giving Shorts the boot!
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