Hide YouTube Shorts: Reclaim Your Feed & Get Them Back

Are you tired of endlessly scrolling past YouTube Shorts, wishing your homepage offered more of the long-form content you love? You're not alone! Since their global introduction in 2021, YouTube Shorts have become a prominent feature, a clear response to the popularity of short-form video platforms like TikTok. While some users appreciate the quick, vertical format videos, many long-time YouTube viewers miss the days when their feed was primarily dedicated to longer content.

YouTube's aggressive push for Shorts has led many to seek ways to customize their viewing experience. The good news is, you can hide these short videos and even bring them back if you change your mind. While YouTube's official options are quite limited, a variety of unofficial tools offer comprehensive control, allowing you to tailor your YouTube experience exactly how you like it.

In this guide, we'll walk you through both the official, albeit restrictive, methods for managing Shorts and, more importantly, powerful third-party solutions that give you full command over your YouTube feed. You'll learn how to effectively minimize or completely remove Shorts from your homepage, search results, and even suggested videos, and how to effortlessly toggle them back on.

What You'll Accomplish

By following this guide, you will be able to:

• Utilize YouTube's built-in, temporary options to see fewer Shorts.
• Set daily time limits for Shorts consumption on your mobile device.
• Understand how to prompt Shorts to reappear in your feed after hiding them officially.
• Implement robust third-party solutions for Android, iPhone, and web browsers to achieve a permanent and easily reversible Shorts-free YouTube experience.
• Gain greater control over your YouTube content, making your viewing more enjoyable.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• Access to the YouTube app on your mobile device (Android or iPhone) or a web browser on your desktop or mobile.
• For unofficial methods, you may need the ability to download third-party applications or browser extensions.

Let's take back control of your YouTube feed!

YouTube's Limited Official Options (And Their Comeback Strategy)

YouTube offers a couple of rudimentary options for managing Shorts, but it's important to understand their limitations. These methods generally aim to reduce the visibility of Shorts rather than eliminate them entirely, and getting them back can be surprisingly un-intuitive.

Temporarily Hiding Shorts on Your Homepage

This is the most straightforward official action you can take, though its effect is temporary.

1. Open YouTube: Launch the YouTube app or go to youtube.com in your browser.
2. Locate Shorts: Scroll down your homepage until you see the first row of YouTube Shorts.
3. Access Options: In the upper right-hand corner of this Shorts row, you'll see three vertical dots (or a similar menu icon). Click or tap on this icon.
4. Select "See Fewer Shorts": From the pop-up menu, choose the option that says "See Fewer Shorts."

What to Expect: Opting for "See Fewer Shorts" will reduce the number of Shorts displayed on your homepage for approximately 30 days, though this timeframe can vary. It's crucial to note that this doesn't remove them completely. You'll still encounter Shorts in your search results (though you can filter these by selecting "Videos" at the top of the search page), and YouTube may still suggest Shorts for you to watch after a long-form video finishes.

Setting a Daily Limit for Shorts on Mobile

For those who want to manage their Shorts viewing time without fully eliminating them, YouTube's mobile app provides a daily limit feature.

1. Open the YouTube App: Launch the YouTube application on your Android or iPhone device.
2. Go to Your Profile: Tap on your profile picture, usually located in the top right corner.
3. Access Settings: Select "Settings" from the menu.
4. Navigate to Time Management: In the Settings menu, find and tap on "Time Management."
5. Set Shorts Feed Limit: Scroll down to the "Daily Limits" section and choose "Shorts Feed Limit."
6. Adjust Limit: From here, you can set a daily duration for viewing Shorts, with options as low as 15 minutes per day.

What to Expect: This setting helps you control how much time you spend watching Shorts daily. However, like the "See Fewer Shorts" option, it doesn't eradicate Shorts from your feed entirely; it simply limits your access to them after a set period.

Bringing Shorts Back (The Official, Indirect Way)

If you've used the "See Fewer Shorts" option but later decide you want them back on your homepage, YouTube doesn't offer a direct "undo" button. The process is a bit more indirect:

1. Actively Seek Out Shorts: To encourage Shorts to reappear, you need to start watching them again. You can do this by searching for them, clicking on any Shorts that might still appear in search results, or navigating to the dedicated Shorts tab.
2. Watch Shorts Consistently: The more Shorts you watch, the faster YouTube's algorithm will start repopulating your homepage with them. It generally takes a couple of days for them to "creep back" into your main feed, but consistent viewing will accelerate this process.

Since YouTube's official management options for Shorts are so limited and often cumbersome, many users turn to more robust, unofficial solutions for true control.

Unleashing the Power of Unofficial Solutions for Total Control

When YouTube's official offerings fall short, a range of third-party tools come to the rescue, providing comprehensive and easily reversible ways to manage Shorts. These solutions are generally more effective and give you the power to toggle Shorts on or off with ease, offering a level of customization YouTube itself currently lacks.

For Android Users: ReVanced

If you use an Android device, ReVanced is a powerful, open-source patcher that can significantly modify apps like YouTube, giving you granular control over features, including Shorts.

1. Install ReVanced: First, you'll need to install the ReVanced patcher on your Android device. This typically involves downloading an APK from a trusted source and allowing installation from unknown sources in your device settings.
2. Download YouTube ReVanced: Once ReVanced is installed, use it to create and install a modified version of the YouTube app, often referred to as YouTube ReVanced.
3. Access Settings: Open the newly installed YouTube ReVanced app. Within its settings menu, you'll find extensive options to customize your YouTube experience.
4. Hide/Unhide Shorts: Look for settings related to "Shorts" or "Layout" where you'll have the flexibility to hide YouTube Shorts from your homepage, search results, and other areas where they might appear. The beauty of ReVanced is that you can easily re-enable these options if you ever want Shorts back.

For iPhone Users: Dedicated Apps

iPhone users can find specific applications designed to block YouTube Shorts. These apps typically work by filtering or modifying the content displayed within the YouTube interface.

1. Search the App Store: Go to the Apple App Store and search for apps like "Shorts Blocker For YouTube" or similar titles.
2. Install the App: Download and install a reputable Shorts-blocking application.
3. Follow In-App Instructions: Most of these apps will guide you through the process of integrating their blocking capabilities with your YouTube viewing experience.

Browser Extensions for Desktop and Mobile Browsers

If you watch YouTube primarily through a web browser on your desktop or even a mobile browser that supports extensions, there are several powerful extensions that can eliminate Shorts.

• uBlock Origin: While primarily an ad-blocker, uBlock Origin is highly customizable and can be configured to block specific elements on web pages, including YouTube Shorts. You'll typically need to add custom filter rules to achieve this.
• Unhook YouTube: This extension is specifically designed to declutter YouTube, offering options to hide Shorts, recommended videos, comments, and more. Install it from your browser's extension store (e.g., Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons) and configure its settings to hide Shorts.

Once installed, these extensions provide simple toggle switches in their settings to enable or disable the Shorts blocking feature at your convenience.

The Brave Browser Advantage

Brave is a privacy-focused web browser that comes with a built-in ad blocker and enhanced control features, making it an excellent choice for a customized YouTube experience. Brave offers specific settings to block YouTube Shorts directly.

For Mobile (Brave Browser):

1. Open Brave Browser: Launch the Brave browser on your mobile device.
2. Go to Settings: Tap the three-dot menu (or similar) and select "Settings."
3. Navigate to Media: Find and tap on the "Media" section.
4. Toggle "Block YouTube Shorts": Locate the option "Block YouTube Shorts" and toggle it to the "on" position.

For Desktop (Brave Browser):

1. Open Brave Browser: Launch the Brave browser on your desktop computer.
2. Go to Settings: Click the three-line menu (hamburger icon) in the top right and select "Settings."
3. Navigate to Shields: In the left-hand sidebar, click on "Shields."
4. Access Content Filtering: Under Shields, go to "Content Filtering."
5. Enable "YouTube Anti-Shorts": Find and enable the option labeled "YouTube Anti-Shorts."

With Brave, getting Shorts back is as simple as revisiting these settings and deselecting the blocking option.

Why YouTube Makes It So Hard (And Why Unofficial Methods Are Key)

It's curious that YouTube doesn't offer a simple, official toggle for Shorts, especially when third-party solutions demonstrate how easily it can be done. This is most likely due to YouTube's strategic decision to heavily promote Shorts to compete in the short-form video market dominated by TikTok. This aggressive push, however, means that even paying for a service like YouTube Premium won't grant you these customization options.

For many long-term users, who have been with YouTube for two decades, this shift towards short-form content can be disheartening. It makes video platforms feel more homogeneous, blurring the lines between what once made YouTube unique. While YouTube has extended the maximum length of Shorts, it doesn't change the preference of many for its traditional long-form content. Until YouTube provides better native customization, these robust unofficial workarounds are essential for users who want to tailor their viewing experience.

Next Steps and Related Topics

By implementing one of these unofficial solutions, you've taken a significant step toward a more personalized YouTube experience. Don't forget that if these solutions aren't exactly what you need, there are always other video platforms available that might better suit your preferences. Your viewing experience should be on your terms!

FAQ

Q: Do official "See Fewer Shorts" settings apply across all my devices?

A: When you select "See Fewer Shorts" on your YouTube homepage, this preference is typically tied to your YouTube account. Therefore, it should influence the Shorts recommendations you see across different devices where you are logged into that same account, though the effectiveness and duration (around 30 days) can fluctuate.

Q: Will YouTube Premium remove Shorts for me?

A: Unfortunately, no. Despite being a paid subscription that offers ad-free viewing and other benefits, YouTube Premium does not include any options to hide or remove Shorts from your feed. The management of Shorts remains separate from Premium features.

Q: Are third-party apps and extensions safe to use?

A: When properly vetted and downloaded from trusted sources (like official app stores or well-known browser extension marketplaces), many third-party tools like ReVanced (from its community), Shorts Blocker For YouTube, uBlock Origin, Unhook YouTube, and the Brave browser are considered reliable for their advertised functions. Always exercise caution by checking reviews, permissions, and developer reputation before installing any third-party software.