How to remove shorts from YouTube?

Key Takeaways

• How to remove Shorts from YouTube completely is not officially supported by YouTube, but several methods across settings, algorithm training, and browser extensions significantly reduce their presence
• Disable YouTube Shorts notifications by adjusting per-channel bell settings, which prevents Short-specific alerts without affecting your regular subscription notifications
• Remove YouTube Shorts from feed most effectively by consistently marking individual Shorts as “Not Interested,” which trains the recommendation algorithm to deprioritise that content type
• Hide YouTube Shorts on desktop using browser extensions like SponsorBlock or uBlock Origin with custom filter rules, which remove the Shorts shelf entirely from the homepage
• YouTube Shorts settings within the app currently offer no single toggle to turn Shorts off, making algorithm training and third-party tools the most practical available options

Introduction

You did not ask for a vertical video every three scrolls.

Yet here they are, appearing between your subscriptions, sitting in your search results, and showing up in your notifications from channels you followed specifically for long-form content.

YouTube Shorts have become one of the most prominent and most polarising features on the platform. For users who came to YouTube for tutorials, documentaries, podcasts, and longer video content, the Shorts feed interrupts the experience rather than enhancing it.

This guide covers every method currently available for how to remove Shorts from YouTube across all devices, what each method actually achieves, and what to realistically expect from each approach.

Why YouTube Has No Official Off Switch

YouTube has consistently declined to add a direct toggle to disable YouTube Shorts entirely.

The reason is commercial. Shorts is YouTube’s response to TikTok, and keeping it embedded across the platform maximises creator adoption and advertiser reach. A global off button would undermine that strategy.

What YouTube does offer is control at the individual content level: marking videos, adjusting notification settings, and training the recommendation algorithm over time. These methods do not achieve instant removal but they do work progressively when applied consistently.

Method 1: Train the Algorithm Using “Not Interested”

This is the most accessible method to remove YouTube Shorts from feed without any additional tools.

On mobile:

1. Open the YouTube app and scroll until a Short appears in your home feed
2. Press and hold the Short, or tap the three-dot menu next to it
3. Select “Not Interested”
4. Optionally select “Don’t recommend channel” if the channel posts only Shorts

On desktop:

1. Hover over a Short on your homepage
2. Click the three-dot menu that appears
3. Select “Not Interested”

The algorithm responds to this feedback by reducing similar content in future recommendations. The more consistently you apply it, the faster the feed adjusts. Most users report a noticeable reduction in Shorts within one to two weeks of consistent marking.

This approach does not hide YouTube Shorts permanently. New channels, trending Shorts, or algorithm resets after clearing watch history can reintroduce them. Treat it as ongoing maintenance rather than a one-time fix.

Method 2: Adjust YouTube Shorts Settings for Notifications

Channels you subscribe to may post Shorts and push notifications for each one. Managing per-channel notification preferences is the direct fix.

Steps for both mobile and desktop:

1. Navigate to the channel’s page
2. Click or tap the “Subscribed” button
3. Select the bell icon that appears next to it
4. Choose “None” to disable all notifications from that channel, or select “Personalised” to restrict alerts to non-Short content only

This removes Shorts from your notification tray without unsubscribing from the channel. It is particularly useful for channels you follow for their long-form content that have recently pivoted to posting Shorts frequently.

Adjusting YouTube Shorts settings at the notification level does not affect whether Shorts appear in your feed, but it does remove the interruption pattern of constant alerts.

Method 3: Hide YouTube Shorts on Desktop with Browser Extensions

For desktop users who want to remove the Shorts shelf from YouTube’s homepage entirely, browser extensions provide the most complete solution.

uBlock Origin (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)

1. Install uBlock Origin from your browser’s extension store
2. Open the uBlock Origin dashboard and navigate to “My Filters”
3. Add the following filter rule: youtube.com##ytd-rich-section-renderer
4. Save and refresh YouTube

This hides the Shorts shelf on the homepage. Individual Shorts may still appear in search results depending on your filter configuration.

SponsorBlock
While primarily designed to skip sponsored segments within videos, SponsorBlock’s community-maintained filter lists include Shorts-hiding rules that many users find effective alongside their core functionality.

Important note: Browser extensions that modify YouTube’s interface may conflict with YouTube updates and occasionally stop working after platform redesigns. Check for extension updates if a method that previously worked stops functioning.

Method 4: Reduce Shorts in Search Results

YouTube added an option in late 2024 to filter Shorts from search results specifically.

On desktop:
After running a search, look for the filter options below the search bar. Select “Videos” as the content type filter, which defaults to showing only standard-length videos and excludes Shorts from the results page.

On mobile:
Tap the filter icon after running a search and select the “Long” or “Video” duration filter to reduce Short appearances in results.

This does not disable YouTube Shorts across the platform but significantly improves search result quality for users looking for longer content on a specific topic.

Method 5: Clear Watch History Strategically

Your watch history is the primary dataset the YouTube algorithm uses to decide what to recommend. If your history contains Shorts you interacted with even briefly, the algorithm interprets that as interest.

To reset Shorts recommendations:

1. Go to YouTube Settings, then History and Privacy
2. Select “Clear Watch History”
3. Going forward, avoid any interaction with Shorts including pausing, replaying, or liking them

And there your answer to “how to remove Shorts from YouTube”.

Quick thing, a cleared history resets the algorithm’s data, giving you a clean slate to train it exclusively toward long-form content preferences.

Be aware that clearing watch history also removes personalisation for your other content preferences, so the feed will feel less tailored overall for a period while the algorithm rebuilds its model from your new viewing patterns.

Conclusion

How to remove Shorts from YouTube in 2026 requires a combination of approaches because no single native setting accomplishes complete removal.

For mobile users, consistent “Not Interested” marking combined with notification management delivers the most practical improvement without additional tools. YouTube’s platform direction strongly suggests Shorts are here to stay and the Shorts shelf will remain a default feature. The methods above give you meaningful control over how prominently they appear in your individual experience without waiting for an official toggle that may never arrive.

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FAQs

1. How to remove Shorts from YouTube feed permanently?

YouTube has no official toggle, but consistently marking Shorts as “Not Interested” and avoiding engagement trains the algorithm to reduce them progressively.

2. How do I disable YouTube Shorts notifications from channels I follow?

Go to the channel page, click the bell icon next to “Subscribed,” and select “None” to stop all Short-related alerts from that channel.

3. How do I remove YouTube Shorts from my feed?

Use uBlock Origin with a custom filter for ytd-rich-section-renderer to hide the Shorts shelf from your YouTube homepage entirely.

4. Can I hide YouTube Shorts from search results?

Yes. After searching, apply the “Videos” or duration filter to remove Shorts from search results on both desktop and mobile.

5. Where are YouTube Shorts settings to delete my own published Shorts?

Go to YouTube Studio, click Content, filter by Shorts, select the video, and choose “Delete Forever” from the options menu.

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