4 Ways to Permanently Disable YouTube Shorts

A simple guide for removing Shorts from your YouTube Home feed

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

Telling YouTube You're Not Interested

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Disabling Shorts in Settings

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Downgrading the App on Android

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Uninstalling Updates on Android

Do you not like wasting time watching YouTube Shorts? Fortunately, there are a few ways that you can disable them within the app! This wikiHow article shows you a few ways to disable YouTube Shorts permanently.

Things You Should Know

The most reliable way to get rid of YouTube Shorts is to tap the three-dot menu.
After tapping the three-dot menu, tap "Not interested".
Other ways you can disable YouTube Shorts is to use the toggle in Settings, if you have it, or download an older version of YouTube, or uninstall the app updates.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Telling YouTube You're Not Interested

1
Open YouTube. Tap the YouTube app icon, which looks like a Play button on a red background.
- You can also tell YouTube that you're not interested in a Short using a web browser on your computer.
- While this is the one method that's sure to work, it can require a little persistence on your end. You'll need to do this for every Short that comes up on your home feed to prevent any from showing up in the future.
2
Tap ⋮. This vertical three-dot menu icon is in the top right corner of the Short on your home feed.

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3
Tap Not Interested. It's usually the first option in the menu.
4
Repeat this process to get rid of all the Shorts. This is where your persistence pays off; if you repeat tapping the three-dot menu icon and Not Interested, YouTube's algorithm will figure out that you don't like Shorts and stop suggesting them to you.^{[1]
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- Using a web browser on a computer, log into the account that you have logged in on the app, then click the x next to your YouTube Shorts shelf. All of the Shorts will disappear and you'll see a notification that "This shelf will remain hidden for 30 days." You won't see Shorts on your computer or the app for 30 days, so repeat this process in the future if you still want to hide Shorts from your YouTube home feed.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Disabling Shorts in Settings

1
Open YouTube. Tap the YouTube app icon, which looks like a Play button on a red background.
- This feature isn't available to everyone. Use another method if you don't see this option.
2
Tap your profile picture. It's in the upper right corner of your screen.
3
Tap
Settings. This gear icon is toward the bottom of the menu and will open Settings.
4
Tap General. It's usually the first option in the menu.
5
Tap the switch next to "Shorts" to toggle it off
. A switch pointing to the left and is grey is off.
- Not everyone will have this option available to them, so if you don't see "Shorts," your best bet is to try another method.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Downgrading the App on Android

1
Download an older version of the YouTube app. Since Shorts is a newer feature, you can download an older version of YouTube to stop seeing shorts.
- You'll need to download and install an APK file. Make sure to allow downloads from Unknown Sources and disable Google Play updates (go to the app's Google Play page, tap the three-dots, and uncheck the box next to "Enable auto update."
- You can download the older version of YouTube from https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/youtube/youtube-14-12-56-release/youtube-14-12-56-16-android-apk-download/. Be careful when downloading content from sites that you don't know.
2
Open YouTube. Tap the YouTube app icon, which looks like a Play button on a red background.
- Once you have the older version of YouTube installed, open it and browse YouTube without the suggested Shorts getting in the way.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Uninstalling Updates on Android

1
Disable auto-updates for apps. Since you're uninstalling updates, you don't want the app to download them automatically.
- To do this, open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, then go to "Settings > Network Preferences > Auto-update apps > Don't auto-update apps."
2
Open Settings. To do this, slide down from the top of your screen and tap the gear icon. Alternatively, tap the gear app on your Home screen or in the app drawer.
3
Tap Apps. Depending on the model and manufacturer of your Android, this menu might say "Apps & Notifications" instead.
- You might need to tap "See all apps" to see a list of every app installed on your Android
4
Tap YouTube. Browse the list of apps installed on your Android or use the search bar at the top of the screen to search for "YouTube."
5
Tap Uninstall Updates. If you don't see this in the center of your screen, tap ⋮ in the upper right corner.
- Tap OK to continue.^{[2]
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