How to Remove YouTube Shorts from Your Desktop: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

YouTube Shorts have become a dominant force on the platform, vying for attention alongside traditional long-form content. While some users enjoy the quick, bite-sized entertainment, others find them distracting and prefer to focus on longer videos, especially when browsing YouTube on a desktop computer. The problem is that YouTube doesn’t offer a straightforward way to completely eliminate Shorts from your desktop experience. This can lead to frustration as these short videos continuously populate your homepage, search results, and suggested videos, making it difficult to find content you actually want to watch.

This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to minimizing and, to the extent possible, hiding YouTube Shorts from your desktop browsing. While a perfect, permanent solution is currently unavailable due to the way YouTube’s algorithm and interface are designed, we will explore several effective methods to drastically reduce their presence. These methods range from using browser extensions to strategically influencing YouTube’s algorithm itself. Let’s dive into how you can reclaim your YouTube desktop experience and filter out those ever-present short videos.

Understanding the Challenge: Why You Can’t Truly Banish Short Videos

Before we explore the solutions, it’s essential to understand why completely removing YouTube Shorts is currently impossible. The YouTube algorithm is designed to promote Shorts aggressively, showcasing them to a wide audience in an effort to boost engagement. Shorts represent a significant part of YouTube’s overall strategy to compete with platforms like TikTok.

Unlike some other features on YouTube, there isn’t a dedicated “disable Shorts” button or an option to opt-out of seeing them entirely. This is because YouTube is invested in driving viewership to Shorts. The methods we will discuss are workarounds and strategic maneuvers rather than permanent, official solutions. The effectiveness of each method might also vary slightly based on updates to YouTube’s platform and algorithm. Keep this in mind as you begin to implement these techniques. Remember that the goal isn’t complete removal, but rather significant reduction and a more tailored viewing experience.

Employing Browser Extensions

One of the most effective ways to minimize YouTube Shorts on your desktop is by using browser extensions. These extensions are small programs that you install on your web browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge, and they can modify the appearance and behavior of websites you visit. There are several extensions specifically designed to hide or block YouTube Shorts.

When choosing a browser extension, it’s crucial to do your research. Look for extensions with positive reviews, a good track record, and a reasonable number of users. This will help ensure that the extension is safe, reliable, and effective.

Several extensions are popular for this purpose. One option is “Block the Shorts Shelf,” which, as the name suggests, completely removes the Shorts shelf from your YouTube homepage and search results. Another notable extension is “Unhook – Remove YouTube Recommended Videos.” While not solely focused on Shorts, Unhook allows you to customize your YouTube feed extensively, including removing recommended videos and hiding the Shorts shelf. This extension gives you greater control over your overall YouTube browsing experience. The precise names of extensions can change, so always search for the newest options in your browser’s extension store.

Installing and configuring a browser extension is usually a straightforward process. First, navigate to the extension store for your browser (e.g., the Chrome Web Store). Search for the extension you’ve chosen and click the “Add to Chrome” (or similar) button. Once the extension is installed, you may need to enable it or configure its settings. Many extensions provide options to specifically target YouTube Shorts. For example, you might be able to select options like “Hide Shorts Shelf” or “Block Shorts from Recommendations.” Take a few minutes to explore the extension’s settings and customize them to your preferences.

The benefits of using browser extensions are considerable. They are often quite effective at hiding Shorts, offering a customizable solution tailored to your specific needs. And they’re generally very easy to use, requiring minimal technical expertise. However, there are also drawbacks. Installing third-party extensions can potentially impact browser performance, although this is usually minimal. Also, extensions might become outdated if the developers don’t maintain them, which could cause them to stop working correctly after a YouTube update. Always keep your extensions updated to maintain optimal performance.

Harnessing Custom CSS with a Browser Extension

For those with a bit more technical inclination, using custom CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) offers a powerful way to hide YouTube Shorts. CSS controls the visual presentation of a website. By injecting custom CSS code into YouTube, you can selectively hide elements, including Shorts. This method provides precise control over what you see (or rather, don’t see) on the platform.

This method involves using a browser extension that allows you to inject custom CSS into websites. An example is “Stylus” or “User CSS.” These extensions let you write or paste CSS code that modifies the appearance of the current webpage.

The first step is to identify the CSS selectors that correspond to YouTube Shorts. You can do this using your browser’s developer tools. These tools (usually accessed by right-clicking on a webpage and selecting “Inspect” or “Inspect Element”) allow you to examine the underlying HTML and CSS code. By inspecting the YouTube page and specifically looking at the elements that display Shorts, you can identify the CSS classes or IDs associated with them. For example, you might find that the Shorts shelf is contained within a `ytd-reel-shelf-renderer` element. The exact selectors can change depending on YouTube’s design, so remember to check frequently for updates.

Once you’ve identified the correct CSS selectors, you can create the CSS code to hide them. A simple example is `ytd-reel-shelf-renderer { display: none !important; }`. This code targets the `ytd-reel-shelf-renderer` element and sets its `display` property to `none`, effectively hiding it from view. The `!important` declaration ensures that this rule overrides any other CSS rules that might be affecting the same element.

After creating the CSS code, you can add it to your browser extension. The exact steps will vary slightly depending on the extension you’re using, but generally, you’ll need to open the extension’s settings, create a new style, and paste the CSS code into the style editor. Make sure to enable the style so that it takes effect.

The benefits of using custom CSS are significant. It’s a highly customizable approach, allowing you to precisely target and hide specific elements. It can also be very effective, completely removing Shorts from your view. However, it requires some technical knowledge and can be time-consuming to set up. Moreover, CSS selectors may change with YouTube updates, requiring you to adjust your code accordingly.

Leveraging YouTube’s Channel Blocking Feature

YouTube offers a channel blocking feature that can indirectly help reduce the visibility of Shorts. When you block a channel, their videos will no longer appear in your recommendations or search results. While this won’t eliminate Shorts entirely, it can help to filter out content from channels that primarily upload them.

The strategy here is to proactively block channels that are known for posting a large volume of Shorts. This requires some effort to identify these channels, but it can be a worthwhile investment of your time if you’re serious about minimizing Shorts.

However, it’s important to acknowledge the limitations of this method. It is not a comprehensive solution, as new channels that post Shorts will continuously emerge. Blocking channels is also a time-consuming process, especially if you want to block a large number of them.

To block a channel on YouTube, navigate to the channel’s page. Click on the “About” tab, then click the flag icon. Select “Block user” and confirm your choice. This will prevent videos from that channel from appearing in your recommendations.

Training the Algorithm: A Long-Term Approach

YouTube’s algorithm plays a significant role in what you see on the platform. By understanding how the algorithm works and taking steps to influence it, you can gradually reduce the number of Shorts that appear in your feed. The algorithm learns from your behavior: what you watch, what you like, what you dislike, and what you search for.

One effective strategy is to actively dislike Shorts whenever you encounter them. Clicking the dislike button signals to YouTube that you’re not interested in this type of content. Another important step is to consciously avoid clicking on Shorts. Even if a Short catches your eye, resist the urge to watch it. By consistently avoiding Shorts, you’ll send a clear signal to the algorithm that you don’t want to see them.

Actively searching for and watching long-form content related to your interests can also help to re-calibrate the algorithm. Spend time watching longer videos and subscribing to channels that primarily create traditional YouTube videos. This will help to reinforce your preference for long-form content.

If available, use the “Not Interested” option on Shorts recommendations. This option, often found by clicking the three dots next to a video recommendation, allows you to tell YouTube that you don’t want to see similar content in the future.

Training the algorithm takes time and consistency. It’s not a quick fix, but over time, it can significantly reduce the number of Shorts that you see on YouTube.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Despite your best efforts, you might encounter issues when trying to remove YouTube Shorts. Browser extensions might stop working after a YouTube update. Shorts might still appear despite using the methods described above. CSS code might no longer work correctly.

The first step is to ensure that your browser extensions are up to date. Developers often release updates to address compatibility issues with new versions of YouTube. If Shorts are still appearing despite using extensions or custom CSS, double-check that you’ve configured the settings correctly and that the CSS selectors are still accurate. Remember that YouTube might change its HTML and CSS code, requiring you to update your CSS code. If you’re still having trouble, consider trying a different method or seeking help from online forums or communities.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, there’s no perfect, official solution for completely removing YouTube Shorts from the desktop version of YouTube. The methods we’ve discussed offer effective ways to minimize their presence and tailor your viewing experience. Browser extensions provide a convenient way to hide Shorts, while custom CSS offers greater control for advanced users. Blocking channels can help to filter out content from specific creators. Training the algorithm takes time, but it can lead to a more personalized YouTube experience.

Experiment with these methods and find the approach that works best for you. Remember that YouTube is constantly evolving, so you may need to adapt your strategies over time. By taking proactive steps, you can reclaim your YouTube desktop experience and focus on the content that matters most to you. Perhaps future YouTube updates will provide more user control, but for now, these are the most effective tools available.