How to Turn Off YouTube Shorts on iPhone, Android and Desktop
The quick answer: YouTube’s built-in “Shorts feed limit” sounds like an off switch, but it’s really a time reminder you can bypass with one tap. Here is every method that works as of November 2026, what each one actually blocks, and the one option that removes the Shorts feed entirely.
1. YouTube’s Shorts feed limit — really just a reminder (iPhone & Android)
The YouTube app has a setting that sounds like an off switch. Here’s where it lives:
- In the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, then the Settings gear.
- Choose Time management.
- Tap Shorts feed limit and set it to 0 minutes.
What it actually does: despite the name, this is a time reminder, not a block. Hit the limit — or open the feed with it set to zero — and YouTube shows a reminder you can dismiss with one tap and keep scrolling. There is no way to make it stick on an adult account. Shorts also still appear in search results, on channel pages and in your Subscriptions feed, and the setting exists only in the mobile app.
2. For kids and teens: a daily limit they can’t dismiss
Supervised accounts get the strict version. In Google’s Family Center, parents can set a daily Shorts feed limit on a teen’s account — all the way down to zero since March 2026. When the limit is reached, Shorts scrolling stops for the rest of the day, the teen can’t override it, and it resets the next morning: Family Center → your teen’s account → Time management → daily Shorts feed limit (details in YouTube’s teen supervision help). Managing more than YouTube? See SocialLite for parents.
3. Train the feed (temporary at best)
Tapping the × on the Shorts shelf — “Show fewer Shorts” — hides the shelf for about 30 days, then it comes back on its own. “Not interested” on individual Shorts nudges recommendations but never removes the format. Treat these as housekeeping, not a fix.
4. On desktop: extensions do what YouTube won’t
There is no Shorts off switch on youtube.com. The shelf dismissal is the same temporary hide as on mobile. If you want Shorts gone in a browser today, the honest answer is a third-party extension: Unhook (free, for Chrome, Firefox and Edge) has a dedicated toggle that hides Shorts across the site, and general blockers like uBlock Origin can do it with custom filters. Our own SocialLite extension for Chrome is coming soon — until it ships, Unhook is what we’d point you to.
5. Remove the Shorts feed on your phone entirely
Full disclosure: SocialLite is our app. It takes the opposite approach to a timer — open YouTube inside SocialLite and the Shorts tab, shelf and autoplay loops simply are not there, while subscriptions, search and normal videos work as usual. Nothing to dismiss, nothing that resets after 30 days. Setup takes about a minute: see Block YouTube Shorts with SocialLite.
What each method actually blocks
| Method | Shorts feed & tab | Search & channels | Desktop | Can it be bypassed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorts feed limit set to 0 | Nothing — a dismissible reminder | Still there | No | Yes — one tap |
| Teen daily limit (supervised) | Blocked for the day | Still there | No | No |
| “Show fewer Shorts” / × | Shelf hidden ~30 days | Still there | Same temporary hide | Comes back by itself |
| Unhook extension | Hidden | Hidden | Yes | Only by disabling it |
| SocialLite | Removed | Removed | Not yet (extension coming soon) | No |
Can you disable YouTube Shorts completely?
Not with YouTube’s own settings. For adults, the “Shorts feed limit” is only a dismissible reminder; the one real block YouTube offers is the supervised-teen daily limit. Complete removal means a browser extension on desktop, or an app like SocialLite on your phone.
Is there a YouTube Shorts blocker?
Yes — two kinds. Browser extensions such as Unhook hide Shorts on desktop, and feed-removal apps like SocialLite remove the Shorts feed on iPhone and Android. Choose by where you actually watch.
How do I stop my child watching Shorts?
Use a supervised account and set the daily Shorts feed limit to zero in Family Center — unlike the adult setting, a teen can’t dismiss it. For an approach that keeps the useful parts of YouTube while removing the short-form feeds across their social apps, see SocialLite’s Parent plan.
Everything above was checked against the YouTube app and Google’s help pages on November 8, 2026. YouTube moves these menus around — if something has moved, search “Shorts feed limit” in the app’s Settings.