YouTube Shorts is everywhere — and YouTube likes it that way
YouTube launched Shorts globally in 2021 as its answer to TikTok. It worked — Shorts has billions of views daily and Google credits it with bringing younger users back to the platform. From YouTube's perspective, Shorts is a massive success and they're going to keep pushing it.
From a lot of users' perspective, the home feed used to show you videos based on what you subscribed to and watched. Now it's a mix of long-form videos, Shorts sections, and algorithmic recommendations you didn't ask for. If you opened YouTube to watch a 45-minute documentary or a cricket match highlight and ended up watching a 30-second cooking clip instead, you know exactly why this bothers people.
Here's the honest situation: YouTube will never give you a clean "disable Shorts" toggle. That feature would hurt their engagement metrics. What they do give you is a collection of partial measures, and when you combine them, you can get close to a Shorts-free experience.
Premium Content
Every method that actually works — mobile, desktop, browser extensions, and the trick to bring Shorts back when you want them. Step-by-step inside.
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