Blockwell / Block YouTube Shorts

GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026

How to block YouTube Shorts on Chrome

You can keep YouTube for tutorials and music and lose the Shorts feed. On a computer, the reliable way is a path block on youtube.com/shorts. Here’s how, for free.

Block YouTube Shorts with Blockwell (free)

1. Install Blockwell from the Chrome Web Store.
2. Open Blockwell and turn on the Shorts & Reels preset. Or type youtube.com/shorts as a site to block only that section.
3. Open a Short to test. It should be blocked while normal videos still play.
4. YouTube opens Shorts without a full page load when you click one from the home feed. To catch those too, choose Use Blockwell’s page for youtube.com when Blockwell asks. That grants access to YouTube only, not every site.
5. Want them gone only during work? Add a schedule, or start a focus session.

Block Instagram Reels the same way

Add instagram.com/reels (or use the same preset) to keep Instagram messages and your feed but block Reels.

What about the YouTube app on a phone?

Chrome extensions don’t run on phones. In the YouTube app you can tap the three dots on the Shorts shelf and choose Not interested, which hides the shelf for a while; it tends to come back. For a firmer limit, use your phone’s screen-time controls on the YouTube app. On a computer, the path block above is the dependable fix.

Other ways people try (and why they’re weaker)

• Hiding the Shorts shelf with a page-style extension: hides the shelf but a Short opened from a link still plays.
• Blocking all of youtube.com: works, but you lose tutorials and music too.
• Signing out and turning off watch history: changes the home feed, but the Shorts tab is still there.

Questions