How to hide YouTube Shorts on iPhone (2026)
Short answer: the YouTube app has no setting that turns Shorts off. Inside the app you can only make them show up less. To remove them completely, watch YouTube in Safari (youtube.com) with an extension that hides Shorts.
Option 1: Tell the app you want fewer Shorts
- On the Home tab, scroll to a row of Shorts.
- Tap the menu (⋮) or the ✕ next to that row.
- Choose the option to see fewer Shorts.
What to expect: the row disappears for a while, then usually comes back. The Shorts tab at the bottom stays, and Shorts still show up in search results. It's a nudge, not an off switch.
Option 2: Turn off (pause) your watch history
In the YouTube app, open your profile, go to your history settings and pause or turn off watch history. YouTube has said that when watch history is off and empty, it stops filling your Home tab with recommendations.
What to expect: a much emptier Home tab, which is the point. But the Shorts tab is still there, recommendations next to videos still appear, and you lose “continue watching”.
Option 3: Limit the whole app with Screen Time
Settings → Screen Time → App Limits lets you cap how long YouTube can be open each day. It can't tell Shorts apart from other videos, so it limits everything, including the tutorial you actually wanted to watch.
Option 4: Use YouTube in Safari with an extension (removes Shorts completely)
Apps can't be changed by extensions, but websites can. On iPhone, Safari supports extensions that hide parts of a page:
- Open youtube.com in Safari. You can sign in there with the same account.
- Install a Safari extension that hides Shorts.
- Turn it on in Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions, and set youtube.com to Allow.
- Optional: add youtube.com to your Home Screen (Share → Add to Home Screen) and delete the app, so the habit of tapping the red icon goes with it.
What to expect: no Shorts in search, no Shorts tab, no Shorts rows, and if the extension supports it, no recommendations either. The catch: YouTube changes its website often, so pick an extension that's actively maintained. The most common complaint about these tools is “it stopped working after an update.”
Which one should you pick?
| Shorts gone? | Home feed gone? | Effort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fewer Shorts in the app | Fewer, for a while | No | Seconds, repeat often |
| Watch history off | No | Mostly | One setting |
| Screen Time limit | No (limits everything) | No | One setting |
| Safari + extension | Yes | Yes | Five minutes once |
Questions
Does this work on iPad?
Yes. iPad uses the same Safari extensions as iPhone.
Will YouTube add a switch to turn Shorts off?
Nothing announced. Shorts are central to how YouTube competes with TikTok, so don't count on it.
Can I block Shorts for my kids?
For young children, YouTube's supervised experiences and YouTube Kids give parents more control than any of the options above.