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Use YouTube Without Shorts

Shorts are built for the next clip, not for finishing a lesson. Unbinge is a free Chrome and Edge extension that can hide Shorts in the YouTube interface, or stop Shorts pages from opening when the filter mode is Explore or Focus.

The problem

The Shorts shelf, the Shorts tab, and /shorts/ URLs sit next to ordinary videos. One tap and you are in an infinite vertical feed. Blocking ads does not remove that loop. People who search “YouTube Shorts blocker” usually want the long video, not the swipe feed around it.

Two different Shorts controls

Unbinge treats UI hiding and page blocking as separate tools:

  • Hide Shorts (Distraction Settings) conceals Shorts shelves and related chrome on YouTube pages you can still visit. The filter mode can stay Off. This is the “quieter homepage / player” option.
  • Filter modes — on Explore or Focus, Shorts URLs are blocked outright. Opening a Short shows Unbinge’s blocked screen, and the home feed stays hidden so unapproved titles are less likely to be listed. On Off, Shorts pages open normally.

You can use the hide toggle alone, the mode alone, or both. Filters hide page elements; the mode decides what plays.

How to hide or block Shorts

  1. Install Unbinge

    Add it from the Chrome Web Store. It works in Chrome, Edge, and other Chromium browsers. See the install guide.

  2. Turn Hide Shorts on

    Open the popup → Distraction Settings → keep Hide Shorts enabled (it is on by default). A master switch can turn all UI filters off without uninstalling.

  3. Switch the mode to Explore or Focus

    That is what blocks /shorts/ navigation, not just the shelf. On these modes only approved channels play — see the channel allowlist guide.

What this does not do

YouTube’s layout changes. Unbinge does not claim every Shorts chip will stay hidden forever. It does not remove Shorts from the YouTube mobile app. Browser extensions run on desktop Chrome and Edge; on phones, YouTube Kids or the device’s own restrictions are a better fit. Hiding Shorts also does not review every long video on an allowed channel.

Who it’s for

Students who lose a study session to the Shorts shelf. Parents who want fewer swipe feeds on a shared computer. Adults who already know Shorts is their rabbit hole. If you need a quieter player beyond Shorts, see the YouTube distraction blocker page. For a Kids profile and parent PIN, see YouTube for kids.

Related pages

Install Unbinge