YouTube Finally Lets You Turn Off Shorts (Almost)

You open YouTube to watch one video. One. Then you blink and you're 45 minutes deep into cat video compilations, or people falling in very high heels. It happens, YouTube knows it happens, and now they've done something about it.

They added a zero-minute option to the Shorts feed timer. When set the Shorts tab disappears from your home feed. You'll still find individual Shorts on channel pages or through links you get, but the algorithm stops shoving them in your face.

Where to Find It

Open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, then Settings. Look for Time Management (or General, depending on your version), then Shorts feed limit. Toggle it on and select zero minutes. C’est fini. The setting is rolling out now on both iOS and Android, though some people have it already, if you don't you might need to wait a few days.

The 'Almost' Part

The limit only applies to the mobile app, so Desktop and TV users are out of luck. And for adult accounts, there's an *ignore limit* button if you change your mind. For teen accounts the block is strict, and harder to bypass.

YouTube has been pushing Shorts as hard as TikTok, and it worked. Shorts are everywhere, but a lot of people feel like they never asked for them. This setting won't remove Shorts from YouTube entirely, but it's the most control the platform has ever given users who just want to watch long videos without getting sucked into a vertical rabbit hole.