Free ways to block YouTube Shorts on iPhone and keep normal videos (2026)
YouTube has no switch that turns Shorts off, but minulo hides them for free while normal videos, search and subscriptions keep working. In the YouTube app, set the Shorts feed limit to 0 minutes; it costs nothing, though an adult account can dismiss it. To hide Shorts while normal videos, search and subscriptions keep working, open YouTube in an app that hides them: minulo and Stillfeed hide Shorts for free, and Nope does it for free on youtube.com in Safari. iPhone Screen Time is free too, but it blocks the whole YouTube app.
Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about YouTube come from YouTube Help, and facts about other apps from their US App Store pages, checked in October 2026. Menu names can change with app updates.
| Option | Shorts | Normal videos | Cost and limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shorts feed limit set to 0 (YouTube app) | A limit screen appears in the Shorts feed | Stay | Free. Adults can dismiss it. YouTube gives app steps only |
| Show fewer Shorts (YouTube app) | Fewer on Home | Stay | Free. Feedback, not a switch |
| minulo | Hidden: Shorts shelf, Shorts tab; Shorts links open in the normal player | Stay, with subscriptions, Watch later and search | Hiding is free |
| Stillfeed | Removed in its built-in browser | Stay | Free. Instagram and YouTube only |
| Reelmute | Hidden | Stay | Hiding is free |
| Nope | Hidden on youtube.com | Stay | Completely free. Safari only |
| iPhone Screen Time | Blocked with the whole app | Blocked too | Free |
Set the Shorts feed limit to 0
In the YouTube app, go to You › Settings › Time management › Shorts feed limit and choose 0 minutes. It is the quickest free step, but it is a reminder, not a lock: an adult account can dismiss the limit and keep watching. YouTube's help gives the steps for the YouTube app only. On Home you can also tap More on a grid of Shorts and choose Show fewer Shorts.
Hide Shorts with minulo and keep normal videos
- Install minulo, tap Add a service on the home screen and choose YouTube.
- Tap the gear next to YouTube and turn on Hide the Shorts shelf, Hide the Shorts tab and Send Shorts links to the normal player. Home recommendations is there too, if you only want subscriptions.
- Subscriptions, Watch later and search open straight from the minulo home screen.
- Optional: in the Block tab, lock the official YouTube app with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block. Its Open in minulo button takes you to YouTube without Shorts.
Hiding is a setting, so it stays on until you change it. minulo Pro adds schedules by day and time, longer blocks, Hard Mode and multiple block lists. minulo has no iPad version.
Limits, so you can decide honestly: minulo can't change the official apps, so Reels and Shorts are hidden only inside minulo. While minulo blocks an official app, that app's notifications don't arrive, and minulo sends none of its own. Posting Stories, voice messages and calls aren't available, because the web versions of these networks don't have them. minulo runs on iPhone and Mac (plus Chrome and Safari extensions), not Android, and it is new, with few ratings. See what minulo can't do.
Is there a free app to block YouTube Shorts on iPhone?
Yes. minulo, Stillfeed and Reelmute hide Shorts for free in their own app and charge only for extras. Nope is completely free but works only on youtube.com in Safari.
Can I remove Shorts but keep normal YouTube videos?
Not in the YouTube app itself. Open YouTube in minulo with the Shorts shelf and Shorts tab hidden; normal videos, subscriptions, Watch later and search keep working.
Does setting the Shorts limit to 0 block Shorts?
It shows a limit screen once you reach 0 minutes, but an adult account can dismiss it and keep watching. YouTube's help describes it for the YouTube app.
Can any app remove Shorts from the official YouTube app?
No. On iPhone no app can change what another app shows. minulo can lock the official YouTube app with Screen Time and send you to its Shorts-free view instead. While it is locked, YouTube notifications don't arrive.
Is Screen Time a good free option?
It is the strictest free option with a passcode someone else sets, but it blocks the whole YouTube app, including the videos you wanted to watch.
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