Hiding the Shorts shelf on YouTube Home: how long it lasts and where Shorts stay (iPhone, 2026)

minulo hides the Shorts shelf and the Shorts tab for free, and they stay hidden until you change the setting. In YouTube itself, the X on the Shorts shelf only hides it for a while: news reports quote YouTube's message as "Shelf will be hidden for 30 days", but YouTube's help doesn't describe the X or give a period. The X isn't on every screen either. SlashGear (2023) found it on the mobile website and the desktop site, and tbreak (April 2026) on the mobile website only; both say it isn't in the app. GeekChamp (May 2026) says it appears in the app for some accounts. Hiding the shelf leaves Shorts in the Shorts tab, search, Subscriptions, channel pages and notifications. What YouTube's help does describe for the app is Show fewer Shorts and the Shorts feed limit.

Updated 2026-10-26

Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about YouTube come from YouTube Help, checked on 2026-10-26. YouTube Help doesn't cover the X on the Shorts shelf, so for that we rely on the articles under Sources and say which one says what. Menu names can change with app updates.

Method	What happens to Shorts	How long	Where Shorts stay
X on the Shorts shelf (reported)	The shelf leaves Home	30 days, per the message reported by SlashGear and GeekChamp. Not in YouTube Help	Shorts tab, search, Subscriptions, channel pages, notifications
Show fewer Shorts (YouTube app)	Feedback: fewer Shorts on Home	No period given. Undo in My Activity	Everywhere, Home included
Not interested on the Shorts section (computer)	Feedback on that section	No period given	Everywhere
Shorts feed limit set to 0	A limit screen in the Shorts feed	Adults can dismiss it	The help covers the Shorts feed only
minulo	Shorts shelf and Shorts tab hidden; Shorts links open in the normal player	Until you change the setting	Hidden only inside minulo. The official app doesn't change

Hide the Shorts shelf with the X

Open YouTube and go to Home.
Scroll to the Shorts shelf.
If there is an X at the top right of the shelf, tap it. According to the reports, a message says the shelf will be hidden for 30 days.
No X? Tap More at the top of the Shorts grid and choose Show fewer Shorts.

GeekChamp says whether the X appears depends on your account, region and app version, and tbreak says it works on the mobile website (m.youtube.com in Safari), not in the official apps. We couldn't confirm either in YouTube Help, so check your own Home screen.

How long does it stay hidden?

Every report we found says 30 days, after which the shelf comes back and you tap the X again (SlashGear, GeekChamp). YouTube's help gives no period for the X, and none for Show fewer Shorts or Not interested either; it describes those two as feedback that tunes your recommendations. To undo Show fewer Shorts, go to My Activity, select Other activity, and under Show fewer Shorts select Delete.

Where Shorts stay after you hide the shelf

The X only touches the shelf on Home. YouTube's help lists where viewers find Shorts: the Shorts tab at the bottom of the app, search results, the YouTube homepage, channel pages, Subscriptions and notifications. GeekChamp adds that Shorts still open from links people send you.

Hide the Shorts shelf in minulo for as long as you want

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 unlike the X it doesn't come back after 30 days; 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.

How do I hide the Shorts shelf on YouTube for good?

minulo hides the Shorts shelf and the Shorts tab for free and keeps them hidden until you change the setting, though only inside minulo. We found no permanent switch in YouTube's help; the X on the shelf hides it for 30 days, according to news reports.

How long does the X hide YouTube Shorts?

30 days, according to SlashGear and GeekChamp, which quote the message YouTube shows. YouTube's help doesn't mention the X or a period, so treat the 30 days as reported, not official.

Why is there no X on my Shorts shelf?

Reports say it isn't on every account. tbreak (April 2026) found it only on the mobile website, and GeekChamp (May 2026) says it depends on account, region and app version. In the app, tap More at the top of the Shorts grid and choose Show fewer Shorts.

Where do Shorts still show after I hide the shelf?

In the Shorts tab, search results, Subscriptions, channel pages and notifications, which YouTube's help lists as places viewers find Shorts. The X only affects the shelf on Home.

Does the Shorts feed limit remove the Shorts shelf?

YouTube's help describes it as a limit for the Shorts feed: at 0 minutes a limit screen appears, and adults can dismiss it. It doesn't say the shelf on Home goes away.

Sources

Free YouTube Shorts Blocker for iPhone (2026) →Remove the Shorts shelf on youtube.com →How to block YouTube Shorts →YouTube's Shorts feed limit explained →How to use YouTube with only your subscriptions →What minulo can't do →Can you turn off YouTube Shorts? →