Can you use YouTube in Safari without Shorts on iPhone? (2026)

Does youtube.com in Safari show Shorts?

Yes. YouTube's help lists where viewers find Shorts: the Shorts tab, search results, the YouTube homepage, channel pages, Subscriptions and notifications. Moving from the app to Safari doesn't take them away. The built-in options are thinner on the website, too: YouTube's help gives the steps for the Shorts feed limit and for Show fewer Shorts in the YouTube app only, and on a computer it describes Not interested on a section of Home, which is feedback with no period.

Some people see an X on the Shorts shelf on Home. YouTube's help doesn't describe it, but SlashGear and GeekChamp say it hides the shelf for 30 days, and tbreak (April 2026) found it only on the mobile website. Some guides also suggest Request Desktop Site in Safari; we couldn't confirm in YouTube Help that this removes Shorts, and on a computer, YouTube Home has a Shorts shelf too. See how long the X hides the Shorts shelf.

Hide Shorts in Safari with an extension

1. Open Safari, tap the page menu button, then tap Manage Extensions.
2. Search for an extension or tap Browse Extensions to look in the App Store, then tap Get.
3. Go to Settings, tap Apps, then Safari, then Extensions. Tap the extension and turn on Allow Extension.

Nope is free with no subscriptions, in-app purchases or ads, per its App Store page. It is a Safari Web Extension for youtube.com and instagram.com, and on YouTube it hides Shorts in the sidebar, the Home shelf, the search chip and channel pages. It needs iOS 17 or later. It works only in Safari, so if the YouTube app is still on your phone, the app keeps its Shorts.

Should you delete the YouTube app?

It helps only as far as it goes. Apple's guide says deleting an app removes it and its data from your iPhone; your YouTube account stays. To delete it, touch and hold YouTube on the Home Screen, tap Remove App, then Delete App, then Delete. The catch: youtube.com still shows Shorts in Safari unless you add an extension, and you can download the app again in a minute.

If you want an icon back, open youtube.com in Safari, tap the page menu button, then Share, scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen. Open as Web App makes it open like an app. It is still the same website, Shorts included, and we couldn't confirm whether Safari extensions also run in a web app. iPhone Screen Time can block the whole YouTube app instead of deleting it, but it can't target Shorts only.

Use YouTube's website without Shorts in minulo

1. Install minulo, tap Add a service on the home screen and choose YouTube.
2. 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.
3. Subscriptions, Watch later and search open straight from the minulo home screen.
4. Optional: you don't need to delete the official app. In the Block tab, lock it 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, and there is no limit screen to tap past. 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 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. 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.

Can you watch YouTube in Safari without Shorts on iPhone?

Yes, with help: minulo opens YouTube's website with the Shorts shelf and Shorts tab hidden for free while normal videos, search and subscriptions keep working, though only inside minulo. In plain Safari, Shorts stay unless you add an extension such as Nope.

Does the Shorts feed limit work in Safari?

YouTube's help gives the steps for the YouTube app only and doesn't say whether the limit applies on the website. At 0 minutes, adults can dismiss the reminder anyway.

Is there a free Safari extension that hides YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Nope is free with no subscriptions, in-app purchases or ads, per its App Store page, and hides Shorts in the sidebar, the Home shelf, the search chip and channel pages on youtube.com. It works only in Safari.

Should I delete the YouTube app to stop watching Shorts?

Deleting removes the app and its data from your iPhone, but youtube.com still shows Shorts in Safari and the app is back in a minute. Locking the app instead keeps it installed: minulo does this with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block.

Does Request Desktop Site remove YouTube Shorts?

We couldn't confirm that in YouTube Help. On a computer, YouTube Home has a Shorts shelf too, and the help only describes marking it Not interested, which is feedback with no period.

Can minulo hide Shorts in the official YouTube app?

No. On iPhone no app can change what another app shows. minulo hides Shorts in its own view of YouTube and can lock the official app with Screen Time. While it is locked, YouTube notifications don't arrive.

Sources

1. YouTube Help: Get started creating YouTube Shorts
2. YouTube Help: Set a Shorts feed limit
3. YouTube Help: Manage your recommendations & search results
4. YouTube Help: View, delete, or turn on or off watch history (iPhone & iPad)
5. SlashGear: How To Remove YouTube Shorts From Your Home Page (2023)
6. tbreak: YouTube still won't let you properly disable Shorts (April 2026)
7. GeekChamp: You can now banish YouTube Shorts from your phone (May 2026)
8. Apple: Get extensions to customize Safari on iPhone
9. Apple: Bookmark a website in Safari on iPhone (Add to Home Screen)
10. Apple: Remove or delete apps from iPhone
11. Apple: iPhone Screen Time
12. App Store (US): Nope: Block Instagram Reels
13. App Store (US): minulo