How to Block YouTube Video Channels

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While YouTube has improved over the years in curating content based on your viewing habits, it’s still far from being as good as a human. Content that you don’t want to see might pop up in your feed from time to time, and to eliminate this possibility, you’ll need to take some action. In this guide we share a few methods to block YouTube channels from appearing on your homepage. We also show you how you can reduce interactions with annoying or antagonistic channels.

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Also read: How to Share a Specific Part of a YouTube Video

Block YouTube Channels from Appearing in Your Feed

First, it’s worth trying the in-house method to block YouTube channels. Your YouTube homepage displays all manner of videos it thinks you might be interested in – from recent uploads on regularly visited channels to “recommended” videos based on your viewing habits. But these may include videos that you don’t want to see AT ALL. When that happens, you can block these channels from appearing in your feed. The curation tool may not be easy to find, as it’s referred to as “Not interested” on YouTube.

Also read: How to Watch and Chat on YouTube Live Stream

To block videos from certain channels from appearing in your recommended feed on desktop or the mobile app, follow these steps:

PC

  1. Click the three-dot menu icon next to the title of a video on your YouTube homepage. (It’s invisible until you hover your mouse over the right area.)

  1. Select “Not interested” from the list of options that appear.
  2. The video thumbnail will be replaced by a gray card. If you want to tell YouTube why you’re not interested in this particular channel, press “Tell us why.”

  1. Select your answer from one of the two options. To prevent more videos from this channel popping up in your feed, select “I don’t like the video -> Submit.”

  1. Alternatively, you can select the “Don’t recommend channel” option that instructs YouTube not to show videos from this channel anymore.

  1. If you change your mind in the next few seconds after tapping “Not interested” or “Don’t recommend channel,” you can press the “Undo” button, and the video from that channel will show up again.

Also read: 4 Free Online Tools to Add a Censor Bleep to Your YouTube Videos

Mobile

  1. In the mobile application, tap the three dots visible underneath the video thumbnail.

  1. Select either “Not interested” or “Don’t recommend channel” according to your preferences.

Note: this doesn’t block the YouTube channel from appearing in search results – only from your YouTube homepage.

Also read: How to Convert Audio Files to Text

Bring Back Previously Blocked YouTube Channels

While you can change your mind about blocking a YouTube channel a few seconds after you do so, you won’t be able to unblock select channels in this fashion after some time has elapsed unless you’re willing to bring back the entire list of videos that were previously tagged with “Not interested.”

  1. Go to Google’s My Activity page on your PC.
  2. In the left sidebar, select “Other activity.”

  1. Scroll down until you find the “YouTube ‘Not interested’ Feedback” section and select “Delete.”

  1. Tap “Delete” again on the warning pop-up to confirm your choice.

  1. All the content you previously tagged as “Not interested” will be free to pop up in your feed once again.

Also read: 8 YouTube URL Tricks You Need to Know

Block Shorts from a Certain YouTube Channel

Shorts are YouTube’s attempt to compete with TikTok, which is super popular right now. You will notice the Shorts section while scrolling on your feed on desktop or mobile. If you’ve spotted a Short you didn’t like, know that you can flag it and prevent other Shorts from the same channel from showing up on your feed. Follow these steps on your PC or handset:

  1. Open the Short you want to block.
  2. On the right side of clip, click or tap on “Dislike” to prevent similar content from showing in your feed.

Block YouTube Channels from the App

YouTube has an actual “Blocking” function, but it works somewhat differently than what you’re used to on other social apps. On YouTube, blocking a user (or channel) will not cause it to disappear from your feed or view. (You can still search for it.) Instead, block prevents these channels from leaving comments and live chat messages. While this option won’t help you curate your feed, it may allow you to reduce the interactions between you and some problematic channels.

Desktop

  1. On desktop, go to the channel’s page and hit the “About” tab.

  1. If you’re looking at a video, you’ll find the channel’s name underneath. Click on it, then go to the “About” tab.

  1. In the “About” tab, press the “Flag” icon to start blocking the YouTube channel.

  1. After pressing the “Flag” icon, a drop-down list will appear. Select the “Block user” option.
  2. A pop-up will appear on the display letting you know that blocking a YouTube channel means viewers will no longer be able to comment on your videos. Press “Submit” to proceed.

  1. If you changed your mind about the channel in question, repeat the steps from above and select “Unblock user.”

Also read: 10 Useful YouTube Channels That Teach You How to Code

Mobile

  1. On mobile, you’ll need to go to the channel’s page, as explained above.
  2. Tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the display.

  1. Select “Block user” from the menu that pops up.

  1. If you change your mind, you can easily take the same path and opt for “Unblock user” instead.

How to Unblock Channels

If you wish to unblock a channel after some time has passed, you can do so via YouTube Studio on your computer by following the below steps:

  1. In YouTube, click on your profile picture in the upper-right corner.
  1. Select “YouTube Studio.”

  1. From the menu on the right, select “Settings.”

  1. Select “Community” in the window that pops up.

  1. Scroll down until you find the “Hidden users” section. Tap on the “X” button next to the channel’s name to remove them from the Block list.

Also read: How to Convert Audio Files to Text

Block a YouTube Channel from Shorts

If you want to make sure you don’t have to interact with the maker of a certain Short you didn’t like, you can block the YouTube channel directly from the Shorts section.

  1. Open the Short you don’t want to see.
  2. At the bottom, tap the channel’s name.

  1. You’ll be taken to that channel.
  2. Go to the “About” section, click the “Flag” icon and select “Block channel” as demonstrated above. On mobile, tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner and select “Block channel” from there.

Also read: How to Cast YouTube from Your Phone to Your PC

Other Ways to Block YouTube Channels

If you’re still not satisfied with the content you’re seeing as part of your recommendations, you can do several things:

Remove Individual Videos From Your Watch History

This will get rid of the cues YouTube is using to provide you with recommendations.

  1. In your browser, click on the “History” option from the left side menu.
  2. Hover your mouse over the video you wish to remove, and press on the “X” to remove it from your history.
  3. On mobile, tap on your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the display and select “Your data in YouTube.”
  4. Scroll down the browser window until you encounter the “Manage your YouTube Watch history” option.
  5. Tap on it to be taken to a screen where all of your recently watched videos are listed. Tap the “X” to remove one.

Clear History

Get a clean break from YouTube’s recommendations by opening YouTube in your PC browser and going to “History,” then “Clear all watch history.” On mobile, open “Settings -> History & privacy -> Clear watch history.”

Remove Individual Searches From Your Search History

To make sure your search history isn’t impacting YouTube recommendations, go to “Settings” in your browser, then “History.” Use the search bar to look for YouTube videos you may have searched for in the past. Remove them as desired by tapping the “X” button.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block specific videos from showing up in my YouTube feed?

You can’t weed out specific videos or something similar. What you can do is enable “Restricted Mode” on YouTube, which helps to hide potentially mature videos while not being 100 percent accurate. To turn on the feature, go to “Settings -> Restricted Mode.” Enable the toggle and press “Save.”

Can I block a YouTube channel from suggestions?

Yes, but only on desktop. From the suggestion panel on the right, hover your mouse cursor until the three dots show up. Select “Not interested” or “Don’t recommend channel.”

Image credit: Pixabay All screenshots by Alexandra Arici

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Alexandra Arici –
Staff Writer

Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.

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