How to block youtube

How to block YouTube channels so they can’t comment on your videos

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The internet is great — until you come across that one troll who won’t leave you alone.

On YouTube, the best way to handle this situation is blocking. Once you’ve blocked another YouTube channel, they won’t be able to comment on your channel or any of your videos. And any comment they’ve left in the past will be hidden.

Here’s how to block someone else’s YouTube channel on your computer or smartphone.

Note: Blocked channels will still be able to watch your videos and add them to playlists. They just can’t comment.

How to block YouTube channels on a computer

This will only take a minute if you already know the username of the person you want to block.

1. Go to youtube.com and log into your account, and then open the channel you want to block. The easiest way to do this is by clicking on their username on a comment or video.

2. Click About in the list of options at the top of their page, below their username and banner.

3. Click the flag icon on the right side of the page and select Block user.

4. Click Submit.

How to block YouTube channels in the mobile app

Blocking YouTube channels on your smartphone or tablet is just as easy.

1. Open the YouTube app on your iPhone or Android and log into your account, and then open the channel you want to block. You can do this by tapping the channel’s username on a comment or video.

2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner of their channel page and select Block user.

3. Tap Block.

How to Block YouTube Video Channels

While YouTube has improved over the years at curating content for us based on our viewing habits, it’s nowhere near as good at curation as a human being. Part of that is probably intentional to keep you clicking around the Internet’s biggest video database. To block YouTube channels, you’ll need to play outside YouTube’s rules and use a nifty third-party app to help you out.

Video Blocker for YouTube doesn’t just outright block channels but gives you control over what types of channels you are able to see on YouTube in the future. Here’s our guide on how to use it as well as a few other tips to stop unwanted video junk from appearing on your homepage.

Pause Watch History or Use YouTube “Incognito” Mode

Introduced in 2018, YouTube’s “Incognito” mode works on both smartphones and on computers, but the method is a little different for each. Essentially, this feature will stop YouTube from tracking what you watch, which will in turn stop it from pushing channels to your homescreen.

Control What Appears on Your YouTube Homepage

First, it’s worth trying the in-house method of at least partially blocking YouTube videos. Your YouTube homepage displays all manner of videos it thinks you’re 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 … at all.

To block videos from certain channels from appearing in your recommended feed, click the three-dotted 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), then click “Not interested.”

After that, you can pick multiple reasons why you’re not interested in a video. If you select the “I don’t like the video” option, videos from this channel will stop appearing in your recommended feed.

Note that this doesn’t block the channel from appearing in search results – only from your YouTube homepage. If you want to outright block channels, then you can go a step further.

Block Channels by Going to About Section

If you wish to block a YouTube channel, simply go to the Channel’s page and hit the About tab. Here you will find the “Flag” icon, which you need to press in order to begin the blocking process. After pressing the “Flag” icon, a drop-down list will appear, from which you need to select the “Block user” option.

Notably, a warning message will show up explaining to you that blocking that particular YouTube channel will prevent them from commenting on any of your videos. Simply, press the “Submit” button.

Block YouTube Channel on Mobile

If you want to block a YouTube channel from your mobile device, then you need to search for that particular YouTube Channel. Click on its “Profile.” Now, on the top right of the screen, tap the three-dotted icon.

Select “Block user” option from the drop-down menu that appears.

How to Block YouTube Channels with Video Blocker

On your desktop browser, you can take advantage of the Video Blocker extension for Chrome and Firefox to block videos and channels.

This extension lets you completely block all videos from a channel or specific type of video and make them completely inaccessible like they were never uploaded to YouTube. They will not show up as recommendations, and even searching for the channel’s name will not show any results.

For demonstration purposes, we are using the extension on Chrome, although the same instructions will apply to Firefox as well. The basic blocking process is simple: as soon as you see a video from a channel that you don’t like, right-click on it and select “Block videos from this channel.” That should do it. All videos from that channel will be immediately removed from your sight.

However, when we tested this ourselves, the first time we tried using the above method, it didn’t work for us.

An alternative method using Video Blocker is to click the Video Blocker extension icon in Chrome, then “Blocklist.” Here you can manage all your blocked videos. Go to “Add new” in the pane on the left to add channels to your blocklist manually. Once we did this the first time, it seemed to unlock the right-click method we outlined above.

Managing Your Blocklist

Once you’re in the Video Blocker menu, there are quite a few options you can dabble with. When adding a new video to block, for instance, you’ll see three different options under the “Type” drop-down. Here’s what they mean.

You can also add a password to Video Blocker to stop other users from adding or removing channels from the block list. However, this feature is not available in Firefox – you can only use it in Chrome.

Click the Video Blocker extension icon and select “Options.”

In the Video Blocker menu, click “Security” in the pane on the left, and you’ll see the option to set your password. It should be kept in mind that this will not prevent someone from deleting the Video Blocker extension, but if they do delete it, at least you know that someone tried to watch the content you blocked.

In addition to protection, Video Blocker also allows you to export and import your block list so you can use the extension on any PC without losing your block list.

Wrapping Up

Google is not making it easy for you to block YouTube channels and videos since they want you to watch as many videos as possible. However, with the above methods, you will be able to block those videos that you have no interest in. In addition, you should also find out how to disable personalized ads on YouTube and how to share specific parts of a YouTube video.

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How to: Block YouTube Channels

We spend a lot of time on YouTube, given that it’s by far the world’s most popular video-sharing service. But the more time you spend on YouTube, the bigger the chance you’ll encounter a channel that you just can’t stand. By default, there is no intuitive way to block a YouTube channel that you don’t like.

As you probably already know, YouTube automatically recommends videos based on your search history and the videos and channels you visited before. Even though the feature has improved dramatically over the past couple of years, it’s still far from perfect. No algorithm will ever be as good as curating the content you receive yourself. Maybe you don’t agree with a youtuber’s opinion on a certain subject, or maybe you’re kids are using the account and you’re trying to prevent them from seeing NSFW content.

Luckily, there are multiple ways of blocking specific channels, but none of them are obvious. Below you have a collection of methods that will enable you to block YouTube channels. Go through all of them until you find a solution that helps with your problem.

Method 1: Denying YouTube Video recommendations

The first logical step would be to try YouTube’s “in-house” partial way of blocking channels. I said partially because there isn’t really a native way of blocking channels on YouTube. The most you can do is block certain videos from appearing in your recommended feed. If you block a few videos from the channel you’re trying to avoid, YouTube will stop recommending you videos from that particular channel.

You can deny a YouTube video recommendation by clicking on the three-dot icon next to the thumbnail of the video. From there, click on Not Interested. After that, repeat the procedure with a few other videos from that channel and I guarantee that you won’t see any videos from that channel ever again.

Method 2: Using the Video Blocker extension on Chrome, Opera or FireFox

This following method is by far the most efficient way of blocking a YouTube channel. To date, it’s still the only method for completely blocking channels on YouTube. You can use this extension to block content in three different ways. You can either block them by channel, by keyword or by wildcard.

All the content blocked via Video Blocker will make them disappear from your YouTube account completely. After you finish with the method below, you won’t be able to find content from that particular channels in the recommendation bar. Even more, the channel won’t be visible even if you search for it.

The steps below were performed on Chrome, but things are identical on Firefox and Opera.

Blocking Multiple YouTube Channels with Video Blocker

If you have multiple channels to block, there’s a way to streamline the whole process. You can block multiple YouTube channels at once by creating a JSON file and importing it into the Video Blocker extension.

You can use almost every text editor that is able to save JSON files. I have used Notepad++. Follow the steps below to block multiple files with Video Blocker:

Method 3: Blocking a Youtube User

Hecklers are everywhere, and YouTube is no different. If you’re unlucky enough to have a user constantly hanging out in your comment section hating away, you can easily silence it.

Although this won’t exactly block their channel, it will do a good job in silencing him. If videos from that particular user appear on in your recommended list, make sure you follow Method 1 and remove recommendations from that channel.

The steps on blocking a YouTube User are different from platform to platform, but we are going to cover both desktop and mobile(Android & iOS).

On Desktop Devices

On Mobile (Android & iOS)

If you want to bock a user from your mobile app, you can easily do it by following the steps below. They won’t be able to comment to any of your posts, but you may still find some videos from that channel in your recommended bar. If you to prevent that, follow Method 1. Here’s how to block YouTube users from Android or iOS:

Method 4: Using Restricted Mode

The restricted mode will hide a lot of videos previously flagged by users for inappropriate content. YouTube also relies on different other signals like description, video title, and community guidelines to identify troublesome videos. If you want to get rid of questionable YouTube content, this might just be your best bet.

If English is not your native language don’t worry, this mode is available in a lot of different languages. It’s also a safe way to allow your kids to watch YouTube.

You can enable restricted mode by tapping on your user icon in the top-right section of the screen. From there, click on Restricted Mode.

After you enable it, YouTube will automatically filter the content according to various different guidelines.

How to Block YouTube in Google Chrome

From astonishing incidents to popular cat antics, YouTube has presented the world with some great videos. But sometimes, clicking through the thousands of videos watching hilarious, shocking, and amazing content can distract you from important responsibilities.

Would it be great to block YouTube on Google Chrome to eliminate that distraction and get on with your work? Well, it is possible. In fact, there are a couple of ways you can block a website like YouTube in a couple of easy steps. And good news – if you change your mind, you have the option to unblock the website.

This guide will show you various ways you can block YouTube from Google Chrome. We will also go through the process of blocking YouTube channels and some additional options that you have.

No matter which method you choose, each option will effectively restrict access to YouTube or any other website you would like to block. We will go through the process of blocking YouTube using each method.

Changing Site Permissions

If you change site permissions, you get many more options than just blocking the entire website. To block YouTube using site settings, follow the steps below:

There are several other features you can block on the site settings page, such as notifications, automatic downloads, location, camera, microphone, ads, background sync, and much more. If you change your mind, return to this page and select the Allow option.

How to Block YouTube on Google Chrome on a Desktop

To block YouTube on Google Chrome completely, you can install an app called Mobicip. Not only does this app allow you to block an entire website, but you can also use it to limit screen time, track location, and manage other apps. You can use this parental-control app if you are a Windows, Mac, or Chromebook user.

Once you create an account for this app, here’s what you need to do next:

If you change your mind, it’s easy to unblock any app by adding it to the “Allowed apps” list. One great feature this app has to offer is the ability to connect it to multiple devices. That way, you can choose which users have limitations and which don’t.

How to Block YouTube on Google Chrome on an iPhone or Android

You can also use this app for iOS and Android devices. It even gives you the option to block certain apps before they’re even installed on your child’s device. Here’s how you can use it to block YouTube:

You can also find YouTube under Videos and Mobile apps. However, keep in mind that if you choose Mobile apps, you will still be able to access YouTube from your phone’s browser.

How to Block YouTube on Google Chrome With a Browser Extension?

Another way you can block YouTube on Google Chrome is with a browser extension. This is how it’s done:

You’ve successfully downloaded the browser extension. Now it’s time to use it to block YouTube. Follow the steps below to find out how:

That’s all there is to it. You can use this Chrome extension to virtually block any website or platform. If you change your mind, unblocking them is very easy.

Additional FAQs

How can I just block a YouTube Channel?

Blocking a YouTube channel is very simple, but you will need to have a YouTube account to do it. Here’s how it’s done:

2. Type in the name of the channel that you want to block.

3. Go to the About section on their YouTube profile.

4. Scroll down until you see a flag icon on the bottom-right side of your screen.

5. Select Block user.

6. Click on Submit.

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To block a YouTube channel on your mobile app, do the following:

1. Open the YouTube app.

2. Tap on the magnifying glass icon in the upper-left corner of your screen.

3. Search for the YouTube channel that you want to block.

4. Open one of their videos and go to their username under the video.

5. Slide on the top menu and choose About.

6. Tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner.

7. Select Block user.

Can I just block the YouTube domain from my computer entirely?

It’s also possible to block YouTube in all computer browsers, but this process is much more technical compared to other methods from this guide. You will need to access your computer’s host file. The host file’s location for Windows is “ C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, ” and for Mac, the host file is in the device’s Terminal.

To block YouTube in all computer browsers, follow the steps below:

1. Open your host file.

2. Type in “ 127.0.0.1 ” at the very bottom.

3. Press the Tab key on your keyboard.

4. Type in “ youtube.com. ”

5. Press Enter.

6. Type in “ 127.0.0.1 ” again and press Tab.

7. Type in “ myoutube.com ” and press Enter.

8. Click File in the upper-left corner of the file.

9. Select Save As…

10. Choose Text Documents.

11. In the drop-down menu, choose All Files.

12. Choose the “hosts” file and then Save.

13. Confirm that you want to save it.

At this point, you should restart your device. The next time you turn it on, YouTube will be blocked from all computer browsers.

Forget About Wasting Your Time on YouTube

Now you know how to block YouTube from Google Chrome on all your devices. You also know how to block a YouTube channel and how to block YouTube from all computer browsers. Now you can relax, knowing that you or your kids won’t waste any more time on this addictive platform.

Have you ever blocked YouTube from Google Chrome before? Did you use any of the methods explained in this article? Let us know in the comments section below.

How to Block YouTube on a Phone, Tablet, or Computer

YouTube is arguably one of the most addictive sites on the internet – and not just because it’s the official home of the internet’s cat videos.

Part of YouTube’s mass appeal is that it doesn’t discriminate: there’s a Youtube channel for everything. You can use it to learn to cook, take part in exercise classes, learn from the world’s brightest minds, gossip about people you know (and people you don’t), and ironically, figure out how to be more productive.

These are just some of the more mainstream and vanilla YouTube communities. YouTube can also get weirder and darker than you can ever imagine.

Both sides of the site encourage compulsive behaviors among all people, but particularly among teens and kids.

If you don’t watch YouTube, you quickly find you’re missing out. The newest dance craze, the phrase everyone’s saying, and a whole host of references fly right over your head.

Google acknowledges the monster it created and started building tools to help its users understand how much of their day those videos eat up in minutes. YouTube has over 2 billion logged-in monthly users that upload over 300 hours of video every single minute. In 2018, Google finally launched some digital wellbeing tools like counters, break reminders, and more control over notifications.

But none of those tools is secure enough to keep you out of YouTube, particularly if you are one of its more enthusiastic users.

That’s why we recommend blocking YouTube completely during hours when it doesn’t serve you. Keep reading to learn why it’s so hard to hit pause and how Freedom can help you stick to your promise of ‘just one more video.’

Why One YouTube Video Leads to Five More

You only logged on to watch a quick tutorial. That was two-and-a-half hours ago. Where has your day gone?

YouTube baked its addictive properties right into its user experience. YouTube’s search and AI functions recommend new videos with incredible precision both on its main site and the YouTube app. If that wasn’t enough, there are the auto-play features that start the next video in the queue – and there will always be another new video in the queue.

And YouTube’s efforts to get more views don’t go unrewarded. The site has 1.9 billion monthly users (who log-in), and it reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any traditional media (TV) network.

People watch more than 1 billion hours of videos a day, which beats both Facebook and Netflix – combined. And 70 percent of hits come from mobile devices (which travel everywhere with you, including to the bathroom).

YouTube is an incredible resource and often a force for good. It enhances knowledge, provides an open source of information, and teaches people new tasks for free. A 2018 study published in “Computers in Human Behavior” found that YouTube use tends to be more measured among those who use it as a source of knowledge.

But the researchers also found those who turn to it for entertainment tend to demonstrate compulsive use more often.

Yes, YouTube’s democratizing properties also come with a darker side, particularly for young people.

The Darker Side of YouTube

People of all ages use YouTube, but in recent years, we have seen a pattern of kids and teens struggling with binge-watching and excessive use. Just ask the teen author, Eva Lott, of this op-ed in The Guardian. The constant stream of content from Youtubers and the social pressure to keep up leaves many young people watching videos and browsing comments for hours each day. If they can’t keep up, their classmates notice. But keeping up increasingly turns into compulsive internet use.

According to Jeff Nalin, a psychologist and co-founder of the Paradigm treatment center for teens, compulsive internet use and depression go hand-in-hand for more and more of today’s teens. It’s both a way of staying socially relevant among their peer groups, and for some, YouTube is a way to switch off from their lives.

Psychologists who specialize in addiction increasingly notice that YouTube becomes a numbing agent for the difficulties of growing up.

Unfortunately, leaving the internet completely behind isn’t an option for kids and teens struggling with mental health and screen time. The most sensible option is to learn skills to use the internet in a way that complements their mental health.

How to Block YouTube on Your Computer (Mac + Windows)

Do you want to limit your (or your teen’s) access to YouTube and retake control of your screen time? Freedom makes it easy to log-out and stay there.

To get started, log in to your Freedom account on your browser or the desktop app.

From there, you’ll find yourself in My Sessions. To block YouTube, you’ll need to add it to your Block List.

Click Add a blocklist and name it to begin. Then, click on the plus sign next to YouTube or type in the site manually.

If YouTube is the only site you want to limit, click Save.

Want to block all video sites? Choose TV/Video to block services like Disney Plus, Netflix, Prime Video, and Twitch, select the TV/Video category filter as well. To keep yourself away from Facebook video, select the Social button, too.

Once you are satisfied with your list, scroll back up to My Sessions. Check the box by your new block list to select it. If you have the Youtube desktop app, be sure to also check the Apps box, too.

Now, set up the duration of your blocking session. Do you want to block it for a few hours or more? When do you want your session to start?

To block YouTube right now, use the Start Now function. To block it later, then use the Start Later function to schedule a session for later.

Finally select what devices you wish to block YouTube on and when you are happy with the settings, click Start to either begin your blocking session or to schedule it for later

Use Recurring Schedules to Block YouTube Daily and Break Bad Habits

Do you want YouTube blocked during specific times of the day? Use Recurring Sessions to create a hands-off schedule. You’ll select your start and end times and the relevant days before saving your session.

Recurring Sessions are great for those who want to stay away from YouTube at work or school. You can also block it at night to resist the temptation to watch videos until 3 AM.

To fully manage your YouTube use, you can set up several Recurring Sessions that match your schedule for that week.

Freedom’s Recurring Sessions are also a great tool for parents because they give you control over your kids’ and teens’ YouTube use. You could even go as far as to only allow access during certain hours of the day if you’re particularly worried about their screen time.

Important Note: Freedom won’t monitor what your children watch or how many minutes they spend on each channel. It only blocks access to the site as a whole.

How to block Youtube on iOS Devices

After a long battle with Apple, Freedom is once again able to block apps on iOS. To block apps using Freedom, first ensure that you have the latest version of Freedom ( Freedom 5.0. or later) downloaded from the App Store.

To check what version of Freedom you have, simply go to Settings and select About Freedom.

To get started blocking YouTube on your iOS device, open your Freedom app and log in.

From the bottom menu, select the Blocklists tab and then select Add a blocklist.

Next, name your blocklist and scroll down until you find and toggle the YouTube option. Add any other websites or apps you wish to include in your block session and select Save in the top righthand corner.

Now that you have created your YouTube blocklist, choose when you want to start your session: Start Now, or schedule a session for later with Start Later, or Recurring sessions.

To start a block session immediately, select the Start Session tab at the bottom. Next select the blocklist you wish to include – in this case, your YouTube blocklist. Then select the iOS devices you wish to include and finally, select either the Session Length or desired End Time.

First, name your session and then choose the start and end times. If you want this session to be recurring, tap Repeats and select on which days you want your block session to repeat.

Finally select your YouTube blocklist and the iOS devices you want to include in your block session. Tap Save in the righthand corner.

How to Block YouTube on Android

Carrying YouTube around in your pocket means you have access to entertainment as long as you have battery power and a data connection. Seventy percent of YouTube views come from mobile apps.

Freedom’s Android app makes resisting the temptation of YouTube simple.

Download the Freedom app from the Play store and log in with your Freedom credentials.

You’ll find the menu on the bottom of the screen. To start, choose the Blocklists button (the badge). The Blocklist function on the app is simple. If you want to block the YouTube app, tap MANAGE. Choose YouTube from the list of applications and toggle it to the right to switch it on.

If you want to also block the site itself (a good idea for kids’ phones), tap the + sign at the top of the screen. You can choose YouTube, TV/Video, and add a domain not already found on the list. Then, tap Save.

To start your session, you can choose from Start Now, Start Later, or Recurring.

Start Now will turn off Reddit from right now and last as long as you want. You’ll set the length by tapping Length and entering the number of hours you want to stay away from the app, and then tap Start Session.

Start Later allows you to choose the start and end time and add it as a once-off blocking session to your schedule. The blocking session will automatically begin at the time you schedule it – you don’t need to log back in.

Recurring Sessions block YouTube between set hours on select days. For example, you can block YouTube from 7 PM to midnight Monday through Friday to stop kids from watching videos at bed time.

Build a Healthy Relationship with YouTube

YouTube is an incredible tool that’s both entertaining and educational. However, the combination of YouTube’s algorithm with the sheer amount of content means many people lose hours of precious time to watching just one more video.

Freedom blocks both the YouTube site and the app to help you limit your screen time. Use it to feel more present, be more productive, or help your kids build healthy internet skills.

Don’t worry, all the latest uploads will be there when you log back in.