Control Panel for YouTube

Control Panel for YouTube is a browser extension which gives you more control over YouTube by adding missing options and UI improvements

The initial version is awaiting publishing for browsers which are greyed out below.

1. Can also be installed in Opera, Brave, and other Chromium-based web browsers.

2. Edge users should consider using the Chrome Web Store version, as Edge Add-ons takes longer to publish updates.

3. Install Kiwi Browser from Google Play, then install the Chrome version.

Features

Video lists

Hide videos and channels you don't want to see when browsing, and improve some of YouTube's built-in functionality.

  • Hide Shorts
  • Hide Sponsored videos & promos
  • Hide suggested sections
  • Hide Live videos
  • Hide Streamed videos
  • Hide Mixes
  • Hide Upcoming videos
  • Hide watched videos
  • Hide hidden videos
    • Hides the "Undo" button after 5 seconds
  • Hide channels
    • Adds "Hide channel" to video menus
  • Disable Home feed
  • Fill gaps created by hidden videos (desktop version)

Video pages

Hide elements you don't want to see on the video page, such as algorithmic recommendations, and improve some of the existing functionality.

  • Disable Autoplay
  • Hide Related videos
  • Hide video metadata
  • Hide Comments
  • Redirect Shorts to the normal player
  • Hide video end cards (desktop version)
  • Hide video endscreen content (desktop version)
  • Hide Merch, Offers etc. (desktop version)
  • Hide Chat (desktop version)
  • Make Transcript downloadable (desktop version)

UI tweaks

Hide non-essential UI elements and enhance the UI in other ways.

  • Hide categories in Home
  • Hide Search with your voice
  • Tidy Guide sidebar (desktop version)
  • Hide "Latest" bar in Subscriptions (desktop version)
  • Use grid view for Subscriptions (mobile version - portrait only)
  • Hide Explore button in Home (mobile version)
  • Hide channel list in Subscriptions (mobile version)
  • Hide Open App links (mobile version)

Embedded videos

Hide algorithmic recommendations when viewing YouTube videos embedded in other sites.

  • Hide Share button
  • Hide pause overlay
  • Hide video endscreen content

Screenshots

Improved Subscriptions page, which acts more like an inbox of videos
Video ads can be automatically skipped, and other promoted content is hidden
Nothing but search results on the Search page, no suggested sections
Hide non-video content on the Home page, and improve YouTube's built-in hiding
Disable related videos, the Home timeline, and other algorithmic content
Grid view for Subscriptions and Search results in the mobile version on larger devices, instead of a single column
Improved Subscriptions page, which acts more like an inbox of videos
Video ads can be automatically skipped, and other promoted content is hidden
Shorts are hidden everywhere
Disable related videos, the Home timeline, and other algorithmic content

Frequently Asked Questions

Safari version

macOS / iOS

I just downloaded Control Panel for YouTube from the App Store, why is it not working?

Safari browser extensions require you to manually enable settings to allow them to run. After installing from the App Store, you need to:

  1. Enable the extension – the Control Panel for YouTube app which opens after installation has a button which will take you to the appropriate page in Settings. Use it to toggle the extension on.
  2. Give the extension permission to run on YouTube – change the website access permissions for www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com and www.youtube-nocookie.com to "Allow".
View a video example of turning on the Safari extension in iOS
iOS

I opened YouTube using a bookmark I added to my Home Screen - why is Control Panel for YouTube not working?

Safari doesn't currently allow browser extensions to run in Home Screen Web Apps. Open Safari then navigate to YouTube normally.

You can use the Shortcuts app to create your own shortcut to open YouTube in Safari. For an example, watch this video of setting up a shortcut on iPhone.

View step-by-step instructions with screenshots
Open the Shortcuts app
Tap +
Tap Add Action
Tap Apps then Safari
Tap Open URLs
Tap the "URL" placeholder
Type m.youtube.com and tap Done
Long-press the shortcut and tap Rename
Rename to YouTube and tap Done
Long-press the shortcut and tap Share
Tap Add to Home Screen
Tap Add
The shortcut should now be on your Home Screen
You'll be prompted for permission on first use
Your shortcut should now open YouTube in Safari
iOS

How can I make the "Open in the YouTube app" banner go away?

This is a Safari feature we have no control over - to get rid of it, you have to uninstall the official YouTube app.

Support

To report bugs, suggest new features or discuss with other users, visit the support repository on GitHub.

For release announcements and other updates follow @ControlPanelFYT on Twitter.

Tip

If you find one of the free versions of Control Panel for YouTube useful and can afford to, a tip to help fund its development and the responsive maintenance I aim to provide would be most appreciated. If not, no worries – enjoy!

Support me on Ko-fi