Guide · 2 min read
The best YouTube distraction blocker for Chrome
Short answer
A YouTube distraction blocker for Chrome hides the parts of the site built to keep you watching, while leaving the videos you search for. Quiet is a free one: it has a switch for each part, and Shorts shelf, Homepage feed, Recommended videos, After-video suggestions, Comments and Autoplay are already set when you install. YouTube itself has no setting that removes these.
On YouTube
- 1Open any video and look at the bottom of the player.
- 2Click the autoplay switch so it reads Off.
- 3When the video ends, the next one no longer starts by itself.
The catch: This only stops the next video starting. The homepage feed, Shorts and recommendations around the player stay.
With Quiet
These six are the defaults, so a fresh install already hides the feed, Shorts, side recommendations and end suggestions, collapses comments and stops autoplay. Thumbnails, Views & likes and the other switches are off until you turn them on.
Common questions
- Will it block the videos I search for?
- No. Quiet hides the feed, Shorts, recommendations and similar extras, and leaves search and the video you open as they were.
- Can I turn on only the parts that bother me?
- Yes. Every part has its own switch in the toolbar popup, so you can keep what you like and hide the rest.
- How do I pause it for a moment?
- Press Alt+Shift+Q to turn Quiet off and on, or use the main switch in the popup.
- Does it work in the YouTube app?
- No. Quiet is a browser extension for desktop Chromium browsers such as Chrome, Edge and Brave, so it cannot reach the YouTube app on a phone or tablet.
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