How to watch YouTube with fewer distractions

Start with YouTube's built-in settings

These cost nothing and work on every device where you're signed in:

• Autoplay: switch off the autoplay toggle in the player so the next video doesn't start on its own.
• Watch history: pausing it makes YouTube's home feed far less personalized; with history off, YouTube may stop showing the home feed altogether.
• Notifications: in Settings, turn off recommended-video notifications and keep only subscriptions you care about.
• Entry point: open YouTube from your subscriptions page or a search instead of the home feed.

Hide recommendations, Shorts and comments

Settings can't remove the sidebar or Shorts shelves. An extension like Unhook can hide the home feed, related videos, Shorts, comments, end-screen walls and live chat, each switchable on its own. Keep what helps you and hide the rest.

• Useful YouTube extensions, by problem

Remove interruptions inside the video

Once the feed is calm, the remaining interruptions are inside videos: sponsor reads, subscribe reminders and long intros. SponsorBlock skips the ones the community marked, including reminders and intros; SponsorSkip finds sponsor reads in the captions, including on videos nobody has marked.

• How to skip YouTube sponsors automatically

Make choosing a video less noisy

Clickbait thumbnails pull attention even when you're looking for something specific. DeArrow replaces them with frames from the video and more descriptive titles.

• DeArrow explained

A simple setup that works

If you want one recommendation to start from:

1. Turn off autoplay.
2. Install one feed blocker and hide the home feed, sidebar and Shorts.
3. Install one sponsor skipper and let it handle sponsor reads.
4. Open YouTube through search or your subscriptions, not the home page.