YouTube’s autoplay and suggested videos feature can be useful for discovering new content, but sometimes you may find it distracting or want to avoid certain recommendations. Luckily, YouTube provides options to limit or turn off suggested videos.
What are YouTube’s suggested videos?
YouTube’s algorithm analyzes your viewing history, search terms, location, and other data to recommend videos it thinks you may want to watch next. These suggested videos appear in several places:
- In the “Up next” column to the right of the video you’re watching
- As autoplay videos that begin playing automatically after the current video ends
- On your YouTube homepage and subscriptions feed
- In search results
The goal is to surface videos that are relevant to your interests and keep you engaged on YouTube. However, some users find the constant recommendations distracting or want to avoid certain types of videos showing up.
Turn off suggested videos on desktop
You have a couple options for limiting suggested videos when using YouTube on a desktop browser:
Pause watch history
Pausing your YouTube watch history prevents the platform from using your recent views to recommend new videos. Here’s how:
- Click on your account icon in the top right corner
- Select “History”
- Toggle the “Pause watch history” switch on
This will immediately stop YouTube from adding any new videos to your recommendations based on watch history. However, it may still suggest videos based on other factors like search history and location.
Remove suggestions on a video page
You can remove suggestions on an individual video page by:
- Right-clicking the video itself
- Selecting “Don’t recommend channel”
This will stop that specific channel from appearing in your suggested videos for that session. It’s a temporary solution, not a permanent block.
Use a distraction free browser extension
Browser extensions like Distraction Free for YouTube allow you to hide suggested videos and comments. This gives you a more focused watching experience without autoplay or recommendations.
Turn off autoplay on mobile
The YouTube mobile app also tries to keep you watching with autoplay and suggested videos. To limit interruptions:
- Tap your account icon in the top right
- Go to Settings > General
- Turn off “Autoplay next video”
This will stop the app from automatically playing another video after the current one finishes. However, you’ll still see video suggestions on the Watch page – just tap the X icon on each one to dismiss it.
Give feedback directly to YouTube
If you want YouTube to improve its suggestions algorithm, you can provide direct feedback:
- Click the 3 dot “More” menu next to a suggested video
- Select “Tell us why”
- Choose options like “Not interested”, “Don’t recommend channel”, or “I’ve already watched this”
YouTube will collect this input to avoid showing you similar unwanted recommendations in the future. The more feedback you give, the better the algorithm will become at surfacing relevant videos.
Block channels from recommendations
If there are certain channels you never want recommended, you can fully block them:
- Go to the channel’s page
- Click About tab > Flag as made for kids
- Confirm by selecting “Yes, submit”
This will prevent that channel’s videos from ever appearing in your suggestions. Note that you may have to refresh the page or wait some time for the recommendations to fully update after blocking.
Conclusion
YouTube offers customizable options to limit distracting autoplay and unwanted video suggestions. Try pausing watch history, utilizing browser extensions, turning off autoplay, providing feedback, and blocking specific channels. With a few tweaks, you can take control over your YouTube recommendations and have a more focused viewing experience.
| Method | Platform | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Pause watch history | Desktop browser | Stops watch history from influencing suggestions |
| Don’t recommend channel | Desktop browser | Removes channel from current session’s suggestions |
| Use Distraction Free extension | Desktop browser | Hides all suggestions and autoplay |
| Turn off autoplay | Mobile app | Stops next video from playing automatically |
| Give “Not interested” feedback | Desktop and mobile | Signals to avoid that type of suggestion |
| Block channel | Desktop browser | Permanently removes channel from suggestions |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does YouTube show suggested videos?
YouTube displays suggested videos in order to:
- Keep viewers engaged on the platform longer
- Surface content relevant to the viewer’s interests
- Expose viewers to new channels and videos
- Drive more views, and in turn revenue, through automated recommendations
How does YouTube choose suggested videos?
YouTube considers many signals, including:
- Your watch history
- Videos you have liked or disliked
- Content in your subscriptions and playlists
- Your location and language settings
- What is popular globally and among your peer group
The algorithm uses machine learning to analyze these signals and recommend videos most likely to keep you watching longer.
Can I permanently turn off YouTube video suggestions?
There is no setting to disable video suggestions completely across YouTube. Even if you pause watch history, the platform may still recommend videos based on other factors.
The only way to avoid all suggestions is to use a third party extension that hides the recommendation column. But this only works on desktop browsers, not in the mobile apps.
Will turning off suggestions affect my YouTube recommendations?
Yes, limiting suggestions will likely change what gets recommended to you on YouTube over time. For example, pausing watch history means your recent views won’t influence suggestions.
Giving “not interested” feedback will also train the algorithm to avoid certain types of recommendations. So your suggestions may become less tailored to your viewing habits overall.
What is the difference between autoplay and suggested videos?
Autoplay automatically begins playing a new video immediately after the current one ends. Suggested videos are just recommended in the sidebar – the viewer still has to actively click them to begin watching.
Disabling autoplay stops unexpected videos from playing, but doesn’t remove suggestions from being visible.
Turning Off Suggested Videos on YouTube Kids
The YouTube Kids app has its own customized options for limiting suggestions:
- Turn off autoplay: Tap the lock icon in the bottom corner and disable autoplay.
- Limit recommendations to approved content: Under Settings > Recommendations, choose “Approved content only”.
- Disable video recommendations: Under Settings > Recommendations, turn off “Show video recommendations”.
Parents can also use the overall content settings like “Preschool” to restrict recommendations to age appropriate videos on YouTube Kids.
Suggested Videos for Content Creators
Suggested videos can help content creators and channels by:
- Driving more viewers to their videos through recommendations
- Getting their content shown to new audiences
- Building subscribers who come from suggestions
- Increasing watch time, views, and revenue
Tips to get your videos suggested more:
- Optimize your title, tags, and description for discoverability
- Engage viewers and build subscribers to signal popularity
- Stay active and consistent with uploading videos
- Use cards and end screens to link between your own videos
Understanding how YouTube’s suggestion algorithm works can help you produce content that ranks higher in recommended videos.
Troubleshooting Errors and Problems
Suggested videos not changing
If your suggestions seem stuck on the same videos, try:
- Clearing your YouTube watch history and cookies
- Watching a wider variety of content outside your usual interests
- Signing out of YouTube and watching while not logged in
This can reset the algorithm and allow new suggestions to surface.
Suggested videos showing unrelated content
If you notice suggestions that seem completely unrelated to what you watch, it could be due to:
- Watching a short unrelated video by accident
- Your location or language settings being incorrect
- Other household members using the same YouTube account
Double check your watch history and settings to identify what may be causing odd suggestions.
Suggested channels showing despite being blocked
Sometimes channels come back in suggestions even after blocking. Try:
- Blocking the channel again and confirming
- Reporting the channel using the flag icon
- Clearing cookies and refreshing YouTube to force a recommendations reset
It can take some time for YouTube to process channel blocks, so you may need to repeat the steps.
Other Ways to Control Recommendations
In addition to suggested videos, you can manage other YouTube recommendations using these settings:
- Search recommendations: Pause watch and search history or use incognito/private browsing.
- Channel recommendations: Click “Don’t recommend” on a channel’s page.
- Community recommendations: Disable “Posts from channels you subscribe to” under Settings.
- Playlist recommendations: Delete any auto-generated playlists like “Liked videos” or “Watch history.”
Fine tuning these different areas of recommendations can minimize repetitive suggestions and create a more personalized YouTube experience.
Additional Resources
For more help managing your YouTube recommendations and settings, explore these guides: