How to remove channel recommendations permanently on YouTube
YouTube's new What to Watch page is a mess. It offers a mixture of updates from channels that you are subscribed to and popular channels on YouTube that the site's algorithm thinks you will like as well.
My main issue here is that there is apparently no way to block certain channels from being listed here.
While you can click on the three dots on the right side of the channel row -- it only appears when you hover the mouse cursor over the channel -- and select hide these videos from the menu that is displayed, it won't really help as the video suggestions appear again on the next reload of the page.
This is without doubt one of the most annoying features of YouTube. Why have an option to hide video suggestions if they are displayed again on reload?
I spend a lot of time this morning trying to figure out a way to resolve the issue. I tried several userscripts that promised to remove channels from YouTube but all did not work anymore.
Eventually though I found a solution that appears to work fine, so here it is:
Open the YouTube homepage. The What to Watch page should be displayed here by default. Locate a channel that you want to remove permanently.
Click on the channel name. This opens the profile page of that channel. Click on the About link here at the top of the page.
Here you find information about the channel. The interesting bit here when it comes to removing channels from YouTube's What to Watch page is the little flag icon in the lower left corner of the screen.
Click on the icon and select block users from the options menu.
Note that it takes a couple of reloads before the suggestion disappears. While I was not able to verify the following, it seemed to help to use the hide these videos option on the page to get rid of the channel suggestion completely.
While that removes the suggested video channels for good from YouTube's homepage, it won't remove the suggestions. This means that YouTube will display other channel suggestions to you instead which you may or may not like as well.
It is not possible to hide those suggestions on the page. The best way to resolve this is to always open the My Subscriptions page directly when you visit YouTube instead of the What to Watch page.
Not sure how this will work, but let’s say your clicked to watch a video and on the right side of the screen (this is 2018) you have that list with recommended videos and you find a channel you don’t like among these. Hover with the mouse over that video and three dots will appear. Click on these dots and then clock on Report. Yes, I know kind of rude but hey, you want to get rid of them. Then choose anything in the Report options list that will pop up and click on Report button. From what I’ve seen, that channel doesn’t appear any longer in suggestions (Up next) list on the right of the screen, but will still appear in the search results.
Oh my god, I totally approve of your choice for this example. The fact that this guy is so popular is depressing proof of the low IQ of the average gamer.
This is a very important feature. I use it to block all feminist and makeup channels. Life is good again.
I want to share my experience.
It’s enough to filter
||youtube.com/*tracking*
with adblock or any other script blocker
Just got Video Block Add-On for Firefox. Between that and AdBlock Plus, I got rid of the ‘Up next’ items.
Glad you used PewDiePie as an example. LOL
I’m not, I think it is a petty choice. If I want to block something it’s because it is a hateful channel or full of misinformation not because I find something ‘annoying’. Seems I’m here with different priorities to some others.
Firefox users, get “video blocker”from firefox addons site – it can block individual videos and entire channels with a right click option – works for me (jan 2016) ‘course doesn’t help googltubes effing stupid (read:cynical) suggestion algorythm but it DOES stop repeat offenders
Will this work on “Up next’ that appears on the right side of screen. It is channels that try to generically associate themselves with what you may be intentionally watching. What I mean by generic, you may have something that you feel is relevant, honest, etc. and others assume the genre that you have been watching but are ‘selling’ something else.
Nope. That same user showed up in my suggestions today since they uploaded a new video. I checked and they’re STILL listed as being blocked in the “about” menu. So I’m at a loss.
This does not work. I have blocked multiple channels that post extremely irritating videos my daughter plays endlessly. No matter how many times i block and clear watch and search history and clear cache and every such thing. They still pop up
Thanks! I hope this works. I’m subscribed to a certain channel and I keep getting recommeded channels which are directly bashing it.
Like, in the example above, let’s use PewDiePie. If I subscribe to Pewdiepie, then I DON’T want to see channels and videos popping up called “I hate pewdiepie” and “100 reasons why pewdiepie needs to die in a fire”. But apparently youtube just sees that this OTHER channel mentions pewdiepie, so it must be related to your interests!
No, youtube.
Thank you ! I kept getting recommendation for Kitchen Nightmare. I wouldn’t watch that a-hole if you paid me I hate him with a passion.
This doesn’t work for me. I blocked these channels, as you described, and went back to my channel and these same channels are listed in Recommended Channels. I even signed out and signed back in. I wish there was a way to eliminate this entire section, so it doesn’t recommend ANY channels.
Thanks for the tip, but it doesn’t work either. For instance, I like a lot of gun related stuff, so youtube constantly tries to bombard me with James Yeager videos. The guy is a complete jackass. I have blocked his channel. Not only do his videos constantly continue to show up in What to Watch, or Recommended for you, but a fair portion of the time those videos lack the 3 dots.
Is this something that happens with a certain tier of Preferred Member status, or paid distribution, or does someone at googletube just hate me personally?
You know the most hatefully ironic part of this? After you go to the channel’s homepage to block it, youtube will see that you went to the homepage and start reccommending similar channels.
I dont get the option ABOUT for the selected channel.
I am using Samsung Core2.
I block users, like Jelly, and kweblecop or whatever his stupid ass name is and they still show up!!!! Like no! You’re anoying as fuck!!
This only works if you’re logged in. If you’re not logged in you’re still going get spammed with pewdiepie smosh and they’re stupid thumbnails.
worse than that, even when i’m not logged in to YouTube and i’ve cleared browser history and cookies on my laptop I STILL get recommended channels on ‘What to Watch’ based on what my daughter has watched on the ipad! YouTube is remembering everything from my IP address, and any device that has ever used it and watched a video on YouTube.
This doesn’t work unless you have a google account and what’s the points of that given that google is an internet stalker?
Youtube such a popular site and has the cheapest most ridiculous awefully disgraceful filthy homepage with the most ridiculous videos and channels recommended to you on a daily basis with which you don’t want any part off.
I can’t believe the best team is suppose to be behind this and I’ve seen free websites with better layouts, it’s painful.
I understand if they don’t want to put in the effort to make the site look better because addicted people will keep using it as if their life’s depend on it but come on man, at least don’t harass people who just wan’t to look up some usefull informational videos by throwing videos at them as recommendations such as “mutant dog spider” or even worse “jimmy kimmel goes to the grocery store and buys bread” SO WHAT? YEAH HE BUYS BREAD AND THEN WHAT THE FUCK/?? SERIOUSLY/??
or how about “I took a picture of me everyday for 5 years” yeah nice job, you’re still the same broke person with no added value you were 5 years ago, why don’t you take that camera you used and shove it insanely deep inside your anal portal you stupid motherfucker.
Yours truly, FuckYoutube
THANK YOU!!!! YES exactly! OMFG I get so irate, I go to YouTube to watch shit I want to watch, but every time I log on I get Taylor Fucking Swift crammed in my face (punches the coffee table) or some other useless annoying SHIT! I click on the “not interested” feature, but it’s just as useless!!
Thanks Martin, I found this very helpful!
You need something like adblocker to youtube stupidvide blocker
Poor PewDiePie, over 30 million subscribers, yet nobody seems to like him (that’s exactly what I was trying to block when I found this page, also).
I guess you either like him or you don’t. There does not seem to be any middle ground.
thanks,i came here to figure out how to hide pewdiepie hahahaha
LOL sameeee
D’oh! I was happy thinking it worked. 10 minutes later: This doesn’t work! The block feature is only to keep the user from harassing you. Stupid Youtube still recommends the stinky channel’s videos.
I almost exclusively use the “recommended” page because it shows me stuff I’ll probably like, without having to try and find it myself. But there’s a few channels that are just HORRIBLE, and some days I log in and see 5 videos from the same crappy channel no matter how much I “dislike” it. So sad.
hey….u can also Block channels & so there is no problem from videos of particular channels ! try it :)
best solution is here …:) Enjoy
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/video-blocker/jknkjnpcbbgcbdbaampbjlhkcghmgfhk?hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFHYyXtV7yk&channel=TheLionsDenNews
Best solution, yet still shit since you’d have to blanket-hide entire channels or keywords. Not helpful if the persistent suggestions are videos you’ve specifically already watched/know you don’t want to see from a channel you’re subscribed to.
The only blanket solution I’d be interested in is hiding the entire column of suggested videos. That’d free up a lot of screen space.
Blocking someone on youtube NEVER worked.
Whoever wrote this article, clearly just saw the block function, and just assumes that it works…
I am looking for a way to actually block people on youtube for YEARS!
But the only ways, involve weird tools, that basically opens your computer to every kind of harmfull stuff.
“involve weird tools” comon if you consider any tool weird you shouldn’t be using it, or you dont understand it. there’s a huge difference between things like greasemonkey (which is extremely basic and opensource and completely dependent on the user for it’s total functionality) and whatever “weird tool” you downloaded that “open”ed your computer to “every kind of harmfull stuff”.
im honestly curious as to what “weird tool” it was, and if you even used google to check if it was safe before installing it.
“is safe” is the EXACT syntax i use to do my research on anything before i download it… get good bro and do the same, dont let your ego allow your ignorance to ruin your day. and if that previous sentence offends you, google “define ignorant” and L2engrish as its not intended to be malicious.
Here’s how do you remove the channel recommdation. You go to “My Subscriptions” page which link is next to “What to watch” on the top of home page, then you’ll see a list of “Recommended channels” on your right hand of the page. Put your mouse on anyone of those channels with out clicking, you’ll see a small cross mark just next to the right of the name of channel. Click the cross, then that channel will not shown on your “What to watch” page.
It doesn’t actually work for me in Firefox. The little crosses don’t do anything :(
the crappy thing about that is you have to actually, do EACH ONE INDIVIDUALLY and WHO KNOWS if it will ever completely work.
The MAIN issue is that google is NOT interested in giving us what we want. Google is interested in making sh1ttons of money off of ads and recommended clickings. Somebody developing some sort of greasemonkey script is probably the best recourse we’ll have, because, like I said before. Google isn’t interested in giving us what we want (unless of course, what we ‘want’ is more advertising)…
ï¼cynicism
As well as others who ended up here looking for a way to remove that intrusive feature You Tube has brought in, I did tried to follow procedure described above. It worked….until i used CCleaner ( as a regular weekly procedure ). It made my blood pressure boiled, literary. Like, why would I like to watch some wannabe`s singers and belly dancers, some idiotic gamers, who`s life seems to be depending on a number of “likes” !!!?? To make one thing clear, I got nothing against it, just not my type of entertainment. Before this I`ve found a solution that ended this and it was based on a script that blocked this feature. Unfortunately, it lasted just few days after which YouTube prevailed :( . In my opinion, this latest invention will be hard to get rid of, simply because it`s about advertising… or $$$$$$$$ ( lots of it ) to be exact, right ? If anyone comes with permanent solution for this, believe me I`ll be first in line.
PS. Ad Block Plus does not work after these changes ( you`ll get whole page blank as someone mentioned it before ).
“It made my blood pressure boiled, literary.”
Really? Blood pressure is a measure of force. Boiling is a function of temperature. Regardless, boiling blood would unequivocally kill you, so I can only conclude you literally do not understand the meaning of literally.
Nothing better to do than troll people?
I found a fix for the “recommended” boxes at the top of What to Watch – thanks to a couple of YouTube vids:
Go to History
Clear All Watch History
Pause Watch History
Reload
That seems to leave only my subscriptions at the top of the page – Now to get rid of the “Popular” junk that is suddenly piled up at the bottom of the page. I am trying the new Adblock Plus feature here:
https://adblockplus.org/blog/pure-youtube-video-experience
Can’t recommend it yet.
excellent, thanks ))
Its a temp fix..it wont work .. i tried that as well
What browser does this apply to? How do you “Go to History”? What does “Clear All Watch History” mean? What does “Pause Watch History” mean? Where are these things? What do they do?
I don’t want to clear my browser history for all sites or delete all cookies. I just want to stop the scourge of Youtube recommended videos for good
Thanks for this!! Thanks A LOT for it!
This fix does not seem to work now on Win7 Pro.
There is no little flag icon in the lower left corner anymore.
Apparently utube took it away.
I have tried this trick a hundred times I swear and I can not find the little flag icon in the lower left corner, or any other place on the screen.
Maybe I just am doing it wrong.
If someone can be a little more clear about how to find the elusive flag icon it would be very much appreciated.
The flag icon is displayed on the left side. Depending on how much content is available on the about page, it may be displayed near the top left, or the bottom left corner on that screen.
Are you signed in while you look at the page?
God damn I hate youtube now, we should not have to do this or have stupid ass recommendations that I clearly dont watch or like. they fucked up everything with the new style.
I don’t think Google understands the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
@Dave Your definitely right on that one, If Google stop changing everything once a week it would be okay. There was a time were I was going to move all my email over to Outlook because of this crap, and that’s exactly why I give up on Google services. Email and a place to load pictures for my little blog that’s it.
Thanks for the little Tutorial Martin.
Or you could just remove the offending element in with a user style (Stylish) or Script (Greasemonkey) .. or any other such fork. I don’t have a YT account, I do not allow YT cookies, and I know not what or where this “What to Watch” page is, so I haven’t had a look at the element, but it shouldn’t be hard to slap a block on it, or at a bare minimum assign a display:none to it.
youtube is a mess. the comment system sucks and the interface is horrid… i use it everyday and am punished by it all the time. i wonder who in Google decides this – he clearly needs to get fired!
They messed up the comments to slow it down after the Arab spring was organized on FaceBook people wanted to make sure people don’t polarize on these sites. They have an agenda.
Whoever it was, is probably already dead, and his protege is reaping the rewards…
Or we can always delete the cookies for youtube,but then al youtube settings won’t stick,witch is annoying,especially when using youtube center script!
Ads by Recommendation Box is classified as a malicious program that may affect the entire system. For more information see this link http://www.logikaijatekok.org/how-to-delete-ads-by-recommendation-box-from-windows-pc-and-laptops
This technique does not work. When you click “block user,” all it does is prevent the user from commenting on your videos.