YouTube is a tool that still has a lot of room for improvement. Google gives little space to the user to modify YouTube and improve the individual experience. Therefore, it is impossible to customize the YouTube interface directly on the site, you have to go through browser extensions. One of them is called Unhook and it allows you to remove a lot of useless stuff and distractions such as comments, suggestions and entire sections of the interface, such as Shorts and end screens.
Many of Google's evolutionary decisions regarding YouTube have been reactive rather than proactive. One of the most striking examples is Shorts, which aims to combat TikTok's stranglehold.
But many users are not at all interested in Shorts or other interface elements like the sometimes questionable recommendations of the algorithm, marketing elements, chat, lateral bar and the annoying end screens that block videos.
Sadly, YouTube does not allow us to disable all this natively, and continues to add things that pollute the interface.
What to do then? Customize YouTube by ourselves with an extension like Unhook.
Modify YouTube with Unhook to get a “lite” interface
The first thing you need to do to try to tweak YouTube to your liking is to download the Unhook extension. This extension, which is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, places an icon in the browser's extension area. Clicking on this icon will give you access to a long list of opt-out options, but the first step is to enable Unhook.
To do this, you will need to click on the Unhook icon in the browser bar then click on the I/O icon. Once activated, you will be able to start testing the different possibilities of the tool.
The first switch allows you to hide entire home feed and includes an additional setting to open the Subscriptions section instead. So, by enabling both of these settings, when you go to YouTube, you will be taken directly to your subscriptions page!
The next option block is for the videos sidebar. It is possible to hide it completely or hide different elements like recommended videos, live chats, playlists, transcripts, chapters and anything related to fundraising.
Two very useful settings in Unhook are to block the end screen stream and end cards, which are particularly annoying in some videos.
Next are options to get rid of comments, mixes, channel marketing/tickets/deals, video information, Notifications, the Explore and Trending sections, Annotations, Autoplay, and the Shorts section. It’s important to note that Shorts aren’t going away completely: if your subscription channels publish them or if they match a specific search, they’ll appear in the results.
Overall, Unhook is a great extension for anyone looking to tweak YouTube to their liking. Ultimately, you should be able to get a very simplified interface that allows you to focus on what matters most!
