YouTube’s recommendation algorithm is great at suggesting videos you may be interested in, but sometimes it recommends content from channels you want to avoid. Here are effective ways to restrict and limit video recommendations from certain YouTube channels.
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Use “Don’t Recommend Channel”
The easiest way is to use the “Don’t recommend channel” option.
- On the YouTube mobile app, tap the 3 dot menu next to a video from the channel you want to block.
- Select “Don’t recommend channel”.
- This will prevent videos from that channel showing up in your recommendations.
You can also access this option from the channel’s page by tapping the 3 dot menu and selecting “Don’t recommend channel”.
If you change your mind later, you can undo this by tapping “Undo” after selecting “Don’t recommend channel”.
Clear Watch and Search History
Your YouTube watch and search history has a big impact on the recommendations you see. Clearing your history for videos you don’t want recommended anymore can improve your recommendations.
Here’s how to do it:
- On the YouTube website, click on your profile picture > YouTube Studio.
- From the left sidebar, click on “Content” > “Watch and search history”.
- You can remove individual videos from your history, or click “Clear all watch history” to wipe the entire history.
Clearing history too frequently may also affect recommendations negatively, so use this method judiciously.
Use YouTube’s Restricted Mode
Enabling Restricted Mode in YouTube filters out more mature content and can remove unwanted video recommendations.
To use it:
- On the YouTube website, click on your profile picture and enable Restricted Mode.
- On mobile, go to Settings > General and enable Restricted Mode.
Restricted Mode isn’t perfect and may filter out some valid content, so review your recommendations after turning it on.
Block Videos Using a Browser Extension
Browser extensions like DF Tube allow finely tuning video recommendations by blocking keywords, channels, videos and more.
For example, DF Tube can block videos with certain words in titles/descriptions. This takes more effort to set up but gives you granular control over filtering recommendations.
Use a Third-Party App
On mobile devices, using a third-party YouTube app instead of the official app also allows blocking recommendations from specific channels.
For example, NewPipe has an option to permanently block entire channels from any recommendations. YouTube Vanced also has a similar feature.
The disadvantage is you don’t get access to all YouTube features these third-party apps. But their recommendation controls can be handy.
Reset Recommendations Entirely
If you want a completely fresh start on recommendations, you can reset your YouTube recommendations history entirely:
- Go to My Activity page and sign in.
- Under “Other Google activity”, choose “YouTube Watch History” and “YouTube Search History”.
- Click on “Delete activity by” and set the timeframe to “All Time”.
- Save your changes.
This will wipe your entire YouTube watch/search history and influence recommendations. YouTube will build your recommendations from scratch based on your fresh activity.
Use YouTube Kids Profile
The YouTube Kids app provides a more restricted environment tailored for children. It has additional parental control settings to limit available content.
Creating a supervised YouTube Kids profile for your child allows setting up customized restrictions on video recommendations from within the app itself.
Other Tips
Here are some other tips to manage YouTube recommendations:
- Use the “Not Interested” option on videos to prevent similar recommendations.
- Be careful when clicking on video recommendations as it signals interest.
- Subscribe only to channels you regularly watch. The more subscriptions you have, the more random recommendations.
- Disable YouTube notifications to eliminate notifications pushing unwanted recommended videos.
- Use YouTube’s Family Link to supervise children under 13 and restrict recommendations and content.
- Consider third-party parental control software that can filter video recommendations on devices.
While YouTube recommendations can be useful, the above methods allow restricting those recommendations when they promote unwanted content. Use a combination of these approaches to limit video recommendations from channels you want to avoid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I permanently block a YouTube channel from recommendations?
Yes, on the YouTube mobile app, you can permanently block an entire channel from recommendations by tapping the 3 dot menu on any video from that channel, then selecting “Don’t recommend channel”.
Do restricted modes and filters work fully?
YouTube’s restricted modes, third-party filters etc. are not 100% accurate. Some unwanted videos may get through while valid videos maybe incorrectly blocked. Review your recommendations and tweak restrictions accordingly.
What happens when I clear my YouTube history?
Clearing your entire YouTube watch/search history resets your recommendations. YouTube will then rebuild suggestions based on your fresh activity without being influenced by old watches and searches.
Can I use YouTube Kids for myself to restrict recommendations?
No, YouTube Kids is specifically designed only for children under 13 years old as a more restricted environment. It requires signing in with a Google account managed under Family Link parental controls.
What is the disadvantage of using third-party YouTube apps?
Alternative YouTube apps often do not have full access to all YouTube features. For example, signing into your YouTube account and subscriptions may not work properly on some third-party apps.
