YouTube is experiencing a significant shift with the emergence of Shorts—its response to platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. This new feature presents video content in a vertical format, features a distinct user interface, is more challenging to embed, and YouTube is vigorously promoting it throughout users’ feeds. Furthermore, numerous users have voiced frustrations regarding YouTube’s automatic conversion of their shorter videos into Shorts. This alteration complicates the process of uploading clips and sharing them with friends.

If YouTube Shorts don’t appeal to you, there are several methods to enhance your viewing experience. Alternatively, it is possible to completely eliminate YouTube Shorts from your feed by utilizing specific Chrome extensions.

Utilize a Browser Extension

For those who access YouTube through a desktop, a browser extension provides a straightforward solution to transform any Shorts video into a standard one. The YouTube Enhancer is a popular option, compatible with Firefox, Chrome, and other Chromium browsers like Edge, Vivaldi, or Opera. After installation, click the extension’s icon in the toolbar, navigate to the Appearance section, and choose Convert Shorts. From that point, any Shorts video you select will automatically play using the traditional YouTube player.

Alter the YouTube URL

An effortless way to convert a Shorts video back into a regular format is by adjusting the URL manually. The standard link format for YouTube Shorts is: youtube.com/shorts/video-id-here. By changing the term shorts to v, YouTube will display it within its conventional video player. Consequently, the updated URL should resemble youtube.com/v/video-id-here.

Employ a JavaScript Bookmark

This suggestion comes from tech columnist Jared Newman, who recommends a JavaScript bookmark that effectively addresses the issue. This bookmark can be added to your browser for ease of use.

Credit: Pranay Parab

When you encounter a Shorts video, simply click the bookmark to watch it in YouTube’s standard player.

Regarding mobile applications, one workaround to access the traditional player is by “Liking” the Shorts version of a video. Once you do this, the video will appear in your Liked Videos playlist. Streaming it from your Liked Videos section may open the video in the standard YouTube player. Although this method might not work flawlessly, it serves as a useful hack.