Short answer
YouTube has no documented switch that removes Shorts from the iPhone app. The closest setting is the Shorts feed limit: in the YouTube app, tap You > Settings > Time management > Shorts feed limit and choose zero. When you reach it, YouTube shows a reminder you can dismiss or ignore, so it is a nudge, not a lock. Screen Time and app blockers like Calma can't block Shorts alone either: they limit or block the whole YouTube app.
To turn off YouTube Shorts on iPhone, open the YouTube app and tap You > Settings > Time management > Shorts feed limit, then choose zero. It’s the closest thing YouTube offers to an off switch, but it isn’t one: when you hit the limit, YouTube shows a reminder you can dismiss or ignore.
If you need Shorts to actually stop, you have to limit or block the whole YouTube app, with Screen Time or an app blocker like Calma. Neither one can reach inside YouTube and hide only the Shorts tab. Below are all the options, checked against YouTube Help and Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 26 and iOS 27 on November 2, 2026.
How do you turn off YouTube Shorts on iPhone?
Set the Shorts feed limit to zero. These are the steps from YouTube Help:
- Sign in to the YouTube app.
- Tap the You tab, then Settings.
- Tap Time management.
- Tap Shorts feed limit.
- Pick a time from the list. YouTube says the list includes “the option to set your Shorts feed limit to zero.”
When you reach the limit in the Shorts feed, YouTube says “a message will appear reminding you,” with an option to dismiss or ignore it. So a zero limit is a reminder at the door of the Shorts feed. That can still help: a reminder turns the next swipe into a choice. It won’t stop you if you tap past it.
YouTube Help describes this setting in the YouTube app and says you need to be signed in. It doesn’t say the limit carries over to youtube.com in Safari, so don’t count on that.
Can you remove the Shorts tab completely?
Not with any setting YouTube documents. The YouTube Help pages we checked describe a time limit for the Shorts feed and ways to see fewer Shorts, but no option that removes Shorts or the Shorts tab from the iPhone app.
Screen Time can’t do it either. Apple’s guide describes limits for apps, app categories and websites, nothing for one part of an app. The same is true of Calma, which blocks whole apps.
How do you see fewer Shorts on your YouTube home feed?
Use Show fewer Shorts. It doesn’t touch the Shorts feed itself, but it cuts down the Shorts YouTube recommends on pages like Home and Watch Next. From YouTube Help:
- In the YouTube app, go to your Home feed.
- Scroll to a grid of Shorts.
- At the top of the grid, tap More.
- Tap Show fewer Shorts.
You can undo it later in Google’s My Activity, under Other activity. If one channel’s Shorts keep showing up on Home, open the More menu next to one of them and choose Don’t recommend channel. YouTube also offers Not interested for single videos. YouTube notes some of these features only work when you’re signed in.
None of these hides Shorts. They change what YouTube suggests, which can make the feed less sticky.
How to block YouTube Shorts with Screen Time
Screen Time can’t separate Shorts from the rest of YouTube, so you limit the YouTube app as a whole. On a long-video day that also limits the video you meant to watch, so set the limit for the hours or the amount that matter.
On iOS 27 (Time Allowances):
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > Time Allowances.
- Tap Manage Categories, tap the add button and select a category. Tap the category to see the apps in it and check that YouTube is there.
- Under Time Allowances, tap the category and drag the slider to the daily time you want.
In iOS 27, Time Allowances work by category, so every app in YouTube’s category shares those minutes. Apple’s guide doesn’t describe an allowance for a single app. To keep YouTube closed at set hours instead, use a Screen Time Schedule: tap Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, tap Add Schedule, then tap the Time Window and leave YouTube’s category unselected. Apple notes both features need iOS 27 or later on all your Apple devices.
On iOS 26 (App Limits):
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits and tap Add Limit.
- Tap the category YouTube is in to see its apps, then select YouTube on its own.
- Tap Next, set the time, and tap Customize Days if you want different limits on different days.
One catch, from Apple’s own iOS 26 guide: “By default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached.” If you want changing the limit to need a code, our Screen Time passcode guide covers setting one up.
How to block YouTube with Calma
We make Calma, so weigh this section with that in mind. Calma doesn’t block Shorts alone either. It rests the whole YouTube app, using Apple’s Screen Time, at the times you choose. Three rules that fit a Shorts habit:
- Block YouTube every day from 10 PM to 7 AM. The Night Peace routine, if late-night Shorts are the problem.
- Allow YouTube 3 opens a day. Each open unlocks YouTube for 15 minutes, enough for the video you came for. When the opens run out, YouTube rests.
- Give YouTube 30 minutes a day. Daily limits go from 15 minutes to 2 hours. When the time runs out, YouTube rests until midnight.
Opening YouTube during a block shows “YouTube is resting.” Scheduled blocks and daily limits show a single Back to calm button. Open limits show Open app while you have opens left. You can switch any routine off in the app, and end a focus session early with a 3-second hold.
Calma is iPhone only, needs iOS 18 or later and blocks apps, not websites. Blocking needs Calma Pro, with a 3-day free trial for eligible new subscribers. More on how it works on the app blocker page.
What about YouTube Shorts in Safari?
youtube.com in Safari is a separate door. Blocking or deleting the app doesn’t close it, and Calma can’t help here because it blocks apps only. Screen Time can:
- iOS 26: go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on. Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then Web Content. Select Limit Adult Websites, tap Add Website below Never Allow, and enter youtube.com.
- iOS 27: Apple’s guide says that if an app declares an associated website, its Time Allowance “applies to both.” Whether YouTube declares youtube.com isn’t something Apple’s page says, so test it on your iPhone. The iOS 27 page on Content & Privacy Restrictions we checked covers content ratings and built-in features, and doesn’t list a website block. That’s a gap between Apple’s iOS 26 and iOS 27 guides, so check what your iPhone shows.
Our YouTube blocking guide covers the app, the website and YouTube’s other reminders in more detail.
Shorts feed limit, Screen Time, Calma or deleting the app?
| YouTube Shorts feed limit | Screen Time limit | Calma | Deleting YouTube | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it targets | The Shorts feed only | The whole YouTube app (a category in iOS 27) | The whole YouTube app | The whole app |
| Long videos still work | Yes | Until the limit runs out, or outside the schedule | Outside your blocks, or within your opens | Only in Safari |
| When you hit it | A reminder you can dismiss or ignore | By default it can be ignored (Apple, iOS 26) | “YouTube is resting.” with Back to calm (Open app on open limits) | Nothing to open until you reinstall |
| youtube.com in Safari | Not mentioned in YouTube Help | Separate website block (iOS 26); declared website (iOS 27) | Not covered, apps only | Still open |
| Cost | Built into YouTube | Built into iOS | Calma Pro, 3-day free trial for eligible new subscribers | None |
Which option fits you?
The Shorts feed limit is best for people who like YouTube and only lose time in Shorts. It costs nothing and keeps long videos. It’s not for you if you already tap past reminders without reading them.
Screen Time is best for a daily cap or a schedule with nothing extra installed. It’s not for you if you want long videos at the same hours Shorts get you, or if the shared category allowance in iOS 27 would also cap apps you need.
Calma is best for people who slip at predictable times (late at night, the first hour of work) and want YouTube to rest then, or want a few short visits a day. It’s not for you if you want to keep YouTube all day minus Shorts, if you watch on youtube.com, or if you don’t want a subscription.
Deleting the app is best for a clean break you’re sure about. It’s not for you if you’d reinstall within a week, or watch in Safari anyway.
If the bigger issue is endless scrolling in general and not only YouTube, our guide on what doomscrolling is and why a pause helps is a good next read.
Frequently asked questions
Can you permanently turn off YouTube Shorts?
Not with a setting YouTube documents. The Shorts feed limit set to zero is the closest, and it ends in a reminder you can dismiss. For a real stop, block or limit the whole YouTube app.
Does the Shorts feed limit work on youtube.com?
YouTube Help describes it in the YouTube app only and doesn’t say it applies in a browser. Don’t rely on it for Safari.
Can Screen Time block only YouTube Shorts?
No. Apple’s guide describes limits for apps, categories and websites, not for sections inside an app. A Screen Time limit on YouTube covers Shorts and long videos alike.
Does “Show fewer Shorts” turn Shorts off?
No. It reduces the Shorts YouTube recommends on pages like Home and Watch Next. The Shorts feed is still there, and you can undo the choice in My Activity.
Is there a YouTube Shorts blocker for iPhone?
Calma blocks the whole YouTube app, not Shorts alone. Inside YouTube, the Shorts feed limit is the only setting YouTube documents that targets Shorts.
Sources
All checked on November 2, 2026.
- YouTube Help, Set a Shorts feed limit (You > Settings > Time management > Shorts feed limit, the zero option, the reminder you can dismiss or ignore).
- YouTube Help, Manage your recommendations & search results (Show fewer Shorts, Not interested, Don’t recommend channel, clearing them in My Activity).
- Apple Support, Set Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances in Screen Time on iPhone (iOS 27: Time Allowances by category, Screen Time Schedule, declared websites, iOS 27 on all devices) and Set schedules with Screen Time on iPhone (iOS 26: App Limits for individual apps, limits can be ignored by default).
- Apple Support, Block apps, app downloads, websites, and purchases on iPhone (iOS 26: Never Allow website list) and Block features or content with Screen Time on iPhone (iOS 27: Content & Privacy Restrictions, no website list on this page).
- App Store, App Blocker & Detox: Calma (iOS requirement, trial).