The short version
- Shorts, Reels and Explore live at their own web addresses: youtube.com/shorts, instagram.com/reels, facebook.com/watch, x.com/explore.
- A rule for just that address blocks the section and leaves the rest of the site working, in every browser.
- Inside the apps themselves it works on Android, Windows and Mac. On iPhone, inside the app, you can block or time-limit the whole app.
The trick: block the address, not the app
Shorts isn't a separate app. It's a section of YouTube with its own address, youtube.com/shorts, and the same is true of instagram.com/reels, facebook.com/watch, x.com/explore and any one subreddit at reddit.com/r/name.1
Block that address and the section is gone. The rest of the site keeps working. You can still watch the woodworking channel you subscribe to; you just can't fall into the Shorts shelf.
What the platforms give you for free
Not much. YouTube lets you hide the Shorts shelf temporarily on some surfaces, and it comes back. Instagram and TikTok have screen-time reminders you dismiss with a tap. Apple's Screen Time and Android's Digital Wellbeing can limit the whole app, with a one-tap override.2 None of them can remove one section and leave the rest.
How to do it with LeadMeNot
Add a Website rule with the address of the part you want gone. With or without https://www, either is fine.
- Open LeadMeNot, add a rule, and choose Website.
- Type youtube.com/shorts (or instagram.com/reels, facebook.com/watch, x.com/explore, reddit.com/r/yoursubreddit).
- Choose Block, or Monitor if you'd rather your partner just knew. Save.
The step-by-step guide for your device: Block a website.
Where it applies, device by device
| In browsers | Inside the app itself | |
|---|---|---|
| Android | Yes | Yes, including the YouTube app |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Mac | Yes | Yes |
| Chromebook | Yes, in Chrome | Apps aren't filtered |
| iPhone & iPad | Yes, in Safari with the Safari Extension | The whole app can be blocked or time-limited, not one part of it |
We'd rather tell you this than have you find out. On iPhone, Apple doesn't let any app see inside another app, so no blocker can remove just the Shorts tab from the YouTube app. Your options there are the whole app, or Safari.
If you'd rather not block it outright
- Put it on a schedule. Shorts gone after 9pm and before 9am; available at lunch. See Block an app on a schedule.
- Set a daily limit on the whole app instead, and tell a partner. See Limit time on an app.
- Monitor, don't block. Your partner is told when you open it. For some people that's enough.
A blunter fallback
A Keyword rule for the word "shorts" also works, in browsers and inside apps on Android, Windows and Mac, but it's blunt: it catches other pages that use the word too.1
LeadMeNot
Try it with someone in your corner
LeadMeNot blocks what you choose, tells someone you trust when a rule is broken, and makes a weak moment wait. Free to try on every device you own.
Questions
Can I block YouTube Shorts but keep YouTube?
Yes. Add a LeadMeNot website rule for youtube.com/shorts. It works in browsers on every device, and inside the YouTube app on Android, Windows and Mac. Inside the YouTube app on iPhone, you can block or time-limit the whole app.
Can I block Instagram Reels only?
In a browser, yes, with a rule for instagram.com/reels; inside the Instagram app, on Android, Windows and Mac. On iPhone the Instagram app can be blocked or limited as a whole.
Is there a free way to remove Shorts?
YouTube lets you hide the Shorts shelf temporarily on some surfaces, and it returns. Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing can limit the whole app with a one-tap override. There's no free setting that removes one section for good.
Sources
Checked November 7, 2026. Statements about other products and system features link to the page they come from.