Streaming ads are an inevitability. They interrupt our Netflix binges, cut into Hulu dramas, and disrupt our Spotify playlists. They also support the content-creation economy on YouTube. With 2.5 billion monthly active users worldwide, YouTube brings in the big bucks without asking users to pay for anything. That’s great for creators and viewers—until the fourth consecutive advertisement runs, and you’re starting to forget what you’re actually watching.
For some, commercial breaks are simply the cost of doing (free) business. But for most, YouTube advertising is obtrusive and frustrating—and the platform is making it harder to get around them. So, what can you do to make watching online videos a little more tolerable in between ad breaks? Fortunately, there are still ways to escape these pesky ads.
Wait a Few Seconds
Thankfully, the majority of in-stream ads that play before or during a YouTube video are short—usually 15 seconds or less—and are easily skippable. Which, honestly, is a pretty good compromise between watching and avoiding ads. Just wait five seconds until the Skip Ads button is clickable, click it, and move on with your day. There’s just one catch: The clip no longer counts for the video maker.
If you immediately hit the Skip Ads, it’s no longer considered, as YouTube calls it, an “engaged-view conversation,” and the creator won’t receive any of the ad money that would be owed to them if you had watched the whole thing. To meet that requirement, you’ll have to watch at least 10 seconds of the ad. In order to ensure they get what’s owed to them, creators have the option of making ads unavoidable. You might also encounter longer ad breaks on smart TVs.
(Credit: PCMag / YouTube)
Report the Ad
If you’re seeing the same ad over and over and wish to be free, you can report it. During the pre-roll ad on a YouTube video, tap Tab + Enter on your keyboard to prompt the “About This Ad” box with details on why you’re seeing the ad and who’s behind it. Choose Stop seeing this ad, and you’ll see a warning that the particular advertisement shouldn’t appear again. Keep in mind, though, that this won’t stop you from seeing content in the future from the same advertiser.
Click Report this ad, and you’ll be redirected to a new page, where you can report the advertiser for violating YouTube’s policies on trademarks, counterfeit goods, or even just showing multiple ads (which is against the company’s “unfair advantage” policy). While this won’t mean the end of ads, it will limit exposure to those that aren’t tailored to you. Or, if you hate the customization aspect (because it requires too much tracking of your online actions), turn ad personalization to Off.
(Credit: PCMag/YouTube)
Pay for YouTube Premium
Cost: One-month free trial, then
-
Student: $7.99 per month
-
Premium: $13.99 per month / $139.99 per year
-
Family (five people, plus yourself): $22.99 per month
YouTube Premium is the same as YouTube—just without ads. This is the most legal and ethical way to skip YouTube ads, as it ensures the folks making videos you watch still get paid. Bundled with YouTube Music Premium, it lets subscribers play ad-free songs and videos in the background on desktop and allows for downloading videos to watch later. That freedom from ads extends to YouTube mobile and smart TV apps. And it strips out commercials on shares you make to YouTube Kids.
(Credit: YouTube)
There are caveats: Premium isn’t available everywhere, so if you travel to an unsupported region, you may see ads when your geographic location is identified (usually via your IP address). A VPN that spoofs your location will probably fix this. You may also see ads in embedded YouTube videos if they’re on a site where you block browser cookies. To avoid that, make sure you’re signed in with the Google account used when signing up for YouTube Premium.
If the price seems too steep, there are ways to get it for cheaper. By subscribing to the Google One Premium tier, you’ll be able to add YouTube Premium at a discount. Verizon also offers a cheaper plan with eligible mobile and home internet plans. YouTube has even launched a Premium Lite tier that includes ad-free viewing for $7.99 per month.
(Credit: YouTube)
Block Ads (If You Still Can)
(Credit: Adblock for YouTube)
You were once free to use an ad blocker on Chrome, but after years of tests aimed to block users with an ad blocker installed, Google has declared all-out war on those who would deprive the company of its precious ad dollars. New methods of blocking users from skipping ads have rolled out, culminating in the phaseout of “Manifest V2” extensions to disable several popular ad blockers.
For those who have been affected by Google’s efforts, all is not lost. The caveat here is that the situation is evolving, and workarounds may block ads today but not tomorrow. But here’s what to try while you can:
Recommended by Our Editors
-
Stick with an ad blocker: Many developers are updating their extensions to be compatible with Google’s new Manifest V3 API. If your ad blocker of choice has stopped working, try another one. For those mourning the loss of uBlock Origin, uBlock Origin Lite remains in the Chrome Web Store. Others, such as Privacy Badger and Ghostery, are also worth trying.
-
Change browsers: Alternative browsers like Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi have built-in features that block ads—including YouTube ads—by default. By switching to one of these browsers, you may be able to circumvent the ad-block ban on YouTube. Firefox doesn’t have built-in ad blocking, but it’s the only major browser not based on Chromium, so its extensions are unaffected by Google. Ad blockers like uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, and others should all work as intended.
-
Log out and try private browsing: Google’s ban of ad blockers is account- and cookie-based, so some have reported that logging out of YouTube, opening a private browsing window (such as Incognito Mode in Chrome), or even deleting browser cookies has allowed them to use an ad blocker with YouTube again.
Try YouTube Clones
(Credit: SmartTubeNext)
The above methods are best for desktop use, but it’s hard to block YouTube ads in the official mobile app. If you’re not too attached to brand names, though, there are a few programs that provide an approximation of the video-streaming interface. Many work on Android devices and streaming hubs, such as Amazon’s Fire TV devices, since they run on a variation of the Android OS—you just need to be able to sideload the apps.
You typically won’t find them in a legitimate company store like Google’s Play Store, but the upside of using one is that they strip out the ads. If you do install programs like SmartTubeNext, NewPipe, SkyTube, or ReVanced, remember that they may not last forever. In 2022, Google legally threatened YouTube Vanced, forcing the project to shut down—a fate any of these other tools could meet.
Download Your Favorites
(Credit: Shutterstock/sdx15)
If there are videos you return to time and again but hate being interrupted by ads, download them from YouTube to store on your machine. This does take money away from creators, but you’re probably not running completely afoul of Google’s terms of service—or the law, for that matter—if it’s for personal use. For the full how-to, read our YouTube video download tutorial. For music lovers, there’s also a way to save your favorite songs as MP3 files using a convertor.
Bonus: Stop Ads on Your Own Content
Do you have your own YouTube channel? If you’re not interested in any of that filthy lucre, it’s possible to turn off advertising so folks can view your videos unfettered by crass commerce. You do it all in the name of art anyway, right?
Select your profile on YouTube and go to YouTube Studio > Continue > Content. Click the box next to the videos that should no longer contain ads, then open the drop-down menu and set Monetization to Off. Hit Apply, and you’ll never have to worry about earning money from YouTube again
Like What You’re Reading?
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links.
By clicking the button, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy.
You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
About Eric Griffith
Senior Editor, Features
Read the latest from Eric Griffith
About Jason Cohen
Senior Editor, Help & How To
