Why YouTube Shorts ruined your subscription feed (and how to fix it)

If you follow creators who publish both Shorts and longer videos, catching up on subscriptions can feel cluttered. That does not mean the upload list has stopped being chronological: YouTube says its Subscriptions tab lists subscribed videos by most recent, and its Shorts guidance says recent Shorts from subscribed channels can appear there too.

This guide separates two different jobs: reducing recommendations on YouTube’s Home and watch pages, and filtering likely Shorts from a feed of channels you chose.

What still works

YouTube’s Subscriptions tab already helps you see new uploads from channels you follow, most recent first. The friction for some long-form viewers is not that the upload list is algorithmically reordered; it is that recency alone does not group channels by topic or remove a video format they would rather skip.

Where distractions can enter

1. Shorts from channels you follow

A channel can publish Shorts as well as longer videos. YouTube’s Shorts discovery guidance says the Subscriptions area displays recent Shorts from channels a viewer follows. If you only want longer videos during a catch-up session, this is a format issue, not evidence that subscriptions have been ranked by engagement.

2. Recommendation surfaces beyond Subscriptions

YouTube describes Home, Up Next, and the Shorts player as places where it recommends videos. Those are different from the recent-first Subscriptions upload list. If suggestions pull you away from subscribed channels, reducing recommendations on those surfaces may help.

3. Chronology is not a format filter

Most recent first is useful, but it does not create separate topic groups or exclude likely Shorts. A different feed can offer those controls without making claims that YouTube’s own Subscriptions order is broken.

Why “Not interested” is not a Shorts filter

YouTube says “Not interested” and “Don’t recommend channel” feedback may tune recommendations. They are not a sitewide rule that removes every Short, and they are not the same as a format filter for your subscription catch-up list. Unlike an explicit filter, feedback cannot guarantee that a format will disappear from every YouTube surface.

Options for reducing Shorts and other distractions

Choose based on which surface you want to change: YouTube’s interface, a third-party client, or a separate feed.

Browser extensions (Unhook, DF Tube)

Browser extensions can hide selected YouTube page elements in supported browsers. Check each extension’s current settings and platform support for the Shorts surfaces you want to hide.

Limitations: an extension changes what you see on YouTube’s page; it does not create a new feed of grouped channels. Its behavior may need updates when YouTube changes its interface.

YouTube’s built-in Shorts feed limit (rolled out in 2025)

YouTube began rolling out a daily Shorts feed limit on mobile in October 2025. In the YouTube app, go to You → Settings → Time management → Shorts feed limit and choose zero minutes, as shown in YouTube’s instructions. When the limit is reached, YouTube shows a reminder that can be dismissed or ignored.

Limitations: this is a mobile-app scrolling limit, not a hard Shorts blocker. It does not remove Shorts from other YouTube surfaces such as Subscriptions or search, and the reminder can be dismissed.

Alternative YouTube clients (FreeTube, NewPipe, LibreTube)

Some alternative clients offer controls over which formats appear. Check the current version and platform before relying on a particular Shorts filter.

Limitations: installation and feature coverage vary by client and device. These clients may also need updates when YouTube changes how videos are served.

Feedvault — organize subscriptions separately

Feedvault is a standalone web app that builds separate chronological Feeds for channels you add. Its Feeds filter likely Shorts using duration and aspect ratio: videos up to 120 seconds are excluded; from 121–180 seconds, square, vertical, or unknown aspect ratios are excluded, while known landscape videos can appear. Videos with unknown duration stay hidden pending a metadata check. This is a heuristic rather than YouTube’s own Shorts label, so it cannot guarantee perfect identification. It filters Feedvault’s Feeds, not YouTube’s website or app.

Feedvault’s separate surface does not depend on YouTube’s page layout. On mobile, it works because it is a website, with no install, sideload, or extension.

Beyond YouTube’s recent-first Subscriptions tab, Feedvault groups channels into named Feeds with emoji icons and offers a separate “Studies” surface for saving individual videos with notes.

For a deeper comparison of every method including pros and cons, see the dedicated guide on how to block YouTube Shorts.

The bigger picture

YouTube already offers a recent-first Subscriptions list. Feedvault is useful for a different reason: it lets you group chosen channels into separate Feeds and filters likely Shorts from those Feeds. Home and Up Next recommendations are separate YouTube surfaces, so a browser extension or YouTube control may still be useful when you watch there.

The distinction matters. “Not interested” shapes recommendations; a Shorts feed limit reminds you about scrolling; Feedvault filters likely Shorts from its own Feeds. None of these is a universal switch that removes Shorts everywhere on YouTube. For more on choosing videos away from Home recommendations, see YouTube without the algorithm.

What to do today

1. Today: in the YouTube mobile app, set the Shorts feed limit to zero if you want a reminder before scrolling. You can dismiss the reminder, so use another control if you need a stricter filter.
2. If you want a cleaner YouTube page: consider a browser extension such as Unhook or DF Tube, and check which page elements it can hide in your browser.
3. If you want topic groups and a separate feed: use RSS or try Feedvault for chronological Feeds, likely-Shorts filtering, and Studies. Use a separate control if you also want to change YouTube’s own pages.

YouTube’s Subscriptions list is already recent-first. If you want a different viewing setup, choose the controls that address the specific distraction you want to reduce.