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How to block keywords on YouTube

As a viewer you can't give YouTube a word and say "never show me this". The extension can: add a word once and every video with it in the title or the channel name stays hidden, in search and everywhere else.

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Close-up of the Up next column on a test feed: the word prank in a video title is ringed in red, and a black label below it says Hide every video with this word

Sample feed: type a word to hide the videos that use it

The channels and videos are made up. The feed reacts the way YouTube does with the extension installed.

Try:

Showing all 3 items. Nothing is hidden yet.

13:09

Finale review with SPOILERS: the ending explained

Twist Talk

410K views · 1 day ago

19:44

Best prank fails of the year (try not to laugh)

Prank Patrol

6.2M views · 1 month ago

31:20

Reaction: the worst film of the year

React Lab

2.4M views · 6 days ago

Why YouTube's own tools don't do it

A few settings sound close to a keyword filter, but each one does something else.

  • A minus sign in the search box. Typing sourdough -vlog is supposed to drop results with "vlog". YouTube doesn't always respect it, and it only applies to that one search. Home and Up next ignore it.
  • Not interested and Don't recommend channel. Both work on one video or one channel at a time. Neither accepts a word, so a topic you're tired of keeps arriving from channels you've never seen before.
  • Blocked words in YouTube Studio. That list belongs to creators and filters comments under their own videos. It has no effect on what you watch.

Supervised kids' accounts let parents set a content level and block particular channels. Words aren't on the menu there either.

Block a word in three steps

  1. 1

    Install it and check the switch

    Install the free extension in Chrome, Edge, Brave or Opera; the install page has the file and a short guide. Open the panel from the red icon and make sure the switch at the top says On.

    Get the free extension
    Close-up of the extension panel on a test feed; a red arrow points at the On switch in its top right corner
    The panel right after installing. The switch at the top is on.
  2. 2

    Type the word in the panel

    Click the red icon. Type a word or a short phrase in "Hide videos with a word" and press the plus button. Matching videos leave the open YouTube tab straight away.

    Close-up of the extension panel; a red arrow points at the Hide videos with a word field with a word typed in
    The word goes into the field in the panel.
  3. 3

    Tune it in settings

    Every word you've added is listed on the settings page. Short ones work better with Whole word only. You can also remove a word there, or export the whole list to a file for another computer.

    Close-up of the keyword list on the settings page; a red arrow points at the Whole word box next to one of the words
    Each word has its own Whole word box and a Remove button.

How a word is matched

The extension compares each word with the video title and the channel name. Capital letters don't matter. By default the word can sit inside a longer one, so "fin" would also catch "finale" and "finance". Whole word only stops that: "art" then hides "Art supplies haul" and leaves "Start here" and "party ideas" alone.

Words that name what you're avoiding work best: a show, a game, a person, a format like "reaction". Phrases are fine too, such as "full match".

What gets hidden where

On YouTubeVideos with the word
Search resultsHidden
HomeHidden
Up nextHidden
SubscriptionsHidden
Shorts shelvesMatching Shorts are hidden
Descriptions, tags, commentsNot read. Only the title and channel name count

YouTube's options next to the extension

You wantYouTubeThe extension
Hide videos with a word in the titleNoYes
Check channel names tooNoYes
Match only the whole wordNoPer word
Apply to every search by itselfMinus sign, one search, unreliableYes
Filter comments on your channelBlocked words in StudioNo
Work in the YouTube appNo filter thereComputer only

Limits worth knowing

  • Only titles and channel names are checked. A video with a bland title about a topic you avoid will slip through. Block that channel instead.
  • A very short word can hide more than you meant. Switch on Whole word only or use a longer phrase.
  • The list stays in this browser, and we never receive it.

FAQ

Can you block keywords on YouTube?

YouTube itself gives viewers no keyword filter. With the extension in a desktop browser you can add any word, and matching videos are hidden across youtube.com.

How do I keep a word out of YouTube search?

Add it to the list once. After that, every search leaves out results with that word in the title or channel name, and you don't have to type anything extra.

Can I block a whole topic?

Yes, through the words that describe it, like the show's title or the names of the people in it. Add a few related words, and block the channels that cover nothing else.

Does it work in the YouTube app?

No. The apps for iPhone, iPad and Android don't run extensions. The filter works on youtube.com in Chrome, Edge, Brave or Opera on a computer.

What does Whole word only change?

The word has to stand alone. Without it, "art" also hides "start" and "party". With it, only titles that use "art" by itself are hidden.

Last updated

Keep the creators you like. Lose the rest.

Free, no account, and any block comes off with one click. Runs in Chrome, Edge, Brave and Opera on a computer.

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See also