How do I block YouTube Shorts on my Mac?

There is no clean way to block only the Shorts feed across a Mac, because Shorts live on the same youtube.com domain as every other video. The reliable options are: block all of youtube.com at the system level with the free Focuh Mac app so the rabbit hole is gone during focus time, or use a browser extension that hides the Shorts shelf in one browser. If Shorts is your real time-sink, a full YouTube block during work holds better than a partial one.

Why can't I block just YouTube Shorts and keep normal videos?

Shorts are not a separate website. They are served from youtube.com under the /shorts path, the same domain as search, subscriptions, and full videos. A system-level blocker matches the whole hostname, so it blocks all of YouTube or none of it — it cannot single out the Shorts path. Only a browser extension that edits the page can hide the Shorts shelf specifically, and that works in one browser at a time, not system-wide.

Can I block YouTube Shorts on Mac for free?

Yes. The free Focuh Mac app blocks all of youtube.com across every browser at the system level during a focus session. Editing the hosts file in Terminal blocks YouTube for free across browsers too. For hiding just the Shorts shelf rather than blocking the site, free browser extensions exist but only work in the browser you install them in. macOS Screen Time can limit youtube.com but only enforces it in Safari.

Does blocking YouTube on Mac also block the YouTube app and other browsers?

A system-level blocker does. The Focuh Mac app blocks youtube.com across Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Arc at once, and because it works at the OS level it also covers a YouTube desktop or web-app shortcut. A browser extension does not — it only blocks the one browser it is installed in, so you can open YouTube in Safari or a separate app and the Shorts feed is right there waiting.

How do I block YouTube Shorts but still watch lectures or tutorials?

Block all of youtube.com during your focus sessions and watch the lectures you need outside those sessions, on purpose. Trying to keep YouTube half-open almost always reopens the Shorts rabbit hole, because the recommendations are designed to pull you back. If you study from YouTube daily, the Focuh Mac app lets you end the session when you genuinely need a video and restart it after, rather than leaving the feed open all day.

Can I block YouTube Shorts only during work hours on Mac?

Yes. With a session-based blocker like the Focuh Mac app, you start a focus session when work begins and YouTube is blocked until you stop it, so Shorts is gone during work and back in the evening. For fixed daily windows like 9 to 5 on weekdays, Cold Turkey supports scheduled blocks. The hosts-file method has no scheduling, so it suits an all-day block rather than a recurring window you toggle.

Is a Chrome extension or the Mac app better for blocking Shorts?

It depends on the goal. If you only want the Shorts shelf hidden and you live in one browser, an extension that edits the YouTube page is the lighter fit. If you want the whole rabbit hole gone during focus time across every browser and the desktop app, the Focuh Mac app is stronger because it blocks at the system level and is harder to switch off mid-session than a browser toggle.

block YouTube ShortsmacOSwebsite blockersystem-levelfocus

How to Block YouTube Shorts on Mac (2026)

June 17, 20269 min readFocuh

YouTube Shorts is the fastest scroll on the internet to fall into and the hardest to climb out of — one swipe becomes forty before you have decided to watch anything. Blocking it on a Mac has a catch worth knowing up front: Shorts is not a separate site, so you cannot cleanly block only the Shorts feed system-wide. The reliable fix is to block all of youtube.com during focus time with the free Focuh Mac app, so the rabbit hole is closed in every browser at once.

This guide explains the trade-off, the free ways to do it, and why blocking YouTube in just one browser does not hold on a Mac.

The fast answer

To block YouTube Shorts on a Mac, install the free Focuh desktop app, add youtube.com to your blocked sites, grant Accessibility permission once, and start a focus session. That blocks all of YouTube — Shorts included — across Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Arc at the same time. There is no account and no paid tier. If you only want the Shorts shelf hidden while keeping the rest of YouTube, that is a browser-extension job in one browser, covered below.

The catch: Shorts isn't a separate site

Here is the part that trips people up. Shorts are served from youtube.com under the /shorts path — the same domain as search, your subscriptions, and full-length videos. A system-level blocker matches the whole hostname, so it can block all of YouTube or none of it. It cannot single out the Shorts path and leave the rest open.

That leaves two honest choices. Block all of YouTube during the work you want to protect, which is the stronger fix if Shorts genuinely wrecks your focus. Or hide just the Shorts shelf with a browser extension that edits the page — lighter, but it only works in the one browser you install it in, and the feed is one browser-switch away. For most people whose problem is the swipe-swipe-swipe reflex, blocking the whole domain during focus time is what actually sticks.

Why one-browser blocking doesn't hold

A browser extension blocks the browser it lives in and nothing else. On a Mac you almost certainly have more than one browser, so blocking YouTube in Chrome leaves Safari one click away in the Dock, already logged in. The Shorts reflex does not care which browser it uses; it finds the open door.

Blocking YouTube below the browser solves that. Block the domain at the system level and every browser is covered by a single block. The principle is in system-level website blocking on macOS, and the comparison is in system-level vs browser website blocking.

Method 1: Focuh Mac app (free, system-level, all browsers)

Focuh is a free macOS focus app that blocks sites and apps at the system level with macOS Accessibility APIs, tied to a focus session rather than running all day.

Download the free Focuh app and install it.
Add youtube.com to your blocked sites in Settings.
Grant Accessibility permission when prompted — one-time setup.
Start a focus session. YouTube, Shorts included, is blocked for the duration in every browser.

Because the block is tied to a session and lives outside the browser, it is harder to switch off on impulse than a browser toggle, and it also covers a YouTube desktop or web-app shortcut. When you genuinely need a lecture, end the session, watch it, and restart — which keeps the feed off autopilot. The trade-off: macOS only, and a determined user can revoke Accessibility permission in System Settings.

Method 2: Edit the hosts file (free, built in)

The hosts file blocks YouTube across every browser with no software:

Open Terminal and run sudo nano /etc/hosts.
Enter your password.
Add at the bottom:

127.0.0.1 youtube.com
127.0.0.1 www.youtube.com
127.0.0.1 m.youtube.com

Save with Control + O, exit with Control + X.
Flush DNS: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.

This covers every browser for free, but blocks all of YouTube with no schedule and no timer, and you edit the file again to undo it. It suits an all-day block, not a recurring window.

Method 3: A browser extension to hide the Shorts shelf

If you want to keep YouTube but lose the Shorts feed specifically, a browser extension that edits the YouTube page can hide the Shorts shelf and the Shorts tab. This is the only approach that targets Shorts alone rather than the whole site.

The limits are the usual ones: it works in a single browser, it can be switched off in two clicks, and switching to Safari brings Shorts straight back. It is the right tool if your problem is narrow and you live in one browser. If you find a half-open YouTube keeps pulling you back, block the whole domain instead.

How the methods compare

Method	Free?	Targets Shorts only	All browsers	Hard to bypass
Focuh Mac app	Yes	No (blocks all YouTube)	Yes	Medium
Hosts file	Yes	No	Yes	Medium
Shorts-hiding extension	Yes	Yes	One browser	Low
Screen Time	Yes	No	Safari only	Low

The tools that cover every browser block all of YouTube; the one tool that isolates Shorts works in a single browser. There is no option that does both, because of how Shorts is served. For blocking YouTube on a schedule specifically, see blocking YouTube on a Mac during work hours.

Why blocking Shorts is worth it

Shorts is the most optimized attention trap YouTube has built. Each clip is engineered to end right before your interest does, the next one autoplays, and there is no natural stopping point — the design assumes you will not choose to stop, so it never asks. A "quick break" on Shorts routinely eats half an hour, and the refocus cost after is larger than the break itself.

Blocking removes the choice during the hours you meant to work. The swipe reflex still fires when a task gets hard, but it hits a wall instead of a feed, and over a few weeks it fires less. You still watch the videos you actually want — later, on purpose, outside a focus session. If Shorts is one of several leaks, add the rest to the same blocklist; the same Chrome-side guide on blocking YouTube Shorts on Chrome covers the browser-only route.

Block YouTube Shorts on your Mac now

Install the free Focuh Mac app to block all of YouTube — Shorts included — across every browser during focus sessions. About three minutes to set up, no account. If you only want the Shorts shelf hidden and you stay in one browser, a page-editing extension is the lighter option, but be honest about whether a half-open YouTube ever stays half-open.