Block YouTube ads – here’s how

Are you looking forward to finally seeing the latest music video of your favorite artist? You’re fascinated by a Let’s Play video and immerse yourself deeper and deeper into the scenery shown? You’re desperate for the tutorial that’s supposed to show you how to fix your overflowing sink? How annoying that these experiences are interrupted or delayed by annoying commercials! Fortunately, there are ways and means to block ads on YouTube. We’ll show them to you!

YouTube app can’t be used ad-free

First, the bad news: there is no secure way to block ads in the YouTube app. Consequently, if you prefer watching your videos through the app, you’ll either have to make friends with the constant ads or sign up for a premium subscription. YouTube has thus created a way to use its offer ad-free for a fee. In addition, it is possible in the premium model to download videos and watch them offline. Furthermore, it is possible here to have videos play in the background, which is particularly popular for music.

Block YouTube ads in the browser

On all devices, however, you have the option of watching YouTube videos not in an app, but in the browser. Here, in turn, there is the possibility of effectively blocking advertising. This is possible in several ways.

AdBlocker for YouTube

Probably the best known way is to install an AdBlocker. These programs have exactly one task: to block advertising. They usually do this job well. Nevertheless, they also bring some disadvantages. So, some websites stop working when they detect that an AdBlocker is active. In this case, however, there is a possibility for you to temporarily disable the AdBlocker.

There are numerous programs you can choose from. It is advisable here to orientate yourself on independent reviews of the programs and not to rely on niche products without reviews – after all, you have to download and install the AdBlocker and do not want to catch any malware in the process.

You should also keep in mind that most ad blockers are developed as plug-ins for specific browsers. This means that you will need a separate plug-in for each browser you want to use for watching YouTube videos. Alternatively, you can use out-of-the-box ad-free browsers, such as Vivaldi. However, this does not apply to cell phones. Here, available AdBlock apps usually turn off the ads in any browser, allowing you to use YouTube without ads.

URL supplement for advertising freedom

Besides that, a simple trick exists that makes it possible to use YouTube without ads without any new software at all: A simple addition to the video URL will turn off the ads that are shown before, after and in the video. To do this, you need to do the following:

1. Retrieve the video you want to watch.
2. Copy the video URL into the browser line.
3. Add a dot after the URL component “.com”.
4. Press the Enter key.

As a result, the video in question should play entirely without advertising.