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How to Block Unwanted YouTube Ads

YouTube is an incredible source of entertainment and education. You can watch classic music performances, learn how to fix a leaky faucet, or follow yoga exercises for senior health. Unfortunately, the experience can be interrupted by constant, loud, and sometimes scammy video advertisements.

While YouTube relies on ads to pay content creators, the volume of ads has increased dramatically over the last few years. Some ads even try to trick users into buying fraudulent health products or signing up for fake financial grants.

In this guide, we will show you how to reduce the number of ads you see, block offensive or scammy ads, and browse YouTube in a clean and peaceful environment.

1. The Safest Option: Customize Your Google Ad Settings

Google owns YouTube, and it tracks your web browsing to show you "personalized ads." If you don't like the ads you are seeing, you can tell Google to stop showing you specific categories (like finance, gambling, or weight loss products).

How to edit your ad preferences:

  1. Go to Google My Ad Center in a web browser.
  2. Sign in with your Google (Gmail) account if you aren't already.
  3. Toggle Personalized Ads to Off if you want random ads instead of tracked ads, or keep it On and customize the topics you want to see less of.
  4. Scroll down to Sensitive Topics and click See Less on categories like alcohol, dating, gambling, weight loss, and pregnancy.

2. How to Skip Ads Safely on TV and Smartphones

Not all ads are unskippable. Knowing where to look on your screen can help you get back to your video quickly.

Look for the "Skip Ad" Button: After an ad plays for 5 seconds, a small grey button saying "Skip Ad" or "Skip" will appear in the bottom-right corner of the video. Keep your eyes on that corner and tap it as soon as it appears.

Report and Block Harmful or Scammy Ads

If you see an ad that is offensive, too loud, or claims you won a "government prize," you should report it to clean up your feed:

  1. On the video player, look for the tiny info icon (a small circle with an "i" in the middle) or a three-dot icon next to the ad's timer.
  2. Click it and select Block ad or Report ad.
  3. Choose the reason (e.g., "Irrelevant" or "Repetitive") and submit. YouTube will block that specific merchant from showing you ads ever again.

3. Using Ad Blockers on Computers

If you watch YouTube primarily on a laptop or desktop computer, you can install a free browser extension that blocks advertisements entirely across the web, including YouTube video ads.

Recommended Ad Blocker: We highly recommend uBlock Origin. It is 100% free, safe, and does not sell your data. To install it, search for "uBlock Origin Chrome Extension" in your browser, click "Add to Chrome," and it will automatically start blocking ads.

Note: YouTube frequently updates its site to block ad blockers, so you may occasionally see a prompt asking you to disable it. uBlock Origin is updated constantly by volunteers to bypass these prompts.

4. Ad-Free Viewing: YouTube Premium

If you watch YouTube for multiple hours every day on your smart TV or phone and cannot stand any interruptions, Google offers a paid subscription called YouTube Premium.

  • What it includes: Total removal of all video ads, the ability to play videos in the background while using other apps, and offline video downloads.
  • Cost: Approx. $13.99/month. If it fits your budget, it is the most reliable, official way to enjoy an ad-free experience on any device, including smart TVs.

The Bottom Line

You do not have to endure loud, irrelevant, or scary advertisements while trying to enjoy your favorite videos. By adjusting your Google Ad Center settings, installing a free ad blocker on your computer, or utilizing the skip button efficiently, you can make YouTube a much more relaxing and educational place. Try adjusting your settings today and take back your viewing experience!

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