7 Methods to Block Ads on YouTube

Are you enjoying a video on YouTube but are disrupted by an ad? If you don't mind paying a monthly fee, signing up for YouTube Premium will prevent ads from showing up on any platform into which you're signed in. Otherwise, you'll need to look into 3rd party apps for adblockers or VPN services, which may or may not be free. Finally, you can disable ads on your own videos if you're trying to prevent your audience from seeing them. This wikiHow article teaches you how to prevent ads from displaying on YouTube for yourself as well as on the videos that you've uploaded for other people to see.

Things You Should Know

The easiest way to block ads on YouTube is to sign up for YouTube Premium.
For a free solution, try using an ad-blocking web browser like Brave to watch YouTube videos ad-free.
Finally, paid alternatives like AdLock for Windows and Mac exist as well as paying for a VPN service.

Method 1

Method 1 of 7:

Signing up for YouTube Premium

1
Open the YouTube Premium sign-up page. Go to https://www.youtube.com/premium in your computer's web browser.
- A YouTube Premium subscription removes all ads from any videos you watch while signed into your Google Account on all your devices (e.g., Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, Xbox, etc.).^{[1]
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2
Click TRY IT FREE. It's a blue button in the middle of the page.
- If you're signed into your Google Account and you've already used a free month of YouTube Premium or YouTube Red in the past, this button will say GET YOUTUBE PREMIUM instead.
- If you aren't logged into your Google Account, enter your email address and password when prompted, then click TRY IT FREE again before proceeding.
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3
Enter your payment details. Type your card number, card expiration date, and card security code into the labeled text fields, then enter your billing address as it appears on your bank statements in the "Billing address" text box.
- If you want to use a non-card payment method, click Add credit or debit card at the top of the window, then click Add new PayPal account and follow the on-screen prompts.
- If you already have a card on file with Google, you'll just enter the card's security code.
4
Click BUY. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so signs you up for YouTube Premium; you'll receive one month free, after which point you'll be billed $11.99 per month.
- If you clicked GET YOUTUBE PREMIUM instead of TRY IT FREE, you will be billed upon clicking BUY.

Method 2

Method 2 of 7:

Using Brave

1
Get an ad-blocking web browser from the Google Play Store or App Store. There are plenty of websites that offer ad-blocking, like Brave.
- You can also get Brave for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers!
2
Go to YouTube.com with that web browser. Make sure you're using an ad-blocking browser, like Brave, instead of Chrome or a different web browser!
3
Switch the toggle on Brave to activate ad-blocking. The toggle is on a shield-looking background and will turn orange to indicate that you're being protected.

Method 3

Method 3 of 7:

On Google Chrome

1
Open
Google Chrome. Click or double-click the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.
2
Open the Adblock for YouTube extension page. This is the official download page for Adblock for YouTube.
3
Click Add to Chrome. It's a blue button on the upper-right side of the page.
4
Click Add extension when prompted. Doing so adds Adblock for YouTube to your Google Chrome browser. You can also pin the extension to your toolbar so you can easily access it.
5
Close the "Adblock for YouTube" tab when it opens. Once this tab opens, Adblock for YouTube has been successfully installed.
6
Watch YouTube videos without ads. Now that Adblock for YouTube is installed in Chrome, YouTube videos will no longer display ads.
- You can also try the ad-blocker called uBlock Origin, which is another Chrome extension that's also free.

Method 4

Method 4 of 7:

AdLock for Windows

1
Go to https://adlock.com/adlock-for-windows/ in a web browser. AdLock for Windows is a paid subscription service (much cheaper than Premium) that will block every ad in any browser you use or those that appear in games (like Windows 10 Jigsaw).
- You can sign up to use a free trial by clicking Download and downloading the software to try it before buying it.
2
Install the downloaded software. You should see a notification pop-up on your web browser when the file is finished downloading. Click that to open the .exe.
- If you missed the notification, you can find the downloaded file in "Downloads" of File Explorer.
3
Follow the installation wizard. Click Yes and give the software permission to make changes to your PC, then select an install location and click Done.
4
Open AdLock. Click the icon that looks like a padlock with the word "Ad" inside it.
5
Click the toggle to switch it on
. You won't be able to miss it – this toggle is large and is in the middle of your screen.
- Any web browser you open now will automatically block ads, and that's including YouTube ads.^{[2]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 7:

AdLock for Mac

1
Go to https://adlock.com/adlock-for-macos/ in a web browser. AdLock for Mac is a paid service (that's much cheaper than YouTube Premium) and is a highly popular software to avoid ads. It will block ads not only from YouTube, but also from any web browser you use.
2
Click Download. This yellow button is centered near the top of the page.
- A Finder window will open so you can save it in a different location, and the page will change to installation instructions.
3
Install the downloaded software. The downloaded file will automatically open when the download is finished, and all you need to do is drag the AdLock installer to the Applications folder.
4
Follow the installation wizard. Click Continue through the installation setup, then enter your Mac's admin username and password to finalize the process.
5
Open AdLock and click Open Security Preferences when prompted. Click the icon that looks like a padlock with the word "Ad" inside it to open AdLock, then you'll need to allow a few more permissions before you can continue.
6
Click Allow. You'll see this at the bottom of the window next to, "System software from application, 'AdLock.app' was blocked from loading.
- You can now use any web browser to block ads from YouTube and more.

Method 6

Method 6 of 7:

VPN

1
A paid VPN service that includes ad-blocking might be the solution for you. There are many different VPN providers, but NordVPN and CyberGhost are the two top-rated ones.
2
Sign up for a VPN and change your country to an area like Poland, Czechia, Georgia, or Lithuania. YouTube doesn't serve any ads to those locations. Note that some VPNs don't work for some areas.

Method 7

Method 7 of 7:

Disabling Ads on Your Videos

1
Understand when to do this. Only use this method if you want to turn off ads on videos you've uploaded to prevent users from seeing them; otherwise, skip ahead to one of the other methods.
- Removing ads from your video(s) will demonetize the video(s) in question.
2
Open YouTube. Go to https://www.youtube.com/ in your computer's web browser. This will open your YouTube homepage if you're logged into your Google Account.
- If you aren't signed in, click SIGN IN in the top-right corner of the page and enter your email address and password before proceeding.
- You'll need to perform this process on a computer.
3
Click your profile icon. It's a circular icon in the top-right corner of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
4
Click YouTube Studio (beta). This is in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the YouTube Studio page.
5
Click the Videos tab. It's on the left side of the page. You should see a list of videos you've uploaded appear.
6
Find the video you want to use. Scroll down until you find the video on which you want to disable ads.
7
Click the "Monetization" drop-down box. It's next to the video's name. Doing so prompts a drop-down menu.
- If you don't see this option, your account isn't set up for monetization; thus, your videos should not have ads on them.
8
Click Off. This is in the drop-down menu.^{[3]
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9
Click SAVE. It's in the bottom-right corner of the menu. This will turn off ads for your selected video, though you will no longer receive money for the video either.

Community Q&A

Question

Do I have to pay for the Chrome AdBlock?

Community Answer

Yes and no. Chrome would like you to give a donation instead of "paying." They have options starting at $5 that go up to $100. But keep in mind, five people get paid with the money that you pay them.
Question

I've tried, but it's not working. How do I do this?

Community Answer

Open up a YouTube video (any will do). Open up the developer console (Ctrl-Shift-J for Chrome, Ctrl-Shift-K for Firefox). Enter the following code: [document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=oKckVSqvaGw; path=/; domain=.youtube.com";window.location.reload();] and you should have no more ads whilst the developer window is open.
Question

How do I get rid of ads without having to root?

Community Answer

You need Ad-Blocker. The ads are there to monetize the video, and there's nothing we can do to get rid of them.