YouTube Liberation: Anti-Distraction Skin
Chrome extension to liberate you from the infinite distraction cycle of YouTube.
Like other social media platforms, YouTube is very good at showing you content that you want to watch but weren't planning to or looking for, making it super easy to get distracted and get sucked into one video after another and suddenly lose an hour of your day. Yet there are so many valuable resources and videos that you can't find elsewhere: tutorials, event coverage, specific creators you subscribe to who you know always publish high-quality content worth watching. For many of us, the value of YouTube makes it worth the sacrifice of even its most distracting possibilities, and it's impossible to just cut away.
What if it didn't have to be this way? What if you could have the good of YouTube, see the content you want to see, without the platform constantly trying to drag your attention through an endless stream of productivity-draining drudgery?
This is the philosophy behind YouTube Liberation. It's time to rise up, lose your chains, and join us as we march our way towards a better YouTube!
YouTube Liberation works by hiding elements that lead you towards new content you don't intend to see, without compromising any core viewing features. These elements include:
- The entire home page of alg-generated recommendations
- Video recommendations on watch pages
- Comments sections on watch pages
- Extraneous UI elements, replacing the full sidebar with a much more minimal one and removing most topbar buttons
YouTube liberation does not at all compromise:
- Subscriptions and trending pages
- Channel pages
- Playlists
- Video stats, description, etc.
What are considered vital core features and what are considered distracting elements varies from use case to use case and person to person. For certain kinds of videos, comments might be more constructive than distracting. For creators, notifications and easy access to uploading might be important (though that's why YouTube Studio exists...). Thus, one feature I'm working on adding right now is the ability to customize what gets hidden and what is shown, with a recommended configuration as it is right now.
Latest reviews
I totally agree that a extension like this is absolutely necessary. It's so easy for you to get lost on the billions of videos recommended by youtube and forget what you're gonna look for. This one works well, but I did uninstall it and will look for another anti-youtube distraction extension because it hides even my own playlists. I have a watch later playlist and a study playlist, but with Youtube liberation I cannot see it.
It broke the youtube homepage for me. couldn't load it until I disabled the extension.
USELESS. I tried to apply it bas an ad blocker for YouTube (I cannot afford premium), and it made the YouTube home page completely blank. I couldn't adjust three settings, either. Maybe my laptop is out of date, but this app isn't good if you want to use it for annoying ad-free entertainment. I like to sleep with YouTube on, but not happy with loud, obnoxious game demos or sales pitches for businesses I have no interest in. I had Ad Block for a brief while, but it failed after that. Then I tried another, and Chrome claimed today that it had malware, so that, too is now gone. Meanwhile, ads on YouTube are worse than ever in quantity, and they do their best to keep pushing Premium. So not fair. I understand ads pay costs, but do not overdo it or insert them in the middle of a sentence or important message.
Excellent. Right on Utility.
Watch History turned off, Return YouTube Dislike, SponsorBlock for YouTube, DeArrow, Youtube-shorts block, uBlock Origin and this. Finally, YouTube free from rabbit holes and nonsense <3 As of writing this, it appears the sidebar replacement is bugged and won't appear.
It really decimates the site, for a quick no non-sense, blunt and aggressively bleak as bleach and desert approach, like for when studying for exams, disciniplining your habits or lagged sleep, this might be IT. For me, I had to disable EVERYTHING, javascripts, CSS user styles, the cosmetic extensions and general overhaul like improved tube also borked: this app is as impartial as ruthless and a good in desperate time, this is a wartime extension equivalent
It really decimates the site, for a quick no non-sense, blunt and aggressively bleak as bleach and desert approach, like for when studying for exams, disciniplining your habits or lagged sleep, this might be IT. For me, I had to disable EVERYTHING, javascripts, CSS user styles, the cosmetic extensions and general overhaul like improved tube also borked: this app is as impartial as ruthless and a good in desperate time, this is a wartime extension equivalent
Good but no dark mod support, the background is pure white.
Good but no dark mod support, the background is pure white.
Background colour is too bright, could have given option to choose background colour.
Background colour is too bright, could have given option to choose background colour.
It needs a 'disable/enable extension' button. Sometimes all we need is some distraction.
It needs a 'disable/enable extension' button. Sometimes all we need is some distraction.
I love this extention!
I love this extention!
an essential for me
an essential for me
Beautiful, perfect. You don't miss any of the tools you need for common youtube usage, but it cleans all of the trash that youtube puts on your screen to make you a clicker. The extension creates a totally new experience from using youtube that just feels like the way youtube always should have been.
Beautiful, perfect. You don't miss any of the tools you need for common youtube usage, but it cleans all of the trash that youtube puts on your screen to make you a clicker. The extension creates a totally new experience from using youtube that just feels like the way youtube always should have been.
So good! one of my favorite chrome plug-ins. Goodbye youtube black holes
So good! one of my favorite chrome plug-ins. Goodbye youtube black holes
It felt like a prison the first day, but boy this is helpful!
It felt like a prison the first day, but boy this is helpful!
This is an amazing application. Has really helped me avoid watching endless cycle of videos.
This is an amazing application. Has really helped me avoid watching endless cycle of videos.
The best one so far.
The best one so far.
This is really helpful, one thing that's kind of annoying is that you can't open the transcript for a video which I usually use to take notes, but other than that it completely cuts down YouTube time.
This is really helpful, one thing that's kind of annoying is that you can't open the transcript for a video which I usually use to take notes, but other than that it completely cuts down YouTube time.
Almost perfect. Can u please fix sidebar appearance (now it cant be hidden, and overlaps the view)?
Almost perfect. Can u please fix sidebar appearance (now it cant be hidden, and overlaps the view)?
Excellent. YouTube is so much better now! I do have an issue where the video time control doesn't work properly unless the video player is put into theater mode, but other than that it is perfect.
Excellent. YouTube is so much better now! I do have an issue where the video time control doesn't work properly unless the video player is put into theater mode, but other than that it is perfect.
With the well designed anti-distraction skin, this extension offers, I have been able to bring my youtube viewing time down from a matter of hours each day to what is typically 10-20 minutes. Having curbed my youtube addiction, I feel better mentally and physically (yes, lying down in bed all day watching videos isn't good for your back). Also, because I am watching less, I value the content I happen to watch more. Thank-you developer of this extension. After a month and a half of using your extention, I am much more productive and am enjoying a higher quality of life.
With the well designed anti-distraction skin, this extension offers, I have been able to bring my youtube viewing time down from a matter of hours each day to what is typically 10-20 minutes. Having curbed my youtube addiction, I feel better mentally and physically (yes, lying down in bed all day watching videos isn't good for your back). Also, because I am watching less, I value the content I happen to watch more. Thank-you developer of this extension. After a month and a half of using your extention, I am much more productive and am enjoying a higher quality of life.
GREAT SO FAR. Say goodbye to my youtube addiction
GREAT SO FAR. Say goodbye to my youtube addiction
Love it! It'd be great if you could remove the access to the trending page too.
Love it! It'd be great if you could remove the access to the trending page too.
Muito útil.
I never write reviews or anything but this thing has just skyrocketed my creativity and allowed me to do things that I couldn't get to before. Amazing. The YouTube recommendation system is SO GOOD at making you watch for way too long-- the only videos I have now are ones of engineering (which I recommend unsubscribing from anyone unproductive) and also I have a playlist of nice rain noises. Thank you so much for making this.
I never write reviews or anything but this thing has just skyrocketed my creativity and allowed me to do things that I couldn't get to before. Amazing. The YouTube recommendation system is SO GOOD at making you watch for way too long-- the only videos I have now are ones of engineering (which I recommend unsubscribing from anyone unproductive) and also I have a playlist of nice rain noises. Thank you so much for making this.
Nice work, but i can't work without PocketTube: Youtube Subscription Manager on a sidebar.
Nice work, but i can't work without PocketTube: Youtube Subscription Manager on a sidebar.
Great extension, I love how it centres the content in the middle of the screen. Lots of love was put into this and I'm hugely appreciative. It's definitely helped prevent me from falling into the endless rabbit hole that YouTube actively enables.
Great extension, I love how it centres the content in the middle of the screen. Lots of love was put into this and I'm hugely appreciative. It's definitely helped prevent me from falling into the endless rabbit hole that YouTube actively enables.
I owe my own existence to the one who birthed and raised this beautiful stallion of a productivity app.
I owe my own existence to the one who birthed and raised this beautiful stallion of a productivity app.
Very nice. My productivity has spiked because of this wonderful creation. Whoever programmed this is a genius; absolutely stunning work!
Very nice. My productivity has spiked because of this wonderful creation. Whoever programmed this is a genius; absolutely stunning work!
