FocusTube: Block YouTube Shorts, Hide Recommendations & Distractions

Tracking since Apr 1, 2026.

Changelog

• Jun 21, 2026
  description

  🎯 FocusTube: Remove Distractions and Reclaim Your Attention from YouTube's Algorithm
  🛠️ Built by Benjamin Floyd Rubin (ex-Amazon)
   
  YouTube's algorithm decides what you see. FocusTube lets you take that control back. Hide or show exactly what you want on every page: Shorts, recommendations, comments, thumbnails, feeds. Use YouTube without distraction.
   
  ✦ CUSTOMIZE EVERY PAGE ✦
   
  🏠 Home / 🔔 Subscriptions / 🔍 Search / 🎬 Video / 👤 Channel / 📋 Playlists
   
  Toggle what appears on each page independently. Hide or show: navigation, sidebar, Shorts, thumbnails, video feeds, comments, recommendations, live chat, video end cards, view counts, like/dislike buttons, breaking news, YouTube Playables, and more. Lock any control so "hide/show all" skips it. Fine-grained control without the chaos.
   
  ✦ BLOCK YOUTUBE WHEN YOU NEED IT ✦
   
  🚫 Enable hard block mode to stop browsing entirely. Choose to block all open tabs or new tabs only. YouTube redirects to a focus screen. One toggle to unblock. Your block settings remember your preference, no need to reconfigure every time.
   
  ✦ MINIMAL, FOCUSED HOMEPAGE ✦
   
  🔍 Enable Google-style homepage layout for a distraction-free, search-first YouTube. Cleaner interface, fewer engagement traps, more control over what you see.
   
  ✦ YOUR SETTINGS, YOUR ACCOUNT ✦
   
  ☁ All preferences sync to your Google account via Chrome Sync. Dark mode extension popup. Per-page visual preview so you know exactly what each toggle does before you enable it. Toggle groups let you hide or show all unlocked elements at once.
   
  ✦ LIGHTWEIGHT & PRIVATE ✦
   
  🔒 No tracking. No ads. No analytics. Your preferences stay on your device and sync to your Google account. Runs silently in the background with minimal overhead.
   
  ✦ FINE-TUNED CONTROLS ✦
   
  ✶ HOME PAGE: Hide navigation, sidebar, video feeds, Shorts, thumbnails, breaking news, YouTube Playables
  ✶ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Hide navigation, sidebar, subscription videos, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ SEARCH: Hide navigation, sidebar, search results, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ VIDEO (WATCH PAGE): Hide navigation, player controls, title, description, comments, recommendations, thumbnails, Shorts, like/dislike buttons, view counts, post time, end cards, live chat
  ✶ CHANNEL: Hide navigation, sidebar, channel content, thumbnails
  ✶ PLAYLISTS: Hide navigation, sidebar, playlist content, thumbnails
   
  ✦ COMING SOON ✦
   
  ⭐ FocusMode (watch ad-free, cookie-free YouTube)
  ⭐ Lock Settings (schedule or lock your FocusTube settings while on YouTube)
   
  ✦ SUPPORT & FEEDBACK ✦
   
  💬 Submit support tickets, feature requests, and bug reports at getfocustube.com/support

  🎯 FocusTube: Remove Distractions and Reclaim Your Attention from YouTube's Algorithm
  🛠️ Built by Benjamin Floyd Rubin (ex-Amazon)
   
  YouTube's algorithm decides what you see. FocusTube lets you take that control back. Hide or show exactly what you want on every page: Shorts, recommendations, comments, thumbnails, feeds. Use YouTube without distraction.
   
  ✦ CUSTOMIZE EVERY PAGE ✦
   
  🏠 Home / 🔔 Subscriptions / 🔍 Search / 🎬 Video / 👤 Channel / 📋 Playlists
   
  Toggle what appears on each page independently. Hide or show: navigation, sidebar, Shorts, thumbnails, video feeds, comments, recommendations, live chat, video end cards, view counts, like/dislike buttons, breaking news, YouTube Playables, and more. Lock any control so "hide/show all" skips it. Fine-grained control without the chaos.
   
  ✦ BLOCK YOUTUBE WHEN YOU NEED IT ✦
   
  🚫 Enable hard block mode to stop browsing entirely. Choose to block all open tabs or new tabs only. YouTube redirects to a focus screen. One toggle to unblock. Your block settings remember your preference, no need to reconfigure every time.
   
  ✦ MINIMAL, FOCUSED HOMEPAGE ✦
   
  🔍 Enable Google-style homepage layout for a distraction-free, search-first YouTube. Cleaner interface, fewer engagement traps, more control over what you see.
   
  ✦ YOUR SETTINGS, YOUR ACCOUNT ✦
   
  ☁ All preferences sync to your Google account via Chrome Sync. Dark mode extension popup. Per-page visual preview so you know exactly what each toggle does before you enable it. Toggle groups let you hide or show all unlocked elements at once.
   
  ✦ LIGHTWEIGHT & PRIVATE ✦
   
  🔒 No tracking. No ads. No analytics. Your preferences stay on your device and sync to your Google account. Runs silently in the background with minimal overhead.
   
  ✦ FINE-TUNED CONTROLS ✦
   
  ✶ HOME PAGE: Hide navigation, sidebar, video feeds, Shorts, thumbnails, breaking news, YouTube Playables
  ✶ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Hide navigation, sidebar, subscription videos, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ SEARCH: Hide navigation, sidebar, search results, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ VIDEO (WATCH PAGE): Hide navigation, player controls, title, description, comments, recommendations, thumbnails, Shorts, like/dislike buttons, view counts, post time, end cards, live chat
  ✶ CHANNEL: Hide navigation, sidebar, channel content, thumbnails
  ✶ PLAYLISTS: Hide navigation, sidebar, playlist content, thumbnails
   
  ✦ LOCK YOUR SETTINGS ✦
  ⏰ You can now set a countdown or schedule to lock the settings for extra focus protection - available to FocusTube Pro Users
  
  ✦ COMING SOON ✦
   
  ⭐ FocusMode (watch ad-free, cookie-free YouTube)
  ⭐ Grayscale Mode
  ⭐ Block other distracting websites
   
  ✦ SUPPORT & FEEDBACK ✦
   
  💬 Submit support tickets, feature requests, and bug reports at getfocustube.com/support

• Jun 21, 2026
  short_description

  Stay focused on YouTube by hiding distractions: thumbnails, Shorts and more.

  Reclaim your attention on YouTube. Remove ads, comments, thumbnails, sidebar & feeds. One toggle for distraction-free focus.

• Jun 21, 2026
  name

  FocusTube: Remove All Distractions from YouTube

  FocusTube: Block YouTube Shorts, Hide Recommendations & Distractions

• Jun 21, 2026
  host_permissions

  https://www.youtube.com/*, https://youtube.com/*, https://www.getfocustube.com/*

  https://www.youtube.com/*, https://youtube.com/*, https://getfocustube.com/*, https://www.getfocustube.com/*

• Apr 16, 2026
  description

  🎯 FocusTube: Remove Distractions and Reclaim Your Attention from YouTube's Algorithm
  ↳Built by Benjamin Floyd Rubin (ex-Amazon)
   
  YouTube's algorithm decides what you see. FocusTube lets you take that control back. Hide or show exactly what you want on every page: Shorts, recommendations, comments, thumbnails, feeds. Use YouTube without distraction.
   
  ✦ CUSTOMIZE EVERY PAGE ✦
   
  🏠 Home / 🔔 Subscriptions / 🔍 Search / 🎬 Video / 👤 Channel / 📋 Playlists
   
  Toggle what appears on each page independently. Hide or show: navigation, sidebar, Shorts, thumbnails, video feeds, comments, recommendations, live chat, video end cards, view counts, like/dislike buttons, breaking news, YouTube Playables, and more. Lock any control so "hide/show all" skips it. Fine-grained control without the chaos.
   
  ✦ BLOCK YOUTUBE WHEN YOU NEED IT ✦
   
  🚫 Enable hard block mode to stop browsing entirely. Choose to block all open tabs or new tabs only. YouTube redirects to a focus screen. One toggle to unblock. Your block settings remember your preference, no need to reconfigure every time.
   
  ✦ MINIMAL, FOCUSED HOMEPAGE ✦
   
  🔍 Enable Google-style homepage layout for a distraction-free, search-first YouTube. Cleaner interface, fewer engagement traps, more control over what you see.
   
  ✦ YOUR SETTINGS, YOUR ACCOUNT ✦
   
  ☁ All preferences sync to your Google account via Chrome Sync. Dark mode extension popup. Per-page visual preview so you know exactly what each toggle does before you enable it. Toggle groups let you hide or show all unlocked elements at once.
   
  ✦ LIGHTWEIGHT & PRIVATE ✦
   
  🔒 No tracking. No ads. No analytics. Your preferences stay on your device and sync to your Google account. Runs silently in the background with minimal overhead.
   
  ✦ FINE-TUNED CONTROLS ✦
   
  ✶ HOME PAGE: Hide navigation, sidebar, video feeds, Shorts, thumbnails, breaking news, YouTube Playables
  ✶ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Hide navigation, sidebar, subscription videos, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ SEARCH: Hide navigation, sidebar, search results, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ VIDEO (WATCH PAGE): Hide navigation, player controls, title, description, comments, recommendations, thumbnails, Shorts, like/dislike buttons, view counts, post time, end cards, live chat
  ✶ CHANNEL: Hide navigation, sidebar, channel content, thumbnails
  ✶ PLAYLISTS: Hide navigation, sidebar, playlist content, thumbnails
   
  ✦ COMING SOON ✦
   
  ⭐ FocusMode (watch ad-free, cookie-free YouTube)
  ⭐ Lock Settings (schedule or lock your FocusTube settings while on YouTube)
   
  ✦ SUPPORT & FEEDBACK ✦
   
  💬 Submit support tickets, feature requests, and bug reports at getfocustube.com/support

  🎯 FocusTube: Remove Distractions and Reclaim Your Attention from YouTube's Algorithm
  🛠️ Built by Benjamin Floyd Rubin (ex-Amazon)
   
  YouTube's algorithm decides what you see. FocusTube lets you take that control back. Hide or show exactly what you want on every page: Shorts, recommendations, comments, thumbnails, feeds. Use YouTube without distraction.
   
  ✦ CUSTOMIZE EVERY PAGE ✦
   
  🏠 Home / 🔔 Subscriptions / 🔍 Search / 🎬 Video / 👤 Channel / 📋 Playlists
   
  Toggle what appears on each page independently. Hide or show: navigation, sidebar, Shorts, thumbnails, video feeds, comments, recommendations, live chat, video end cards, view counts, like/dislike buttons, breaking news, YouTube Playables, and more. Lock any control so "hide/show all" skips it. Fine-grained control without the chaos.
   
  ✦ BLOCK YOUTUBE WHEN YOU NEED IT ✦
   
  🚫 Enable hard block mode to stop browsing entirely. Choose to block all open tabs or new tabs only. YouTube redirects to a focus screen. One toggle to unblock. Your block settings remember your preference, no need to reconfigure every time.
   
  ✦ MINIMAL, FOCUSED HOMEPAGE ✦
   
  🔍 Enable Google-style homepage layout for a distraction-free, search-first YouTube. Cleaner interface, fewer engagement traps, more control over what you see.
   
  ✦ YOUR SETTINGS, YOUR ACCOUNT ✦
   
  ☁ All preferences sync to your Google account via Chrome Sync. Dark mode extension popup. Per-page visual preview so you know exactly what each toggle does before you enable it. Toggle groups let you hide or show all unlocked elements at once.
   
  ✦ LIGHTWEIGHT & PRIVATE ✦
   
  🔒 No tracking. No ads. No analytics. Your preferences stay on your device and sync to your Google account. Runs silently in the background with minimal overhead.
   
  ✦ FINE-TUNED CONTROLS ✦
   
  ✶ HOME PAGE: Hide navigation, sidebar, video feeds, Shorts, thumbnails, breaking news, YouTube Playables
  ✶ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Hide navigation, sidebar, subscription videos, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ SEARCH: Hide navigation, sidebar, search results, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ VIDEO (WATCH PAGE): Hide navigation, player controls, title, description, comments, recommendations, thumbnails, Shorts, like/dislike buttons, view counts, post time, end cards, live chat
  ✶ CHANNEL: Hide navigation, sidebar, channel content, thumbnails
  ✶ PLAYLISTS: Hide navigation, sidebar, playlist content, thumbnails
   
  ✦ COMING SOON ✦
   
  ⭐ FocusMode (watch ad-free, cookie-free YouTube)
  ⭐ Lock Settings (schedule or lock your FocusTube settings while on YouTube)
   
  ✦ SUPPORT & FEEDBACK ✦
   
  💬 Submit support tickets, feature requests, and bug reports at getfocustube.com/support

• Apr 16, 2026
  name

  FocusTube: Remove all distractions from YouTube

  FocusTube: Remove All Distractions from YouTube

• Apr 5, 2026
  description

  Designed by Benjamin Floyd Rubin (ex-Amazon), this lightweight extension instantly eliminates YouTube's attention-grabbing elements so you can focus on content that matters to you.
  
  ✦ Stay locked in while browsing YouTube:
  - Hide distracting elements across YouTube so you stay focused, protect your attention and save your most valuable asset - time.
  
  ✦ Complete Customization with One-Click Controls:
  Toggle visibility of navigation bars, sidebars, video recommendations, comments, end cards, live chats, breaking news, YouTube Playables, and more—all with instant performance.
  
  ✦ Privacy-Focused & Resource-Efficient:
  - Runs directly in your browser with minimal memory/CPU usage
  - No data collection or analytics on your browsing behavior
  - No offline database storage of your information
  
  Having issues or want a new feature? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/EwpoSyN54HzobyZD6 or leave a review with your request.
  
  - Benjamin Floyd Rubin

  🎯 FocusTube: Remove Distractions and Reclaim Your Attention from YouTube's Algorithm
  ↳Built by Benjamin Floyd Rubin (ex-Amazon)
   
  YouTube's algorithm decides what you see. FocusTube lets you take that control back. Hide or show exactly what you want on every page: Shorts, recommendations, comments, thumbnails, feeds. Use YouTube without distraction.
   
  ✦ CUSTOMIZE EVERY PAGE ✦
   
  🏠 Home / 🔔 Subscriptions / 🔍 Search / 🎬 Video / 👤 Channel / 📋 Playlists
   
  Toggle what appears on each page independently. Hide or show: navigation, sidebar, Shorts, thumbnails, video feeds, comments, recommendations, live chat, video end cards, view counts, like/dislike buttons, breaking news, YouTube Playables, and more. Lock any control so "hide/show all" skips it. Fine-grained control without the chaos.
   
  ✦ BLOCK YOUTUBE WHEN YOU NEED IT ✦
   
  🚫 Enable hard block mode to stop browsing entirely. Choose to block all open tabs or new tabs only. YouTube redirects to a focus screen. One toggle to unblock. Your block settings remember your preference, no need to reconfigure every time.
   
  ✦ MINIMAL, FOCUSED HOMEPAGE ✦
   
  🔍 Enable Google-style homepage layout for a distraction-free, search-first YouTube. Cleaner interface, fewer engagement traps, more control over what you see.
   
  ✦ YOUR SETTINGS, YOUR ACCOUNT ✦
   
  ☁ All preferences sync to your Google account via Chrome Sync. Dark mode extension popup. Per-page visual preview so you know exactly what each toggle does before you enable it. Toggle groups let you hide or show all unlocked elements at once.
   
  ✦ LIGHTWEIGHT & PRIVATE ✦
   
  🔒 No tracking. No ads. No analytics. Your preferences stay on your device and sync to your Google account. Runs silently in the background with minimal overhead.
   
  ✦ FINE-TUNED CONTROLS ✦
   
  ✶ HOME PAGE: Hide navigation, sidebar, video feeds, Shorts, thumbnails, breaking news, YouTube Playables
  ✶ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Hide navigation, sidebar, subscription videos, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ SEARCH: Hide navigation, sidebar, search results, Shorts, thumbnails
  ✶ VIDEO (WATCH PAGE): Hide navigation, player controls, title, description, comments, recommendations, thumbnails, Shorts, like/dislike buttons, view counts, post time, end cards, live chat
  ✶ CHANNEL: Hide navigation, sidebar, channel content, thumbnails
  ✶ PLAYLISTS: Hide navigation, sidebar, playlist content, thumbnails
   
  ✦ COMING SOON ✦
   
  ⭐ FocusMode (watch ad-free, cookie-free YouTube)
  ⭐ Lock Settings (schedule or lock your FocusTube settings while on YouTube)
   
  ✦ SUPPORT & FEEDBACK ✦
   
  💬 Submit support tickets, feature requests, and bug reports at getfocustube.com/support

• Apr 1, 2026
  description

  Designed by Benjamin Floyd Rubin (ex-Amazon), this lightweight extension instantly eliminates YouTube's attention-grabbing elements so you can focus on content that matters to you.
  
  ✦ NEW FEATURES
  1. Our new feature transforms your YouTube homepage into a clean, minimalist design, just like Google's. Avoid getting sidetracked by all the dopamine-hitting UI elements and instantly find what you're looking for.
  
  2. YouTube Blocking is now available! Block all open tabs in your browser, or only new tabs/windows. 
  
  ✦ Stop Wasting Time on YouTube:
  - Hide addictive elements like Shorts, recommendations, and clickbait thumbnails
  - Remove "People also watched" and "For You" suggestions that derail your searches
  - Customize your viewing experience across Home, Subscriptions, Channel, Search and Video pages
  
  ✦ Complete Customization with One-Click Controls:
  Toggle visibility of navigation bars, sidebars, video recommendations, comments, end cards, live chats, breaking news, YouTube Playables, and more—all with instant performance.
  
  ✦ Privacy-Focused & Resource-Efficient:
  - Runs directly in your browser with minimal memory/CPU usage
  - No data collection or analytics on your browsing behavior
  - No offline database storage of your information
  
  Having issues or want a new feature? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/EwpoSyN54HzobyZD6 or leave a review with your request.
  
  - Benjamin Floyd Rubin

  Designed by Benjamin Floyd Rubin (ex-Amazon), this lightweight extension instantly eliminates YouTube's attention-grabbing elements so you can focus on content that matters to you.
  
  ✦ Stay locked in while browsing YouTube:
  - Hide distracting elements across YouTube so you stay focused, protect your attention and save your most valuable asset - time.
  
  ✦ Complete Customization with One-Click Controls:
  Toggle visibility of navigation bars, sidebars, video recommendations, comments, end cards, live chats, breaking news, YouTube Playables, and more—all with instant performance.
  
  ✦ Privacy-Focused & Resource-Efficient:
  - Runs directly in your browser with minimal memory/CPU usage
  - No data collection or analytics on your browsing behavior
  - No offline database storage of your information
  
  Having issues or want a new feature? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/EwpoSyN54HzobyZD6 or leave a review with your request.
  
  - Benjamin Floyd Rubin

• Apr 1, 2026
  short_description

  Boost focus on YouTube by hiding distractions like thumbnails, Shorts, live chat, recommendations, and irrelevant results.

  Stay focused on YouTube by hiding distractions: thumbnails, Shorts and more.

• Apr 1, 2026
  name

  FocusTube: Distraction Blocker for YouTube

  FocusTube: Remove all distractions from YouTube

Permissions & access

Permissions

tabsstoragedeclarativeNetRequest

Host access

https://www.youtube.com/*, https://youtube.com/*, https://getfocustube.com/*, https://www.getfocustube.com/*

Screenshots

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