Watch YouTube for free without ads: 4 ways
YouTube videos are increasingly interrupted by ads, which can be very annoying. Fortunately, there are free solutions to watch YouTube without ads. In this article, we’ll cover four methods for enjoying YouTube content without interruption.
YouTube without ads
Everyone loves watching YouTube videos, but no one enjoys watching ads. This can be so annoying that you might consider paying €13.99 a month for YouTube Premium to get rid of it.
But there are several cheaper ways (some are even free) to watch YouTube without ads.
1. The URL trick
There’s a simple trick to watch a YouTube video without ads. This only works if you have the video open in a browser, such as Safari or Google Chrome.
- Click on the address bar of the video you want to watch.
- Add a – (underscore) after ‘ you’. So the URL would start with:
https://www.yout-ube.com/ - Press Enter.
This method is helpful for quickly watching a specific video without ads, but it also has drawbacks. Not all videos work, and you’ll be watching them in a different environment, without suggested videos or comments. If you always want to watch YouTube without ads, an extension or an adblocker works better.
2. Safari Extension Vinegar
We consider this the best option, but you do need to be prepared to pay a one-time fee of €1.99. Vinegar is a Safari extension for iPhone and Mac that cleans up clutter on YouTube. The extension works cleverly, replacing the YouTube player with Apple’s built-in player. This has several advantages, including Picture-in-Picture (PIP) support and improved title support.
Note that ad-free viewing is only available in Safari, not in the YouTube app. It’s best to remove that app and place a Safari shortcut to YouTube on your home screen. To do this, navigate to YouTube in Safari, tap the Share icon at the bottom, and select “Add to Home Screen .”
3. Adblocker for Safari
An effective way to watch YouTube without ads is to use an adblocker. There are several options, and one of the best is the adblocker uBlock Origin Lite. It’s available in Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
On iPhone and iPad, download uBlock Origin Lite from the App Store. Then go to ‘‘Settings> Apps > Safari > Extensions > uBlock Origin Lite’ and tap ‘Allow Extension’ That’s it: from now on, you will no longer see YouTube ads. However, you will have to watch the videos in Safari (not the YouTube app).
You can also download uBlock Origin Lite from the Mac App Store. In Safari, go to “Safari> Settings > Extensions” in the menu bar and check “uBlock Origin Lite.”
4. Adblocker for Google Chrome
Do you browse the web using Google Chrome instead of Safari? Then the free Adblock for YouTube extension is what you need to watch YouTube ad-free. The extension blocks all those annoying commercials, though it’s only available for desktop.
This ad blocker works with a filter list of external ad sources. So ads from sources not on that list sometimes slip through. However, it usually doesn’t take long for the extension to update.