Minimal YouTube

An extension for that replaces the YouTube UI with a minimal design containing no recommendations, shorts, or distractions.

Minimal YouTube is a Chrome extension designed to simplify your YouTube experience by removing all distractions. It replaces the standard YouTube interface with a clean, minimal design that excludes recommendations, shorts, and other elements that might pull your attention away from the content you want to watch.

Ideal for viewers seeking a dopamine-free YouTube session, this extension helps enhance focus and reduce the addictive browsing of endless videos. With Minimal YouTube, you can enjoy videos without interruptions, creating a calmer, more intentional viewing environment.

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By:: Ephraim Atta-Duncan
Users:: 6,000+
Rating:: 4.60
(78)
Version:: 1.2.1 (Last updated: 2024-06-24)
Creation date:: 2022-09-26
Risk:: Low risk impact Very low risk likelihood
Permissions:: storage
Size:: 226.30K
Email:: ep*****@gmail.com
Full description:: See detailed description
Source:: Chrome Web Store
Updated:: a day ago

Ranking

# 12,247 ▲ 86

Other rankings

#1761 in Tools ▼ 17 #68 in youtube keyword 90 ▲ 9

Other platforms

Minimal YouTube (v1.2.1)

265 4.18

(11)

User reviews

Minimal YouTube is praised for its minimalist, distraction-free design that enables users to focus better on content by removing clutter. Many reviews highlight its usefulness and simplicity. However, users frequently mention bugs, such as issues with timeline preview hover, broken channel page access, and occasional loading problems. Some desire more customization options and restoring certain YouTube features like chapter clicks and reaction buttons. Despite drawbacks, it is highly valued for improving the YouTube experience by eliminating overwhelming interface elements.

Pros

Effectively removes distracting elements on YouTube, allowing better focus
Minimalist and practical design appreciated by users
Reliable and useful for students and people who want a simpler YouTube interface
Consistently works as intended for many users to reduce YouTube clutter
Highly valued by users for improving YouTube experience and reducing overwhelm

Cons

Buggy behavior when hovering over the timeline preview, causing preview frame issues
Channel pages and YouTube Studio functionality may break or be inaccessible
Some users report the extension stops working or has loading issues after updates
Cannot click on chapters or like/dislike buttons disabled, reducing functionality
Lack of toggles to customize which elements to hide, limiting user control

Recent reviews

generally never write reviews but it did reduce the yt's resource hogging

Magnisox, 2025-04-24

Does exactly what's needed. Takes away all distracting elements, and just gives me what I need. No excessive UI either, just really practical and functional. (Saved me from many a wasted afternoon!)

Simon, 2025-04-14

literally best and only thing i actually use in browser

православный бравлер, 2025-04-02

View all user reviews

Extension safety

Risk impact

Minimal YouTube requires very minimum permissions.

Risk impact analysis details

High Injects scripts into web pages, which may alter or extract site contents, resulting in a substantial risk.

Risk likelihood

Minimal YouTube has earned a good reputation and can be trusted.

Risk likelihood analysis details

High This extension has low user count. Unpopular extensions may not be stable or safe.
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