YouTube has become a minefield. You click on a video to learn how to fix a leaky faucet, and suddenly, you’re forced to watch thirty seconds of a mobile game ad you’ll never download. It’s annoying. It’s persistent. Honestly, Google is getting better at breaking the tools we’ve used for a decade to keep things quiet.
If you want to know how to get rid of ads in YouTube, you have to understand that this is an arms race. On one side, you have multibillion-dollar engineers writing code to detect ad blockers. On the other, you have open-source developers and frustrated users trying to keep the internet readable.
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The reality is that "install an extension" isn't always the end of the story anymore. Sometimes it works; sometimes YouTube throws a "Video player will be blocked after 3 videos" warning at your face. We need to talk about what actually functions in 2026, from the easy fixes to the more technical workarounds that Google hasn't quite managed to squash yet.
The State of Play: Why YouTube Ads Are Winning Right Now
Google changed the game when they started implementing "server-side ad injection." Basically, instead of the ad being a separate video file that your browser can easily identify and skip, they’re stitching the ad directly into the video stream. To your computer, the ad looks exactly like the content you want to watch. This makes traditional blocking much harder.
It’s a cat-and-mouse game.
You’ve probably noticed that even the most popular extensions occasionally "break" for a few days. That’s because YouTube updated their script at 3:00 AM, and the volunteers running your blocker haven’t had their coffee yet. If you're seeing ads despite having a blocker, it's not just you.
Your Best Bet for Desktop Browsing
If you're on a PC or Mac, the solution is still mostly browser-based, but you have to be picky. Chrome is actually the worst place to try and block YouTube ads. Why? Because Google owns Chrome. They’ve been rolling out "Manifest V3," a technical change that limits how effectively ad-blocking extensions can communicate with the browser.
Enter uBlock Origin (The Right Way)
Most people just hit "Install" and forget it. That’s a mistake. To really handle YouTube's detection scripts, you need to go into the settings. Open the dashboard, go to "Filter lists," and make sure "uBlock filters – Quick fixes" is checked. This specific list is updated hourly by people who hate ads as much as you do. When YouTube changes its detection, this is where the fix appears first.
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The Firefox and Brave Alternative
Brave is a browser built on Chromium (the same bones as Chrome) but with a native, built-in ad blocker that operates at a lower level than an extension. It’s surprisingly effective. Firefox remains the darling of the privacy world because it isn't beholden to Google's Manifest V3 rules. If you’re tired of the constant "Ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service" pop-up, switching to Firefox with uBlock Origin is often the path of least resistance.
It feels faster, too.
Solving the Mobile Problem (Android vs. iOS)
Mobile is where it gets tricky. The official YouTube app is designed to be an ad-delivery machine. You can’t just "plug in" an ad blocker there.
On Android, for years, the king was Vanced. Then it was ReVanced. These are third-party apps that patch the official YouTube APK to remove ads and add features like background play. They work, but they require a bit of technical "know-how." You have to download the manager, pick your patches, and install a separate microG provider so you can actually log into your account. It’s a bit of a project.
If that sounds like too much work, just use a mobile browser.
Seriously.
Open Firefox on your Android phone, install the uBlock Origin add-on within the mobile browser, and go to youtube.com. It’s not as "slick" as the app, but the ads are gone. Gone. Just like that.
What About the iPhone?
Apple’s ecosystem is a walled garden, which makes this tougher. You can't easily side-load apps like ReVanced. You have a few choices:
- Video Lite: It’s an app on the App Store that acts as a wrapper for the mobile site. It’s pretty good at skipping ads, though it has its own quirks.
- Brave Browser on iOS: Like the desktop version, it’s quite efficient at nuking the pre-roll ads.
- Safari Extensions: Apps like "AdGuard" for Safari can work, but YouTube is very aggressive at breaking Safari's content blockers.
The Nuclear Option: DNS and Pi-Hole
You might have heard about Pi-hole or AdGuard Home. These are "network-wide" blockers. You run them on a little computer like a Raspberry Pi, and they filter out the junk for every device in your house—your phone, your laptop, even your smart fridge.
Here is the cold, hard truth: DNS blocking does not work for YouTube ads.
Remember what I said about server-side injection? Because the ad comes from the same domain as the video (youtube.com), a DNS blocker can't tell the difference. If you block the ad via DNS, you block the video. Don’t waste your weekend setting up a Pi-hole specifically for YouTube. It’s great for blocking tracking and banner ads on news sites, but for YouTube, it’s useless.
I’ve seen dozens of "tech gurus" claim otherwise, but they're usually just trying to sell you a router.
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How to Get Rid of Ads in YouTube on Your Smart TV
The TV is the hardest nut to crack. Whether you have a Samsung, LG, or a Roku, you’re stuck. These platforms are notorious for being impossible to modify.
If you have an Android TV or a Fire Stick, you're in luck. There is an app called SmartTube (formerly SmartTubeNext). It isn't on the official Play Store because, obviously, Google hates it. You have to "side-load" it using an app like Downloader.
SmartTube is incredible. It doesn't just block ads; it has "SponsorBlock" integrated. SponsorBlock is a crowdsourced tool where users mark the segments of a video where a YouTuber starts talking about their sponsor (looking at you, HelloFresh). The app will literally skip over the "This video is sponsored by..." part automatically. It’s a game-changer for your sanity.
If you have a Roku or a closed-system Smart TV? Your only real options are casting from a modified mobile app or plugging in a laptop via HDMI. It’s clunky, but it works.
The Ethical Elephant in the Room
Look, creators need to get paid. When you block an ad, that creator earns zero cents from your view. Some people feel guilty about that; others argue that the ad experience has become so hostile that they have no choice.
If you have a specific creator you love, consider supporting their Patreon or buying their merch. Or, if you’re tired of the "hacks" constantly breaking, there is the obvious path: YouTube Premium. I know, I know. Nobody wants to give Google more money. But if you spend three hours a day on YouTube, the price of a couple of coffees a month to never think about an ad blocker again is a valid trade-off for some. It also includes YouTube Music, which lets some people cancel their Spotify subscription, making the math a little easier to swallow.
But if you’re here, you probably want the free way. I get it.
Summary of Actionable Steps
- On Desktop: Stop using Chrome for YouTube. Move to Firefox or Brave and pair it with uBlock Origin.
- On Android: Look into ReVanced if you’re tech-savvy. If not, use the Firefox mobile browser with the uBlock extension.
- On TV: Get a Fire Stick or Chromecast with Google TV and install SmartTube. It is the only reliable way to get a clean experience on a big screen.
- Update your filters: If you start seeing ads again, go to your blocker settings, purge all caches, and update your filters. This forces the blocker to download the latest "fixes" for YouTube's newest scripts.
- Use SponsorBlock: Regardless of how you block the "commercials," use the SponsorBlock extension to skip the in-video segments where the creator talks about VPNs or skincare routines.
The "perfect" solution doesn't exist because the code is always changing. But for now, staying away from the official apps and using hardened browsers or specialized third-party clients like SmartTube is the most effective way to reclaim your screen. Check your extension settings once a month to ensure everything is pulling the latest filter lists, and you'll stay ahead of the curve.