How to Block a YouTube Channel
Sometimes we need to block a channel that for some reason doesn't suit us. Popular YouTube has a channel blocking feature, but it is limited to prohibiting the channel owner from commenting on your videos. Many users think that blocking a channel completely removes it from their lives, but this is not entirely true. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to block a YouTube channel, how to hide unwanted videos from recommendations, what is the difference between blocking, hiding, and reporting, and how to ensure that an annoying channel never appears again. This material will be useful for all YouTube users who are tired of intrusive or unpleasant content.
Why block channels on YouTube
YouTube has billions of videos and millions of channels. Sooner or later, every user encounters content they don't like: intrusive advertising, clickbait headlines, offensive or provocative content, simply boring and uninteresting videos, an annoying author's voice or delivery style, and channels that constantly appear in recommendations even though you've never watched their videos.
YouTube gives us several tools to clean up the recommendation feed and remove unwanted channels. It is important to understand that there is no complete channel blocking on YouTube that completely stops you from seeing its videos everywhere. Instead, there is a combination of features that together provide the desired effect. By knowing these tools and using them correctly, you can customize your feed the way you want it.
What does blocking a channel on YouTube do?
The channel blocking feature on YouTube differs from similar features in other social networks. Popular YouTube has a channel blocking feature, but it is limited to prohibiting the channel owner from commenting on your videos. This is the main and perhaps the only action that blocking performs.
What exactly happens when you block a channel? The blocked user cannot comment on your videos. They cannot reply to your comments on other videos. They cannot send you private messages if this feature is available on the channel. You also stop receiving notifications about their activity. However, it's important to understand what blocking doesn't do. You can still see videos from this channel in recommendations and search. Videos from a blocked channel may appear in your feed. You can accidentally go to their channel and watch a video. And the channel author himself will not know that you have blocked him.
Thus, channel blocking is primarily a tool to protect against unwanted commentators and haters, and not to clean up the recommendation feed. If your goal is to remove an annoying channel from your feed, you will need other features.
How to block a YouTube channel to forbid comments
If you want to prevent a specific user or channel author from commenting on your videos, follow these step-by-step instructions. The process is slightly different for desktop and mobile devices, but both options are simple.
For computers and browsers
Open YouTube and find the channel you want to block. You can do this through search or by clicking on a link from any video. Go to the page of the channel that bothers you. Click on the button with three vertical dots — it is located under the channel banner, next to the "Subscribe" button and the bell icon. In the drop-down list, select "Block user". The system may ask for confirmation — click "OK" or "Confirm". Done. Now this user will not be able to comment on your videos.
For mobile apps on Android and iOS
Open the YouTube app and find the channel you want to block. Go to the channel page. Click on the icon with three vertical dots in the upper right corner, next to the avatar. In the drop-down menu, select "Block" or "Block user". Confirm the block. Done.
How to unblock a YouTube channel
If you change your mind and want to unblock a user, you can do that too. Click on your avatar in the upper right corner of the screen. In the drop-down menu, select "Settings". Go to the "Community" or "Blocked users" section — the name may vary slightly depending on the version. You will see a list of all users you have blocked. Click the "Unblock" button next to the desired name. Confirm the action. Done — the user can now comment on your videos again.
How to hide videos from an unwanted channel from recommendations
Channel blocking does not solve the problem of intrusive recommendations. But YouTube allows you to hide videos from an unwanted channel from your feed. This is the main tool for cleaning up the home page. On the YouTube home page, you need to find a video from the desired channel and click on the three vertical dots. In the drop-down list, select "Don't recommend videos from this channel". This will prevent YouTube from recommending videos from that channel on the video hosting home page.
Step-by-step instructions for computers
Open the YouTube homepage. Find a video from a channel you don't like. It may be in the "Recommended" or "Watch later" section. Hover over the video thumbnail. An icon with three vertical dots will appear in the lower right or upper corner of the thumbnail — this is the video menu. Click on these three dots. In the drop-down list, select "Don't recommend videos from this channel". Done. YouTube will stop showing videos from this channel in your recommendations on the home page. The video itself will disappear from the recommendations list instantly.
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