If a channel keeps showing up in your feed and you want it gone, the steps depend on the device. Here's exactly how to block a channel on YouTube on desktop, the mobile app, and TV — plus the honest truth about what each method actually does.
Block a channel on desktop (browser)
This is where you have the most control.
- Find any video from the channel in your feed or search.
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the video thumbnail.
- Select "Don't recommend channel."
YouTube will show that channel less often. But note three limits: it's a suggestion not a block, it only works while you're signed in on this browser, and YouTube gradually reintroduces the channel after a few weeks.
For a real block — one that hides the channel across your homepage, search results, sidebar, and the channel's own pages, and keeps it hidden — you need a browser extension (see the permanent method below).
Block a channel on the YouTube app (Android & iPhone)
- Open a video from the channel.
- Tap the three dots (under the video or on the thumbnail).
- Tap "Don't recommend channel."
That's the only content control the app offers. There is no true per-channel block for viewers in the mobile app — YouTube's "Block" option there only stops a channel from interacting with your channel, not from appearing in your feed.
Because browser extensions can't run inside the YouTube app, you can't hide channels there directly. But there's an important workaround that does carry over to mobile — read on.
The part that does reach your phone: account-level training
YouTube's "Don't recommend channel" is a signal attached to your Google account, not to one device. So if you train it on desktop, the effect follows your account to the app and TV.
This is where a tool helps: Blokari can automatically send the "Don't recommend channel" signal for every channel you block, as their videos appear on desktop. You block once; Blokari hides it on desktop and trains your account so YouTube recommends it less everywhere you're signed in — including the mobile app and TV. It's a gradual reduction rather than a hard block on those surfaces, and Blokari keeps reinforcing it whenever the channel resurfaces on desktop.
Block a channel on YouTube TV / smart TV
On a TV you have the least control:
- "Don't recommend channel" is available via the three-dot menu on most smart-TV YouTube apps — same weak, temporary signal as everywhere else.
- Parental filtering is done through a restricted profile or YouTube Kids, not a per-channel blocklist.
There is no channel blocklist on TV — but the same account-level trick applies. Because "Don't recommend channel" is tied to your Google account, training it on desktop (manually, or automatically with Blokari) makes YouTube surface those channels less on your TV too, as long as the TV is signed into the same account. Combine that with a kids profile for the strongest result.
The permanent method: a blocklist extension
YouTube's built-in tools are designed to nudge the algorithm, not obey you. If you want a channel — or a whole category of channels — gone for good, a Manifest V3 extension that maintains a real blocklist is the only reliable option in 2026.
Blokari does this: it hides blocked channels across your entire YouTube experience and keeps them hidden. You can block individual channels yourself, or enable curated lists (propaganda, AI content farms, clickbait, gambling, and more — 10,000+ channels across 14 categories).
- Install Blokari from the Chrome Web Store (Chrome, Edge, Brave).
- Add a channel by clicking the block button Blokari adds to each channel, or paste a channel URL / @handle in the options.
- Optionally enable categories to block whole groups at once.
- Reload YouTube — the channel is gone from feed, search, and recommendations, and stays gone.
It's free for the full blocklist and parental controls; Pro ($3/month) adds daily list sync across devices.
Quick comparison
| Where | Hide the channel | Train the account (recommend less) |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop browser | ✅ with extension | ✅ auto-trains |
| Mobile app | ❌ (no extensions) | ✅ carries over from desktop |
| Smart TV / YouTube TV | ❌ | ✅ carries over from desktop |
The takeaway: on desktop an extension hides channels outright and trains your account; on TV and mobile you can't hide them, but the account-level training you do on desktop follows you there and quietly reduces them. Block once on desktop, and the effect spreads across every device you're signed into.
FAQ
How do I block a channel on YouTube?
On desktop, click the three dots on a video and choose "Don't recommend channel." This reduces — but doesn't eliminate — that channel. For a real, permanent block across feed, search and recommendations, use a browser extension like Blokari.
How do I block a channel on the YouTube app?
You can't hide channels in the app — browser extensions don't run there. But "Don't recommend channel" is an account-level signal, so if you train it on desktop (Blokari can do this automatically for every channel you block), YouTube recommends those channels less in the mobile app too, on the same Google account. It's a reduction, not a hard block.
Can I block a channel on YouTube TV?
There's no per-channel blocklist on TV. But because "Don't recommend channel" is tied to your Google account, training it on desktop carries over to your TV when it's signed into the same account — those channels get recommended less. Pair that with a restricted/kids profile for the strongest result.
Why does the blocked channel keep coming back?
"Don't recommend channel" is a temporary signal that YouTube forgets after a few weeks, and it only applies while you're logged in on that one device. To stop a channel from reappearing, you need a tool that maintains a persistent blocklist.