YouTube adds a true Shorts off switch: Set the Shorts feed limit to zero

YouTube is rolling out a new Time Management option that lets users effectively stop the endless Shorts scroll by setting the Shorts feed limit to zero minutes.

The change builds on a viewing cap feature introduced earlier, but expands it into a more definitive control.

The setting lives in the YouTube app’s Time Management dashboard and applies to both adult accounts and teen profiles supervised through Google Family Link. For families, it offers a stronger lever than reminders, helping reduce compulsive short-form viewing.

How the Shorts limit works?

Turning the limit to zero does not remove Shorts from YouTube or block individual short videos from appearing elsewhere in the app. Instead, it prevents the continuous, auto-advancing Shorts feed behavior that keeps users looping from one clip to the next.

Users can enable it by going to the You tab, opening Settings, and selecting Time Management, then Shorts feed limit. From there, choosing zero minutes disables the infinite feed while leaving the rest of YouTube available.

Why YouTube is doing this?

The move highlights how YouTube is trying to balance short-form engagement with its long-form roots, especially as criticism grows around infinite scrolling designs.

It also follows YouTube’s broader effort to separate Shorts, live streams, and long-form video to reduce clutter and give viewers more control.

By offering a near-off switch for Shorts, YouTube differentiates itself from platforms where the infinite short-video feed is central to the product experience. The rollout suggests Google is betting that stronger user controls can coexist with Shorts’ popularity without undermining YouTube’s main ecosystem.