By default, YouTube provides plenty of controls and options to enhance and customize your YouTube experience. But, for savvy users, these options may not fulfill the requirements. The easiest solution is to use web browser extensions made specifically to spice up the YouTube experience. Generally, these extensions are free to use and can be installed easily on all popular web browsers. You can install and test them one by one to find the one that gives you the right customization options you're looking for. I've handpicked these YouTube extensions and have tested them thoroughly. Let's get started!
Remember, do not use more than one YouTube-specific extension at a given time. It may break the website as both extensions may create a conflict when adding features and customizations.
Always choose an extension that is actively maintained by the developer as web browsers are updated frequently and these extensions need to be compatible with those changes. Here we go!
1. Enhancer for YouTube™
As the name implies, this powerful extension enhances your entire YouTube experience by many folds. It's available for all the popular web browsers.
Following are some of the features of this extension.
- Mouse and keyboard shortcuts for common video playback actions
- Stunning YouTube themes for a visually appealing interface
- Mini and popup player for an uninterrupted watching experience
- Configurable keyboard shortcuts
Once you start using this extension, you're going to get addicted to it. It's regularly updated and new features are added to it—now and then.
2. 'Improve YouTube!' 🎧 (For YouTube & Video)
It's one of the oldest YouTube extensions available for web browsers. Not just YouTube, it also works with almost every type of video player embedded in a web page.
Let's take a look at what this extension has to offer.
- Hide/Remove related videos
- Hide YouTube comments
- Custom YouTube theme
- Loop and rotate the video—at will
- Resize video player to custom size
- Fix the default video quality rate to match your display capabilities
It's one of the most actively maintained and frequently updated extensions. This extension is translated into over 3 dozen languages. Do once give it a try!
3. Easy YouTube Video Downloader Express
This is probably the best video downloader for YouTube. It has a huge user base with high ratings for every web browser. And it works seamlessly on every operating system.
Let's see how it makes video downloading so easy on YouTube.
- Can download up to 1080p full-HD quality videos
- High-quality MP3 downloads are also supported
- Simple and easy-to-use interface
- Frequently updated to adjust with YouTube design and code changes
Through it, you can download audio and video files in different formats. Its pro version gives you better-quality downloads. It's a must-have extension for every YouTube user.
4. PocketTube: YouTube Subscription Manager
PocketTube is an all-in-one tool for savvy YouTube users. It has all the bells and whistles for managing your subscriptions and enhancing your video-watching experience.
The following unique features are supported by this extension.
- Divide your subscriptions into multiple groups
- Customize your watching feed
- Apply custom filters to videos
- Sort videos on different criteria
- Manage your subscriptions like a pro
If you're subscribed to a large number of channels and struggle to manage them, this extension is made just for you. It's one of the best solutions to manage the subscribed channels.
5. Hide Youtube-Shorts
If you completely want to get rid of YouTube shorts, this extension is your best bet. It's easy to use and gets the job done without any complex configuration.
If you're using it, these features are available for you.
- Hide short videos for specific YouTube pages (e.g. Home, search page)
- Custom timeouts for shorts checking activity
- Remove shorts from the notification menu
It has a simple dropdown interface to customize the settings. It's a must-have extension to manage YouTube shorts. It's available for both Firefox and Google Chrome.
6. UnTrap for YouTube
UnTrap is a powerful and feature-packed web extension to make your YouTube experience, better—by many folds. It's available for all the popular web browsers.
Here's an array of features it supports to give you better YouTube.
- Hide tons of interface elements as per requirements
- Redirect the home page to a custom YouTube page
- Create custom blocklists to watch select content
- Disable suggestion playlists
- Create focus sessions for an intense watching experience
It's one of the most flexible plugins when it comes to hiding or removing elements from the YouTube interface. You can create a completely minimal interface through this powerful web extension.
7. Super Video Speed Controller
The name says it all. You can use it to playback YouTube videos at different speeds. It's available for both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
The level of customization for video speed playback includes:
- Works on almost every website
- Granular control over the playback speed
- Control speed through easy keyboard shortcuts
It's free to use and works like a charm. You can set playback speeds based on the domain name or a browser tab. Common speed presets are available for quick customization.
8. Unhook - Remove YouTube Recommended Videos
Unhook is all about decongesting the YouTube interface which in turn saves you a lot of time. It's one of the best ways to remove distractions from the YouTube pages.
And, here's what you can do with this web browser plugin.
- Hide different types of YouTube content sections
- Disable both annotations and autoplay
- Easy toggle-based customization
It has high ratings and gets positive reviews from the majority of its users making it one of the popular web extensions for YouTube. Without any doubt, go for it to remove clutter and excess information.
9. BetterTTV
BetterTTV is a unique plugin for YouTube users who frequently comment on videos and take part in live-stream chats. It also works seamlessly on Twitch.
These features of this plugin make you a star commenter on YouTube.
- Custom emojis for YouTube comments and chats
- To ease reading, one can split chat lines
- Join a chat session as an anonymous user
- Custom chat badges
You can also use this plugin to automatically claim a YouTube channel's points and bonuses. To remove clutter, one can also use it to hide recommended channels, replies, and notices.