How to block ads on YouTube

Skip every YouTube ad — pre-roll, mid-roll, banner and Shorts — without a paid subscription.

Add to Chrome — free Download NovaBlock See pricing

YouTube keeps making its ad-blocker detection more aggressive. NovaBlock ships a dedicated YouTube module that stays ahead of it, so pre-roll and mid-roll ads never play, banner overlays disappear, and Shorts stay ad-free. No login, no config, no whitelist prompts.

Blocking works the same whichever browser you use — see the setup notes for our ad blocker for Chrome or ad blocker for Firefox. Switching away from a deprecated blocker? NovaBlock is the best uBlock Origin alternative for Chrome.

What NovaBlock removes on YouTube

Pre-roll and mid-roll video ads
Sponsored banner overlays on the player
Homepage and sidebar ad slots
Shorts video ads
YouTube's 'ad blocker detected' interstitial

Setup in under a minute

Install NovaBlock from the Chrome Web Store (or Firefox Add-ons).
Reload any open YouTube tab.
Play any video — ads are skipped automatically.
That's it. No account, no whitelist, no config.

Frequently asked questions

Does NovaBlock block YouTube ads without Premium?+

Yes. The YouTube module blocks pre-roll, mid-roll, banner and Shorts ads on the free plan. YouTube Premium is not required.

Will YouTube detect NovaBlock and show 'ad blocker detected'?+

The YouTube module is updated whenever YouTube ships new detection. If you ever see the interstitial, refresh the page — the fix ships automatically.

Does it break YouTube's video player?+

No. Playback, quality settings, captions, chapters and playlists all work normally. Only the ad slots are removed.

Block ads on other sites

Each platform serves ads differently. These guides cover the specifics.

See all platforms on the Block ads on… hub, or pick your browser on the ad blocker for your browser hub.

Block ads on YouTube — free forever

Install NovaBlock in one click. No account, no config.

Add to Chrome — free All download options