How To Watch YouTube Without Any Ads

There’s nothing more annoying than when you’re deeply engrossed in a YouTube video and are interrupted by ads you didn’t ask for. These ads come in many forms, from polls, non-skippable video ads, and banners. Ads are the most significant source through which YouTube earns its revenue from free users.

All these ads ruin watchers’ viewing experience and add to their frustration. Is it possible to watch YouTube videos without all of these ads popping up? The answer is YES. The most effective way to watch YouTube videos ad free is by using Ad-blocking browser extensions and installing VPN. This guide will detail all the steps you’ll need to take regarding how to get YouTube without ads. Are you ready to take the plunge? Let’s get into it.

Why Does YouTube Show Ads?

There are many reasons why YouTube shows ads. Since YouTube is a free service, it relies on ads to gain a return on investment. Secondly, many creators, also known as YouTube Partners, rely on advertisements to earn revenue for their content creation efforts. Being a YouTube Partner means that as a content creator, you are eligible for monetization on your videos.

YouTube also shows ads because of advertising companies. Advertising companies use YouTube because it enables them to reach their target audience and potential customers since YouTube has a massive audience. Advertisers ensure that their ads get to the right people, and this helps convert them from viewers to actual customers.

Although ads are inconvenient to users, they allow YouTube to show a wide range of content for users to watch for free. If they don’t show ads, they will have to explore other revenue models, such as a subscription-based service, which would limit access to content for many users.

YouTube always tries to balance showing ads and offering a good user experience. YouTube has a subscription in the form of YouTube Premium, which provides a wide range of benefits and an ad-free viewing experience.

How To Watch YouTube Ad-Free

Here are some simple steps through which you can watch YouTube without any ads:

1) Use a VPN

VPNs protect your online privacy and mask your IP address so third parties and advertisers can’t track you or get their hands on your confidential data. Some VPN providers have built-in ad blockers that help prevent YouTube ads from showing up.

It would help to use a VPN and ad-blocking extensions simultaneously to get the most effective results. You get an extra layer of protection by not having to see any ads and masking your IP address so that no one can trace your online identity or location.

VPNs can also help prevent malware attacks and phishing scams, as they can prevent intrusive ads from showing up. Some ads appear legitimate, but when you click on them, it infects your device with malware. AstrillVPN will give you a more seamless experience when streaming online and watching YouTube videos.

Since VPNs hide your location and browsing activity, the algorithm cannot target ads for you since there’s no information linked to your IP address. It will stop ads from showing up for you since they have no idea how to target you, giving you an add free YouTube. Here are additional tips and tricks that can help you watch YouTube without ads using a VPN:

●    Connect To A Server In Albania and Moldova

Countries like Albania and Moldova don’t show YouTube ads because the YouTube advertisement program is not currently present there. Therefore people from those countries can easily watch YouTube videos without ads.

You can watch an Ad-free YouTube by connecting to a server from Albania and Moldova. You can use AstrillVPN to connect to a server from Albania and Moldova. As you can see in these videos, we connected to servers in Albania and Moldova using AstrillVPN, and as soon as we clicked on the videos, no ads showed up.

●    Get A Cheap YouTube Premium Subscription Fee

A YouTube Premium subscription is the easiest way to enjoy watching YouTube without any ads. The paid membership allows you to access millions of content and play videos in the background while you’re busy doing other things. It also gives you access to YouTube music; creators can profit from it via royalties. Its main features include:

• Watch millions of videos on YouTube without ads.
• Download videos and playlists on your phone to watch while you’re offline.
• Watching videos even when you’re using another app.
• Get a YouTube Music subscription at no cost to the user.

YouTube Premium isn’t cheap, and that’s why a lot of users don’t prefer getting a subscription. But what if there was a way to get around it? You can use AstrillVPN and connect to a country’s server that offers the cheapest YouTube Premium subscription fee.

Turkey, Argentina, India, and Ukraine offer the cheapest YouTube Premium fees. While the US charges $13.99 monthly, India charges $1.57 for the same features and services. So to save bucks and get a more affordable deal on YouTube Premium, here’s what you need to do:

1. Pick a pricing plan that works best for you. Once you’ve made a choice, you can start to make an AstrillVPN account.

2. Sign Up For An AstrillVPN account.

3. Download the app and then install it on your device. AstrillVPN is available on all operating systems.

4. Connect to a server from Turkey, Argentina, India, or Ukraine.

5. Connect to the VPN.

6. Sign Up for a YouTube Premium account and sit back and enjoy ad-free content.

2) Use an Ad-Blocking Browser Extension

Ad blockers are an effective tool for watching YouTube without ads. You can set up an Ad-blocking extension on your web browser. Ad blockers automatically detect and prevent ads from appearing on any website you visit, including YouTube.

Some websites, however, can detect ad blockers and may refuse access to the website until it’s removed. In such a case, you can adjust your ad blocker’s settings and customize permission for specific websites.

While Ad-blockers help block ads, they don’t hide your IP address, so third parties can still access your data and information. That’s why using a VPN side-by-side helps keep your data safe and secure.

Now that we know the ad-blocker benefits let’s discuss how to install it so you can forever say goodbye to YouTube ads.

1. Search for an “Ad blocker” for your Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge extension store.
2. Choose an Ad blocker that has many downloads and good ratings. Adblock is a popular ad-blocker extension used by many people.
3. For this example, we’re talking about the Google Chrome browser. Once you’ve chosen an adblocker, click “Add to Chrome” and install it to your browser extension.

4. Once the extension has been set up, you can start watching YouTube with the browser extension. You don’t have to adjust the settings for Adblock since it configures its settings automatically.
5. Now you can watch YouTube peacefully and ads-free. Congratulations!

Top Ad-Blocking Extensions

As mentioned above, some websites can track ad blockers and prevent you from accessing them. Some extensions and apps still can’t prevent ads from being shown; therefore, you must go for a reliable ad-blocker to do the job. Here are some of the most widely used extensions:

Adblock Plus: It’s one of the most popular ad blockers. Adblock Plus is available on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. Adblock Plus blocks all kinds of ads from pop-ups, banner ads, video ads, etc.

uBlock Origin: It’s another highly effective ad blocker. It has a lightweight nature and excellent blocking capabilities. uBlock Origin is available on all browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera.

AdGuard: AdGuard is available as a browser extension, desktop application, and mobile app. It blocks ads, pop-ups, cookies, and spyware and protects against malware and phishing attacks. It’s available on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera.

AdBlocker Ultimate: It’s a free ad blocker for YouTube and other websites that blocks any malicious activity. It is supported via community donations.

Privacy Badger: An ad blocker that’s focused on privacy. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) developed it, and it blocks third-party trackers that serve ads. It is available on Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.

3) Use Ad-Blocking Apps

You can install ad-blocking software on your computer, mobile phones, and other devices. Let’s get into how you can do that:

Ad-Blocking Apps For Your Computer

Install software that supports Ad blocking on many platforms, such as Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. One method through which you can watch YouTube ad-free on your computer is through Pi-hole. It is a network-wide ad-blocking solution that blocks ads across all devices connected to your network.

Setting up Pi-hole requires technical expertise, but many online resources can help you navigate the process and install it on your computer. AdGuard is another excellent option and can be used across multiple devices instead of being limited to just one browser, which is the case with many ad blockers.

There are also third-party YouTube players that offer free ads. One of the popular apps is “NewPipe,” an open-source Android app that can also be installed on your device using an Android emulator. NewPipe lets you watch YouTube videos without ads and download or play videos in the background.

Ad-Blocking Apps For Smart Phones, TV, and Tablets

YouTube Vanced is a version available for Android only. It offers downloads, ad-free YouTube videos, and other features similar to YouTube Premium. However, as of early 2022, Google has shut it down, and it isn’t available on the Google Play store. There are now alternatives to YouTube Vanced that offer the same features and functionality, such as SkyTube.

Many mobile web browsers support ad-blocking extensions. You can easily install ad-blocking extensions, as many are compatible with mobile browsers and tablets. You can use Adblock Plus, AdGuard, and Brave Browser while watching YouTube through the browser, but the extensions won’t work if you watch YouTube videos separately on the app.

If you’re watching YouTube on your Smart TV, you can use devices like Chromecast, gaming consoles (PlayStation, Xbox), or Apple TV. These devices enable you to watch YouTube without commercials. However, it depends on the device settings and your subscription.

4) Try Tab + Enter

When there’s a pre-roll ad on a YouTube video, click the Tap + Enter on the keyboard to bring up the “About This Ad” box, which details why you’re seeing the ad and who’s behind it. You can then report the ad or request to stop seeing it in the future. By choosing Stop seeing this ad, you’ll get a warning that this specific advertisement should not appear again. However, this doesn’t prevent you from seeing future content from the same advertiser. 

Alternatively, you can also click Report this ad, and you’ll be redirected to a new page where you can report the advertiser for violating YouTube’s trademark policies or even simply showing multiple ads. However, these options don’t mean that you’ll never be shown all these ads again; it just means that you will have limited exposure to ads tailored to you.

5) Block YouTube Ads on Mobile Devices via DNS Server

You can also block ads through the DNS server. You can block YouTube ads on your Android device using a Private DNS. The process is relatively straightforward, and this is how you do it:

1. First, choose an Adblock DNS service. Open the Settings app on your Android device, scroll down to Network & Internet, and then find and click “Private DNS.” If you cannot find it directly, it may be under “Advanced” or “More connection settings.”
2. Once you’ve entered the PrivateDNS settings, you’ll see three options: Off, Automatic, and Private DNS provider hostname. Select “Private DNS provider hostname” and then enter the DNS server address of the Adblock DNS service you chose. Click “Save” or “Done” to apply the changes.
3. You’ve now successfully configured Private DNS on your Android device to use an AdBlock DNS service.

Can You Prevent YouTube From Tracking You?

We know that social media sites collect and send our data to advertisers and third parties; YouTube isn’t different. YouTube also has a track record of our interests and preferences and the videos we watch, as well as details of our identities, and they can use it to tailor advertisements and the videos that appear on our feed.

If you’re using a desktop, you can use extensions like Privacy Badger that detect websites that secretly track your online activities and prevent them from following your data or browsing history.

If you have any privacy concerns regarding this, then this is exactly why we recommend using a VPN. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and the server. You’re assigned a new IP address while your original IP address is masked so no one can track your online activities. YouTube will not be able to collect any relevant data on you since you’re using an IP address in a different region.

Has YouTube Started Going Against Ad Blockers?

YouTube has now considered taking action against ad-blockers. YouTube confirmed to the Verge that it plans on experimenting with ending Adblockers by urging viewers to turn off Adblockers or switch to YouTube Premium. This statement came after some users noticed that video playback could get cut off if YouTube detects that you are repeatedly using Ad-blocking tools.

According to Android Authority, YouTube is currently testing a three-strikes policy that blocks YouTube videos for people using ad-blockers. The policy would ban users from watching YouTube videos if they’re found using ad-blockers.

These measures are getting implemented to ensure that the use of ad-blockers does not become widespread. YouTube justifies taking these measures by ensuring that content creators are fairly compensated for their work and ensuring that the platform remains free for everyone.

Wrapping Up

YouTube ads become frustrating for users and are a stark reminder of how social media uses our data to recommend personalized ads and content. To address these privacy concerns, that’s where a VPN comes in handy. If you want to remove all those pesky ads while preserving your privacy and identity, then an ad-blocker and VPN should go alongside to offer you the best experience.

For most users, YouTube Premium is the most hassle-free way to watch YouTube without ads. YouTube Premium is affordable and offers a wide range of features you won’t be able to get from YouTube otherwise. You can prevent ads while watching YouTube videos in various ways, but using a VPN alongside is a must because our privacy is always at risk in the digital space. We should take the necessary steps to protect it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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