NOTE: It has come to our attention that the tip we shared yesterday may not work in every district. Each school district is responsible for their own web filtering according to their district policies. We apologize for any confusion that this may have caused. You should always contact the individuals responsible for filter management and policies for any issues related to access to websites you need for classroom instruction.
Several times in the last month I have been asked if there is a way to show YouTube videos without the ads. My only solution up to this point has been to suggest getting YouTube Premium which costs $11.99 a month and there is no easy way for schools to purchase for all their teachers.
This week I found a solution. Hat tip to my daughter’s young 5s teacher @beekks1 (Miss Beek) who passed on this gem from her PLN on Twitter.
The answer is as simple as putting a hyphen between the “t” and the “u” in youtube and hitting enter. You are sent to a full screen version of the video with no sidebar and no ads.
Here is a normal URL for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAnSnkIrg2E
Add the hyphen to the URL: https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=sAnSnkIrg2E
And the video loads a new URL with no ads: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/sAnSnkIrg2E?autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3&loop=1&modestbranding=1&playlist=sAnSnkIrg2E
Here is a screenshot of the URL edit.
The URL Loads in a full screen mode which is perfect for younger viewers to watch without worrying about ads interrupting the video.
Note the video will repeat if it runs all the way though. Your students will have to close the window at the end or it will keep playing.
As with all these hacks, there are no guarantees that it will work forever, but in the meantime enjoy YouTube ad free for now.
Google Certified Trainer