The best Safari extension: uBlock Origin Lite

The uBlock Origin Lite was released on the App Store in August last year. Although it’s the ‘Lite’ version, which is not as powerful as the original, it’s still one of the best things to happen in the last year, especially for users who sometimes have to use Safari as their browser, like me.

The best options are still to use Firefox with the user.js file for hardening or the more user-friendly Brave browser. However, Safari sometimes has its own advantages, such as the battery saver. To be honest, “thanks” to its system-native status, it conserves battery power far more effectively than other third-party browsers. However, this remains its sole redeeming feature. In terms of web compatibility, privacy, and extensibility, Safari undoubtedly ranks at the bottom.

Until the arrival of uBlock Origin Lite.

Those familiar with it will have long heard its reputation, while if you’re encountering it for the first time, all you need to know for now is that it can magically eliminate all manner of irritating adverts and pop-ups, including but not limited to YouTube, X (yes, you won’t need to pay a penny for a subscription!), and numerous other websites.

Moreover, if you couldn’t care less about short videos but find yourself constantly bombarded by sites like YouTube, which seem determined to use every trick in the book to push short-form content on you, then uBlock Origin Lite is absolutely the solution for you.

Here is how this magic is achieved

First, download and install it from the App Store.

Then enable it, open the dashboard and select the native filter lists. Don’t forget to select your regions and languages using the filter at the bottom of the page.

Now for the important part

Copy these rules and save them as a plain text file:

! YT - Homepage and Subscriptions (Grid View) - Hide the Shorts section
youtube.com##[is-shorts]
! YT - Menu - Hide the Shorts button
www.youtube.com###guide [title="Shorts"], .ytd-mini-guide-entry-renderer[title="Shorts"]
! YT - Search - Hide Shorts
www.youtube.com##ytd-search ytd-video-renderer:has([overlay-style="SHORTS"],[href^="/shorts/"])
! YT - Search, Channels, Subscriptions (List View) and Sidebar/Below Player Recommendations - Hide the Shorts sections
www.youtube.com##ytd-reel-shelf-renderer
! YT - Channels - Hide the Shorts tab
www.youtube.com##[tab-title="Shorts"]
! YT - Subscriptions - Hide Shorts - Grid View
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="subscriptions"] ytd-grid-video-renderer:has([overlay-style="SHORTS"],[href^="/shorts/"])
! YT - Subscriptions - Hide Shorts - List View
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="subscriptions"] ytd-video-renderer:has([overlay-style="SHORTS"],[href^="/shorts/"])
! YT - Subscriptions - New Layout - Hide Shorts
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="subscriptions"] ytd-rich-item-renderer:has([overlay-style="SHORTS"],[href^="/shorts/"])
! YT - Sidebar - Hide Shorts
www.youtube.com###related :is(ytd-compact-video-renderer,yt-lockup-view-model):has([overlay-style="SHORTS"],[href^="/shorts/"])
! YT - History - Hide Shorts
www.youtube.com##ytd-item-section-renderer[page-subtype]:has(>#contents>[is-history]>#dismissible>ytd-thumbnail>#thumbnail[href^="/shorts/"])

! YT Mobile - Hide the Shorts Menu button
m.youtube.com##ytm-pivot-bar-item-renderer:has(>.pivot-shorts)
! YT Mobile - Hide the Shorts sections
m.youtube.com##ytm-reel-shelf-renderer
m.youtube.com##ytm-rich-section-renderer:has([d^="M17.77,10.32l-1.2"])
! YT Mobile - Search - Hide Shorts
m.youtube.com##ytm-search ytm-video-with-context-renderer:has([data-style="SHORTS"])
! YT Mobile - Channels - Hide the Shorts button
m.youtube.com##[tab-title="Shorts"]
! YT Mobile - History - Hide Shorts
m.youtube.com##[tab-identifier="FEhistory"] ytm-compact-video-renderer:has(>div>a[href^="/shorts/"])

These rules may change from time to time, so it’s a good idea to check the official wiki page for the latest updates.

Then, in the dashboard, go to Custom filters > Import / Export and import the .txt file that you just saved. It should look like this:

Then you need to quit Safari completely by pressing cmd + Q. This is essential.

Now reopen Safari, open YouTube, and savour your triumph! Those pesky adverts and short video pushes have vanished!