YouTube is blocking videos for viewers who aren’t even using adblockers

It’s being said that YouTube appears to be preventing video playback for users who aren’t using any ad-blocking software within their web browsers, causing frustration and prompting them to seek solutions.

Over the past year, YouTube has been increasing its efforts against ads, causing videos to run slower and, in some cases, preventing its video player from functioning entirely for users who use adblockers to avoid commercials.

In the summer of 2024, the website introduced a limitation, which ignited anger among users as they encountered a notification asking them to deactivate their adblockers on the site or opt for YouTube Premium subscription before continuing.

Some users claim that they are unable to watch videos despite not using adblockers on their browsers at all.

Some viewers without adblockers can’t watch YouTube videos

On July 16, a Reddit user posted a snapshot of their encounter while using YouTube. The snapshot depicted the identical message that appears for individuals employing adblockers: “It seems you might be utilizing an adblocker. Playback of videos will be blocked unless YouTube is added to the exception list or the adblocker is deactivated.

The Reddit user was astonished, stating that they don’t utilize ad-blocking software. “Are you tubes (YouTube) being foolish?” they asked. “I don’t employ ad-blockers.

They said it instructs me on disabling ad-blockers and reloading, but even after doing so, the issue persists. It’s quite frustrating.

Is Youtube daft? I don’t have any ad blockers.
byu/muanika inyoutube

Other users have shared similar frustrations, with one individual mentioning that they’ve encountered the same problem even while using Google Chrome. They added, “After disabling any potential ad blockers, I even resorted to using Google’s own browser, Chrome, but YouTube persists in complaining.

The error message may still appear, regardless if you don’t have an ad-blocker activated,” was one person’s observation. Another post I saw reported encountering this same error without the use of an ad-blocker.

The user stated, “I’m a premium subscriber, but my account was temporarily blocked from viewing content due to having an adblocker installed. It’s hard to believe that they would penalize someone who pays for their service in such a way.

Here’s a new take on your statement: Users are expressing frustration once more about the platform, as they believe YouTube Shorts would work better as a standalone app rather than being part of the standard website.

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2025-07-16 22:19