AdBlock not Working on YouTube
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Introduction

YouTube together with AdBlock is simply a dream team. Billions of videos on demand without any fees or ad interruptions is a luxury that many of us take for granted. But how much of a disappointment one would feel when the idyllic viewing session fails! Current user reports show that more and more people started experiencing troubles trying to bypass commercials on YouTube using their favorite ad blocker.

Found yourself affected too? In this article, we would discuss the reasons for AdBlock not working on YouTube and, most importantly, how this issue can be resolved.

Use Alternative Ad Blocker - AdLock

Although AdBlock is a trustworthy and, perhaps, the most well-known ad blocker worldwide, it is for sure not the only one. The variety of ad blocker brands on the market is enormous, still, there are a couple of parameters you should pay attention to when choosing an alternative to your AdBlock.

All ad blockers work under the same principles but they might have slight differences in their functionality, as well as the filter lists they are using. Another important point is the compatibility with your web browser and operating system. Finally, we all want a lightweight, easy-to-use, and reliable solution that doesn't require a big money investment.

Based on the criteria above, AdLock is our top-pick alternative ad blocking solution for today that allows you to see Youtube without ads. Using the YouTube-specific filters and automating all processes, this blocker proves its efficiency in stopping the ads in videos on all the platforms. The developers have listed plenty of workaround and useful tips on bypassing online ads on their website, too.

Reset your YouTube Account

Even the least tech-savvy users know that YouTube ads are individually tailored for each of us, based on our search history and browser activity. The ads are following us wherever we go online and find their chance to be displayed in the middle of a favorite show. So how about we reset all that collected ad data and start over again?

A simple way to do this would be to log in and out of your YouTube account. Many people out there found this method quite useful in the situation when AdBlock doesn't work on YouTube anymore. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Go on YouTube.com - any page here would do;
  2. Click your profile picture in the top-right corner;
  3. Select Log Out in the drop-down list;
  4. At this stage, optionally, you can delete cookies and cache on your browser;
  5. Now go back to YouTube.com and click Login;
  6. Provide your login credentials and run a video to see the result.

Turn Off and Turn On AdBlock Extension

Not only does YouTube analyze your viewing habits to supply the targeted ads, but also it punishes users for trying to block these commercials sometimes. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain how the video streaming giant decides which of its users can skip ads after a few seconds and who is set to have them unskippable. According to the user posts regarding their AdBlock or AdBlock Plus not working on YouTube, this was due to the recent changes to the YouTube policy regarding ad blockers and affects everyone now. So why would we not follow the advice given by the same brave ad-fighters and make YouTube think that we quit our attempts? Let's see how one can turn off and on an AdBlock extension in different popular web browsers.

Google Chrome

  1. Open a new tab in your Chrome;
  2. Paste chrome://extensions/ in the address bar and press Enter;
  3. In the Extensions tab locate the AdBlock version you are using;
  4. Click Disable next to it, restart your browser, and Enable AdBlock again.

Safari

  1. Open your Safari and click Menu in the top bar;
  2. Select Preferences and navigate to the Extensions tab;
  3. Find AdBlock in the list and untick the box next to Enable this extension;
  4. Restart your Safari and enable AdBlock again in the same tab.

Mozilla

  1. Open your Mozilla Firefox and open a new tab;
  2. Paste about:addons and hit Enter to access the Add-ons menu;
  3. Go to the Extensions tab and locate your AdBlock;
  4. Use the toggle to disable your ad blocker;
  5. Restart your Mozilla and reactivate AdBlock in the same menu.

Update AdBlock Filter List

When it comes to watching the videos on YouTube, AdBlock not working properly can be a result of using outdated filter lists. The whole ad blocking magic is based on filters: this is how the software can identify an unwanted element on a web page among all others. The sites like YouTube are trying to constantly change the structure of their pages to make it more difficult for the ad blocking scripts to bypass the annoying commercials. And, even though the filter lists are being updated automatically with each new version of AdBlock, you still can refresh them manually on demand. This is how:

  1. Open your browser and click the AdBlock logo (usually, in the top-right corner);
  2. Select Options in the drop-down AdBlock extension menu;
  3. Go to the Filter Lists tab on the left-hand pane;
  4. Now hit the red button Update Now and wait until completion;
  5. Restart your PC, go back on YouTube and run any video to see if the ads disappeared.

The AdBlock team responds quickly to the users' complaints regarding outdated filters and functional deficiencies. So, when nothing helps and your AdBlock seems to lack some up-to-date filters, don't hesitate to contact the developers and point the problem out. Your report might help the whole AdBlock user community to get such issues sorted.

Update AdBlock to the latest version

Finally, the issue with YouTube showing ads can be caused by the incorrect functionality of the AdBlock extension itself. Even the best products in the world are not exempted from some vulnerabilities, or simply bugs. When that's the case, you can be sure that the developers are always striving to fix such technical issues in the shortest time possible, and, perhaps, the new, corrected version of the AdBlock extension is already available for download.

It's worth mentioning that browser extensions are being kept up-to-date automatically so the user doesn't have controls to manually update the build version. This, however, can be easily solved by uninstalling AdBlock from your browser and reinstalling it again - already with the newest app version that is out there:

  1. Open your browser and navigate to Settings;
  2. Go to the Extensions or Add-ons tab;
  3. Locate AdBlock in the list and click Remove (Uninstall) next to it;
  4. Visit the extension store of your browser (for example, Chrome Web Store) and look for AdBlock;
  5. Hit the blue button Add to browser (Install) and wait until completion;
  6. Go to YouTube.com and try running a video to see if the ads are finally gone.

All in all, despite all its attempts to be adblocker-resistant, YouTube just like any other website can be cleaned from an ad invasion using AdBlocker or its quality alternatives. The good old "restart, relogin, update" method seems to help most of the users to get their AdBlocker back in shape, so try it out and enjoy your favorite shows without a hassle.

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