How to Block the YouTube App on iPhone, iPad and Android
YouTube is in the app, in every browser, embedded in other sites and inside Google Classroom. Decide what you want first: a full block, a restricted YouTube, or YouTube Kids only. Then follow the steps for your devices.
YouTube and YouTube Kids bundle IDs and package names
Google publishes several YouTube apps, and each has its own identifiers. Block the ones that play videos, and decide separately about YouTube Kids.
| App | iOS bundle ID | App Store ID | Android package | Typical school choice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | com.google.ios.youtube | 544007664 | com.google.android.youtube | Block |
| YouTube Kids | com.google.ios.youtubekids | 936971630 | com.google.android.apps.youtube.kids | Often kept for young pupils |
| YouTube Music | com.google.ios.youtubemusic | 1017492454 | Look up | Block (plays music videos) |
| YouTube Studio | com.google.ios.ytcreator | 888530356 | Look up | Block for students |
| YouTube TV | com.google.ios.youtubeunplugged | 1193350206 | Look up | Block |
Age ratings help on family iPads. YouTube is rated above 9+ in the App Store, while YouTube Kids is rated 4+. An app age limit of 9+ hides the main app and leaves YouTube Kids in place.
YouTube web domains
For a full block in a network or web filter, cover the domains the site, the app and embedded players use.
Blocking the video delivery domains also stops YouTube videos embedded on other websites, which is usually what a full block intends.
How to block YouTube on school iPads
School iPads enrolled through Apple School Manager are supervised, so you can hide the app outright. Then close Safari and other browsers, or students just open youtube.com.
Microsoft Intune
- Create a Settings catalog policy for iOS/iPadOS and add Restrictions > Blocked App Bundle IDs.
- Enter the YouTube, YouTube Music, Studio and TV bundle IDs from the table.
- Or use the device restrictions template's Show or hide apps with Hidden apps, adding each app's URL or bundle ID.
- Skip the Prohibited apps list: it reports installs but does not block.
Jamf Pro and Jamf School
- Jamf Pro: new configuration profile, Restrictions > Apps, filter for supervised iOS, set App Usage to Some apps not allowed.
- Add YouTube and the related apps, then scope to student iPads.
- Jamf School: add the apps to the blocklist in a Safelist and Blocklist payload on an iOS profile.
- Keep YouTube Kids off the list if younger classes use it.
Mosyle and Iru (formerly Kandji)
Both block apps by bundle ID in an iOS restrictions profile for supervised iPads. Paste the identifiers from the table and check the current label names in your console, since both products change their menus between versions.
Safari and other browsers
- Add the YouTube domains to your MDM's web content filter for Safari, or rely on your network filter.
- Block other browser apps, which ignore Safari settings. See blocking other browsers.
- Hide Safari entirely on iPads that only need managed apps.
Using a profile instead of an MDM screen? The Restrictions payload key is blockedAppBundleIDs. From iOS 27 Apple points to the declarative App settings configuration, which has a Denied apps list; it needs supervision and Automated Device Enrollment.
Building a full student iPad policy? Start from apps to block on school iPads.
How to block YouTube on a school Chromebook
Chromebooks reach YouTube three ways: the website in Chrome, the YouTube Android app from Google Play, and videos embedded in other sites. Each card closes one.
In the Google Admin console open Devices > Chrome > Apps & extensions > Users & browsers.
Select the YouTube app (package com.google.android.youtube) and set Installation policy to Block, then save.
Or switch Google Play to Block all apps, admin manages allowlist.
Go to Devices > Chrome > Settings, then Content > URL Blocking.
Add the YouTube domains to Blocked URLs. Use Blocked URL exceptions for anything you still need.
Android apps can ignore this list, which is why step 1 matters.
Decide what happens to videos teachers embed in Classroom or Slides.
Google's guidance is to add youtubeeducation.com to your allow or block lists, depending on whether those embeds should keep working.
Test with a real assignment before term starts.
Extensions and Android apps on Chromebooks are covered in school Chromebook apps and extensions.
How to block YouTube on Android phones and tablets
On many Android devices YouTube comes preinstalled as a system app, so it may be there even if nobody installed it. Your MDM handles that differently from store apps.
Fully managed and dedicated devices
- In Intune, leave Allow access to all apps in Google Play store unset so only approved apps appear.
- If the store is open, approve YouTube in Managed Google Play and assign it with the Uninstall intent.
- For a preinstalled copy, use your console's system app setting to disable it; menu names vary.
- In the Google Admin console, manage apps under Apps > Web and mobile apps and limit installs to that list.
Kids' tablets and phones
- School-owned tablets: block com.google.android.youtube and allow com.google.android.apps.youtube.kids.
- Family devices: use the parental controls built into the device or the child's Google account to block the main app.
- Block YouTube in the browser too, or the website replaces the app.
Library and early years setups: kids' tablets and early literacy apps.
Restrict YouTube instead of blocking it
Many schools keep YouTube for teaching and limit what students see. Google offers four ways to force Restricted Mode, and they work at different layers.
Admin console YouTube settings
Open Apps > Additional Google services > YouTube. Under Permissions choose Strict Restricted YouTube access, Moderate Restricted YouTube access, Unrestricted YouTube access or Can approve videos per organizational unit.
Then tick the content setting that limits signed-in users to restricted and approved videos.
DNS on your network
Point www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com, youtubei.googleapis.com, youtube.googleapis.com and www.youtube-nocookie.com at restrict.youtube.com (Strict) or restrictmoderate.youtube.com (Moderate) with CNAME records.
Browser policy
The ForceYouTubeRestrict policy in Chrome and Edge sets a minimum mode: 0 off, 1 Moderate, 2 Strict. Users cannot pick a less restricted mode.
Header from a filtering proxy
A proxy that inspects HTTPS can add a YouTube-Restrict header with the value Strict or Moderate to requests to the YouTube domains.
Which wins? For signed-in school accounts, the Admin console setting overrides network and device settings. Strict mode is tight but still not a complete filter, so pair it with supervision in class.
Block YouTube but keep YouTube Kids
YouTube Kids is a separate app with its own identifiers, so you can treat the two apps differently on the same device.
On school and library devices
- Add only the main YouTube identifiers to the blocked list.
- Leave com.google.ios.youtubekids and com.google.android.apps.youtube.kids allowed, or push them as managed apps.
- Block youtube.com in browsers so the full site does not replace the app.
- Review the kids app's own parent settings for the age group.
On a family iPad with Screen Time
- Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn restrictions on.
- Under the App Store and media settings, set the app age limit to 9+. YouTube is hidden, YouTube Kids stays.
- Under web content, limit adult websites and add youtube.com to the never allowed list.
- Set a Screen Time passcode the child does not know. Menu names differ slightly between iOS versions.
YouTube Shorts and YouTube ads: what you can control
These two questions come up in every school and family. The short answer is that both live inside the main YouTube app, where MDM settings do not reach.
How to block YouTube Shorts
Shorts are a section of the YouTube app, not a separate app, so there is no bundle ID to block.
Options: block the YouTube app, or allow YouTube only in a managed browser where a filter with HTTPS inspection can act on Shorts pages. Check what your filter supports.
If short videos are the real concern, review TikTok too: how to block TikTok.
How to block YouTube ads
MDM tools do not control ads inside YouTube. Ads come through the same Google services as the videos, so blocking them at the network level is unreliable and can break playback.
For schools, the practical answer is fewer YouTube surfaces: restricted access, approved videos, and embeds through tools teachers already use.
Blocking channels: the Admin console works the other way round. Restrict everyone, then let approvers approve videos and channels. Blocking one channel while allowing the rest needs a filter with YouTube channel controls.
YouTube on classroom screens, Apple TV and laptops
Phones and tablets are only part of the picture. Classroom displays and staff laptops reach YouTube too, and each has its own control.
Supervised Apple TV devices accept the same kind of app restriction as iPads. Jamf Pro, for example, filters the Restrictions payload for tvOS and supervised devices.
The YouTube app on Apple TV has its own identifier. Check it with the bundle ID lookup before adding it.
Many classroom panels run Android with YouTube preinstalled. If the panel supports Android Enterprise, manage it in your MDM like any dedicated device.
If it does not, use the panel's own admin settings and your network filter.
On laptops YouTube runs in the browser, even when it is installed as a web app from Chrome or Edge. The URL block policies and your filter cover it.
For staff, ForceYouTubeRestrict keeps Restricted Mode on in Chrome and Edge without blocking the site.
How students get YouTube back, and how to close it
When YouTube disappears from a school iPad or Chromebook, these are the routes admins see next. More detail in how students get around restrictions.
| What students try | Why it works | What closes it |
|---|---|---|
| youtube.com in Safari or Chrome | The app block does not touch the website | Web content filter or URL Blocking with the YouTube domains |
| Another browser app | Other browsers ignore Safari settings | Block other browsers on student devices |
| YouTube Music or Studio | Separate apps that also play video | Block all YouTube bundle IDs, not just the main one |
| Embedded players on other sites | Videos load from YouTube's delivery domains | Block the delivery and nocookie domains for a full block |
| Alternative YouTube front-end sites | They proxy YouTube through their own domains | Block streaming and proxy categories in your filter |
| VPN or proxy apps | Traffic leaves your filter | Block VPN apps and VPN configuration |
| Signing out or incognito | Admin console settings apply only to signed-in users | Force sign-in on Chromebooks and add a network method |
Unblocking YouTube for teachers
A full block for students should not stop staff from teaching with video. Scope the rules so each group gets what it needs.
| Group | YouTube app | Admin console permission | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Young pupils | Blocked, YouTube Kids allowed | Strict Restricted access | Full block on student Wi-Fi |
| Older students | Blocked or allowed with restrictions | Strict or Moderate Restricted access | Restricted Mode by DNS |
| Teachers | Allowed | Unrestricted access or Can approve videos | Staff network without the block |
| Library and lab devices | Depends on use | Strict for shared accounts | Same as the student network |
How to test the YouTube block
Sign in with a student account on one supervised iPad, one Chromebook and one Android tablet, then work through the list.
YouTube blocking FAQ
How do I block YouTube on an iPad?
On a supervised iPad, add the bundle ID com.google.ios.youtube to your MDM's blocked or hidden apps list, then block youtube.com in Safari and any other browser. On a family iPad, use Screen Time content restrictions.
How do I block YouTube on a school Chromebook?
In the Google Admin console, block the YouTube Android app in Apps and extensions, and add YouTube domains to URL Blocking in the Chrome settings. Do both, because Android apps can ignore the Chrome URL blocklist.
Can I block YouTube but allow YouTube Kids?
Yes. YouTube Kids is a separate app with its own identifiers, com.google.ios.youtubekids on iOS and com.google.android.apps.youtube.kids on Android. Block only the main YouTube identifiers and leave YouTube Kids allowed.
How do I block YouTube Shorts?
Shorts are part of the main YouTube app, so no MDM setting removes Shorts alone. Block the YouTube app and, if needed, allow YouTube only in a browser where a filter with HTTPS inspection can act on Shorts pages. Check what your filter supports.
How do I block YouTube ads?
MDM tools do not control ads inside YouTube. Ads come through the same Google services as the videos, so ad blocking at the network level is unreliable and can break playback.
How do I block YouTube channels for students?
Google's Admin console works the other way round: put students on restricted access, then let approvers approve videos and channels. Blocking one channel while allowing the rest needs a filter with YouTube channel controls.
How do I unblock YouTube for teachers on school devices?
Put staff in their own organizational unit or device group and exclude it from the YouTube block. In the YouTube settings of the Admin console, give staff unrestricted access or the Can approve videos permission.
Does blocking the YouTube app also block YouTube in Safari?
No. The app block only hides the app. Add YouTube domains to the Safari web content filter or your network filter, and block other browsers on student devices.
Streaming, social and video apps in one blocklist
Our Streaming Media and Social Networking blocklists cover YouTube's apps and the other video apps students find, as files for your MDM on iOS, iPadOS and Android, updated monthly.
YouTube, YouTube Kids, YouTube Music, YouTube Studio, YouTube TV, Google, Android, Chrome, Chromebook, Google Play and Google Classroom are trademarks of Google LLC. TikTok is a trademark of ByteDance Ltd.
Microsoft Intune and Edge are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Apple, iPhone, iPad, Safari, Screen Time, App Store and Apple School Manager are trademarks of Apple Inc. Jamf, Mosyle, Iru and Kandji are trademarks of their respective owners.
Names are used only to identify the products discussed. AppBlockList is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by these companies.