Quick Links
Use an Alternative YouTube Front-End
Download an Alternative YouTube App
Install a Browser Script
Key Takeaways
- Use alternative YouTube front-ends like Invidious to watch age-restricted videos without signing in.
- Download alternative YouTube apps like FreeTube and NewPipe to access age-restricted content.
- Install browser scripts with Tampermonkey to bypass YouTube's age restrictions on different browsers.
YouTube's age-restricted content requires you to confirm your age before watching, which can be extremely frustrating. But there are a few handy ways to bypass this and watch age-restricted videos on YouTube without signing in.
YouTube constantly changes the way it implements code for its videos and frequently blocks new methods of bypassing age restrictions on the site. Staff members in different parts of the world tested each method with varying success levels. That is to say, don't expect all of them to work in your country or region.
Use an Alternative YouTube Front-End
You can watch age-restricted YouTube videos right in your web browser using an alternative front-end. They run in a web browser, just like regular YouTube, while other options are available for Android devices.
1. Invidious
When running Invidious you can search for YouTube videos and play them as normal. You can also grab the URL of a specific YouTube video and paste it directly into the search box to play it without signing in.
If things don't seem to be working, you can switch the Invidious instance you're running, which will let you choose an alternative version of the front end. If videos don't play in a standard browser window, try clicking the Download button to the side. This doesn't actually download the video, but attempts to open it in a new tab.
2. ListenOnRepeat
ListenOnRepeat works well with age-restricted YouTube music videos. The search bar lets you look up the videos you want, and the front end lets you return to your favorites if you sign in.
Download an Alternative YouTube App
Another option to watch age-restricted videos without signing in is to install an alternative YouTube app on your laptop or phone. This is obviously less convenient, as it means you cannot watch the videos in your browser, but the good thing about apps is that they tend to be updated regularly.
FreeTube (Windows, macOS, and Linux), and NewPipe and SkyTube (both for Android) are the best apps to use. They're all free and open-source, which should help relieve any security concerns. They're easy to use—just search and play your videos as you would with YouTube.
Unfortunately, the best option for iOS/iPadOS, Yattee, isn't working at the time of writing, and it was tested on several devices. That's not to say it won't work again in the future, but it wasn't available during our testing.
1. FreeTube for PC
You can download FreeTube directly from its website. It's available for Windows, macOS, and Linux distributions. Once installed, you can search within the app or paste a URL to watch NSFW YouTube videos without signing in.
2. NewPipe for Android
NewPipe is an Android phone app you won't find on the Play Store. It's available through F-Droid, the open-source Android app repository or direct from the NewPipe website.
However, to install NewPipe on your Android device, you'll first have to enable the installation of third-party APKs.
- Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.
- Click on Special app access.
- Click on Install unknown apps.
- Choose to allow APKs to be installed from the source of your choice.
Now, head to NewPipe and download the APK from the website directly to your device. Select the file, and the installation process will begin. Once installed, you'll need to enable age-restricted content to view it on your Android device.
- Go to Settings > Content.
- Toggle the show age-related content option to the on position.
Once done, you can start watching age-restricted YouTube videos.
3. SkyTube for Android
SkyTube must also be installed as a third-party APK. It works much like NewPipe, allowing you to watch age-restricted YouTube videos without signing in.
- Head to the SkyTube F-Droid repository.
- Scroll down and download the latest version of the app. The download link is marked Download APK, and each version is marked with a date.
- Once downloaded, install the app.
Once done, you can start watching age-restricted YouTube videos.
Install a Browser Script
Installing a browser script is a good way to bypass YouTube's age restrictions. It sounds complicated, but it isn't. You just need to use a desktop browser; we tested Tampermonkey on Chrome, Brave, and Firefox.
Tampermonkey is an extension that allows you to customize and enhance the performance of websites. To set it up:
- Go to Tampermonkey, then select your browser from the bar of tabs along the top (choose Chrome for Brave or other Chromium-based browsers).
- In the Download section, click Get from Store or whatever the relevant button is labeled, and then follow the onscreen instructions to install the extension. It's no different from installing any browser extension.
With that done, install the script to let you watch restricted videos without logging in. The Simple YouTube Age Restriction Bypass script is open-source, and you can view it on GitHub. However, for ease of use, we recommend downloading it from the script site Greasyfork.
- Go to the Simple YouTube Age Restriction Bypass script.
- Click Install this script.
- A new tab will open, showing the code for the script. Click Install.
The tab will close instantly, and the script should be installed. Now, load up your restricted YouTube video to check that it works.
To delete the script, open the Tampermonkey extension from your browser's toolbar, select Dashboard, then click the trash icon alongside the script name.
With Google cracking down on methods to access NSFW content on YouTube, there's no guarantee that these tools will still work at the time of reading. And these tools don't just help you watch NSFW videos without signing in. Some also help with downloading specific portions of videos or skipping sponsored segments.
- Entertainment
- Technology Explained
- YouTube
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