And in another episode of We will be assimilated by YouTube Premium, resistance is futile, the distance between what users want and what Google intends has never been so wide. Complaints keep multiplying, Mountain View pressures the wrong points, and the only thing we can do on our side is try to change YouTube's behavior to get a better experience. Today we're looking at YouTube Redux, an extension compatible with Chrome and Firefox that seeks to restore the service's retro look.
My recent articles about YouTube have basically focused on optimizing or replacing its interface, and I assure you it's not a whim. From NewPipe on Android to FreeTube and youtube-local, the idea is always the same: make YouTube work better and not get in the way of the user. However, the truth is that there are many resources to modify the traditional version of YouTube, especially when it comes to extensions. One of the most interesting is YouTube Redux, which proposes restoring the old layout of the service.
How to restore the retro appearance of YouTube with YouTube Redux
YouTube Redux enables a series of parameters divided into three sections: General, Video Page, and an additional list on the right side of its interface. General allows us to define the number of videos per row on the home page, restore the old comment style, and group playlists, but all these changes will not be reflected if history is turned off.
Video Page has options to set the exact player size, and activate alternative modes like pillarboxing (very useful when the video is 4:3). The last section includes commands to block infinite scrolling, enable a true fullscreen mode (that is, no scroll), disable animations in player actions, block the miniplayer, and bring back old icons.
To conclude, I admit that the placebo effect may play a trick on me from time to time, but I feel that YouTube works faster with YouTube Redux installed. Links below! This extension is compatible with Chrome and Firefox.
YouTube Redux for Chrome: Click here
YouTube Redux for Firefox: Click here
