YouTube website, not the app: how to open YouTube in a browser on iPhone and Android

To use the YouTube website instead of the app, open your browser and type youtube.com into the address bar yourself rather than tapping a YouTube link, because phones hand tapped links to the app. If links keep jumping to the app, turn off the app's link handling (on Android) or choose to stay in the browser when you open a link (on iPhone). On a computer, youtube.com already is the website, and on a phone you can ask the browser for the full desktop version.

The steps differ by phone, so find yours below. Menu names change between versions; everything here was checked as of November 2026.

Why YouTube links open the app

When the YouTube app is installed, iPhone and Android both treat it as the owner of youtube.com and youtu.be links. Tap one of those links in Safari, Chrome, Messages or Mail and the phone hands it to the app instead of loading the page. This is a phone feature, not something the link or the website decides.

What does not usually trigger the hand-off is an address you type yourself. That is why the most reliable trick on both platforms is the boring one: open the browser, type youtube.com, and search from there.

iPhone: open YouTube in Safari instead of the app

Type the address

1. Open Safari.
2. Tap the search field and type youtube.com, then tap Go.
3. Search for the video on the site instead of tapping a link from another app.

This keeps you on the YouTube mobile website in most cases. If you already have a YouTube link, copy it and paste it into Safari's address bar instead of tapping it. Our guide on how to copy a YouTube link shows where the copy button is on each device.

Touch and hold a link instead of tapping it

Apple's Safari guide describes a link preview: touch and hold a link to see a preview without opening it, then tap the preview or choose Open. With the YouTube app installed, that menu may also offer to open the link in the YouTube app. Choose the option that keeps you in Safari. iOS may remember which one you picked for that kind of link, so if links started opening in the app (or stopped opening in it) after you chose an option once, this menu is where to change it back.

Request the desktop website

On a phone, youtube.com usually loads the mobile site. To get the layout you would see on a computer:

1. Open the YouTube page in Safari.
2. Tap the Page Menu button on the left side of the search field.
3. Tap Request Desktop Website (Apple notes it appears "if available").

To go back, open the same menu and switch back to the mobile site. Where the Page Menu button sits depends on your Safari tab layout and iOS version; Apple's page on customizing Safari settings on iPhone shows the current layout.

Can you turn off the app hand-off on iPhone?

As of November 2026, Apple's iPhone User Guide does not describe a switch that stops one app from opening its links. You can change your default browser (Settings, Apps, Default Apps, Browser App), but that only decides which browser opens web links; it does not stop the YouTube app from taking youtube.com links. Your options are:

• Type or paste the address, as above.
• Use the touch-and-hold menu to choose the browser.
• Use a Private Browsing tab in Safari when you want to watch signed out.
• Remove the YouTube app. With no app installed, every YouTube link opens in the browser. You can reinstall it from the App Store later.

Android: open YouTube in Chrome instead of the app

Turn off "Open supported links" for YouTube

Android lets you decide whether an app opens its own links. On Android 12 and later, the setting looks like this on Google's Pixel phones:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Apps. If you don't see YouTube, tap See all apps.
3. Tap YouTube.
4. Tap Open by default.
5. Turn off Open supported links.

From now on, YouTube links you tap should open in your browser. If your phone keeps asking which app to use, the same screen has Clear default preferences, which Google's help page on setting or clearing default apps explains. Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and other makers can name and place this screen differently, for example under a "Set as default" entry; look for the YouTube app's link settings in Settings, Apps.

Type the address in Chrome

1. Open Chrome.
2. Type youtube.com in the address bar.
3. Search on the site.

Typed addresses normally stay in the browser even when the app still handles tapped links.

Get the desktop site in Chrome

1. Open the YouTube page in Chrome.
2. Tap the More menu (⋮) at the top right.
3. Check Desktop site.

Uncheck it to go back to the mobile site. Chrome also has a desktop-site default in its settings, and on large tablets it may already request desktop sites on its own.

Samsung Internet

Samsung Internet has its own setting that decides whether links can open in other apps. In recent versions it has been listed as Open links in other apps under Settings, Useful features; turning it off keeps YouTube links inside the browser. We could not confirm this label on a Samsung help page as of November 2026, so the wording on your phone may differ. The Open supported links setting above works for Samsung Internet too, because it is set on the YouTube app, not the browser.

On a computer, youtube.com is already the website

On Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebooks, there is no YouTube app that takes over links in the same way. Typing youtube.com in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox gives you the full website.

One exception: if you once installed YouTube as a web app from Chrome, it opens in its own window and can look like an app. To remove it, open that window, select More, then Uninstall YouTube, then Remove, as Chrome's help on web apps describes. The website in a normal browser tab is unchanged.

m.youtube.com and youtube.com: what's the difference?

• youtube.com is the main address. A computer gets the desktop layout.
• m.youtube.com is the mobile website. Phones are usually sent there automatically when they visit youtube.com.

Changing the address alone usually doesn't change what you see, because YouTube looks at which device and browser is asking. Use Request Desktop Website in Safari or Desktop site in Chrome to get the computer layout on a phone. The desktop layout is small on a phone screen, so you may need to zoom in.

Why people prefer the website

A few common reasons, and what to expect:

• Watching signed out. In a private tab (Safari Private Browsing, Chrome Incognito) you watch without your account, so the video doesn't land in your watch history or shape your recommendations.
• A different account. You can stay signed in to one Google account in the app and another in the browser, which helps if you share a phone or keep work and personal channels apart.
• No app installed. On a school, work or borrowed device, or a phone low on storage, the website is the only option.
• Picture-in-picture. YouTube's help page on picture-in-picture covers the app, and says music content in picture-in-picture is only for YouTube Premium members. Whether a video keeps playing in a small window from a browser depends on the browser, the phone and the site, and it changes over time, so don't count on it.

The website also has limits. Some features belong to the app, and the mobile site may show prompts to open or get the app. You can close them and keep watching.

How to go back to the app

• Android: go back to Settings, Apps, YouTube, Open by default, and turn Open supported links on again. In Chrome, uncheck Desktop site.
• iPhone: touch and hold a YouTube link and choose the YouTube app option, or open the YouTube app directly and search there. If you removed the app, reinstall it from the App Store.
• Samsung Internet: turn the links-to-other-apps setting back on.

After that, tapping a youtube.com or youtu.be link should open the app again. If it still doesn't, our guide to YouTube links not opening in the app goes through the fixes for each phone.

For creators: the opposite problem

If your issue is that viewers tap your YouTube links inside Instagram, TikTok or Facebook and land in that app's built-in browser instead of YouTube, that is a different fix, explained on our page about YouTube links that open in the browser instead of the app.

Frequently asked questions

How do I go to the YouTube website and not the app?

Open your browser, type youtube.com in the address bar and search from there, instead of tapping a YouTube link. Phones send tapped YouTube links to the app, but typed addresses usually stay in the browser. On Android you can also turn off Open supported links for the YouTube app so tapped links stop opening the app.

How do I stop YouTube links opening the app on Android?

Open Settings, tap Apps, choose YouTube (under See all apps if needed), tap Open by default and turn off Open supported links. This is the Pixel wording on Android 12 and later; other phone makers may place it differently. Turn it back on whenever you want the app to handle links again.

Can I stop the YouTube app opening links on iPhone?

As of November 2026, iOS has no documented switch that stops the YouTube app from taking its links. Type or paste the address into Safari, or touch and hold a link and choose the option that opens it in Safari. The only way to make every link open in the browser is to remove the YouTube app.

How do I get the desktop version of YouTube on my phone?

In Safari on iPhone, open the Page Menu next to the address and tap Request Desktop Website. In Chrome on Android, open the More menu and check Desktop site. The full layout is small on a phone, so zooming in may help.

Is the YouTube website the same as the app?

You can search, watch, subscribe and comment on both, but they are not identical. Some features are built for the app, and the mobile site may ask you to open or install the app. YouTube changes both over time, so check what you need on the version you use.