Limit YouTube to 30 minutes a day on Chrome

Why a limit rather than a block

YouTube is also where work happens: a lecture, a tutorial, a talk. Blocking it all the time cuts those videos along with the rest. A daily limit leaves room for the video you need, and closes the site once that time is used.

Set the limit in four steps

1. Add Claryda to Chrome from the Chrome Web Store. No account to create.
2. Open youtube.com and click Claryda's icon in the toolbar. If you can't see it, it's tucked under the extensions icon, the puzzle piece: pin it.
3. Choose “Time limit”, then “30 min”.
4. Click “Limit to 30 min a day”. That's it.

Time limit for youtube.comThen blocked until midnight

15 min30 min45 min1 h1 h 302 h

Other duration…

Counted while the tab is shown, reset at midnight.

Limit to 30 min a dayCancel

Block sitesFocusProgress

What happens next

1. The popup shows the time left, for example “23 min left of 30 min”.
2. Five minutes before the end, Chrome shows a notification: “5 min left on youtube.com”.
3. At 30 minutes, YouTube gives way to Claryda's page: “30 min spent on youtube.com. It opens again at midnight.”
4. At midnight, the count starts again from zero.

Integration by parts, the lecture

youtube.com/watch

Blocked by Claryda

That's all for today.30 min spent on youtube.com. It opens again at midnight.

What counts toward the 30 minutes

• Counted: the time the YouTube tab is showing in the Chrome window you're using.
• Not counted: a YouTube tab left behind another one, or Chrome in the background.
• Along with youtube.com: its subdomains, such as music.youtube.com and m.youtube.com.
• During a Pomodoro: YouTube stays shut until the break, even with time left. The time left is kept.

Change the limit

You change the limit from the Blocked sites page of the dashboard. Lowering it applies at once. Raising or removing it asks for a confirmation, as unblocking a site does.

To close YouTube right now, “Block until tomorrow” in the popup uses up the day's time at once.

Free, and with Pro

• Free: one site with a time limit, with no end date.
• With Pro: as many limited sites as you want, and a password to protect the limits. 7-day trial, no card. See pricing

And without an extension?

YouTube's break reminder is set in its mobile app. It pauses the video and leaves the site open. Google's Family Link manages a child's account, not yours.

Questions

Does it work on my phone?

No. Claryda works on computers, in Chrome and in Edge, Brave, Opera and Arc. The YouTube app on your phone isn't affected.

What about Incognito windows?

Yes, if you allow it. Chrome turns extensions off in Incognito; Claryda's welcome page, which opens when you install it, shows you where to switch it on.

Can I pick 20 minutes?

Durations go from 15 minutes to 8 hours, in steps of 15 minutes: 15, 30, 45 minutes, and so on.

Can the limit be bypassed?

Yes: by raising the limit, which Claryda asks you to confirm, or by turning the extension off in chrome://extensions. With Pro, a password protects the limit.