Yes, there are a few ways you can skip or avoid ads when using YouTube Music. The most straightforward way is to upgrade to a YouTube Premium subscription, which removes all ads from YouTube Music. Alternatively, you can use an ad blocker in your mobile or desktop browser to block video and display ads. However, this may not block all audio ads in YouTube Music. Other options include skipping to a different track when an audio ad plays or using YouTube Music modded apps, though these come with risks and downsides.
Upgrade to YouTube Premium
The main official way to get an ad-free YouTube Music experience is to upgrade to a YouTube Premium subscription. This is YouTube’s premium paid service that removes all ads across YouTube services, including YouTube Music. With YouTube Premium, you can listen to music on YouTube Music completely uninterrupted by any video or audio ads.
YouTube Premium costs $11.99 per month in the US. There is also a family plan for $17.99 per month covering up to 5 additional family members. Students can get Premium for $6.99 per month. There is also a 1-month free trial available so you can test it out first.
Upgrading to YouTube Premium provides an ad-free listening experience across all of YouTube Music, including playlists, albums, radios and more. It also removes ads from YouTube videos. So if you regularly use both YouTube Music and YouTube, a Premium subscription may be worth considering.
Use an Ad Blocker
Another option to skip YouTube Music ads is to use an ad blocking extension or software when listening via a browser. Popular ad blockers include:
- uBlock Origin – Free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge
- AdBlock – Free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari
- AdBlock Plus – Free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari
These ad blockers will block most display and video ads from appearing on YouTube Music. However, some audio ads may still play between tracks as these are built directly into the music streams.
The advantage of using an ad blocker is that it’s free. The downside is that they are only available for desktop browsers. Mobile YouTube Music apps do not support extensions. Also, as mentioned, they may not block all audio ads.
Skip to Next Track
When an audio ad starts playing in YouTube Music, you can manually skip to the next track to avoid listening to the full ad. This takes a bit more effort than passive ad blocking, but quickly advances you to the next song.
To skip ads this way:
- As soon as the audio ad begins, tap the “Next” button on screen or use your keyboard shortcut (J key) to skip ahead.
- This will immediately advance you to the next track in the playlist or radio queue.
This technique works on both mobile apps and desktop browsers. The downside is having to actively skip each time an audio ad plays rather than passively blocking them.
Use a Modded YouTube Music App
Some third-party modified (“modded”) versions of the YouTube Music app have been developed to allow ad blocking within the mobile app. Examples include:
- YouTube Music Vanced
- YouTube Music++
These modded apps attempt to build in ad blocking capabilities natively into the YouTube Music app by modifying the app code. However, modded apps come with some major caveats:
- They are not authorized by YouTube and break their terms of service.
- They may contain privacy, security and stability risks.
- They may not work reliably and can stop working if YouTube updates the official app.
Because of these downsides, most users are better off using one of the official ad skipping methods above if possible.
Downgrade Streaming Quality
An unorthodox workaround is to downgrade your streaming quality setting in YouTube Music. Lower quality streams tend to get less audio ads in some cases.
To downgrade quality on mobile:
- Go to Settings > Streaming quality.
- Select a lower option like 48kbps or 24kbps (may vary by device).
On desktop:
- Click your profile picture > Settings.
- Under Streaming quality, select a lower option.
The disadvantage is you’ll be listening to worse audio quality. Also, ads are not guaranteed to decrease, so results will vary.
Limitations
While the above methods can help limit or skip YouTube Music ads, some limitations exist:
- YouTube Premium is the only guaranteed way to remove all YouTube Music ads.
- Ad blockers don’t work fully on mobile/in-app.
- Audio ads may still play briefly before you skip to next track.
- Modded apps have risks and may stop working.
So while there are workarounds, a Premium subscription remains the simplest and most robust way to go ad-free on YouTube Music. But the free options can help reduce ads and bypass ones you don’t want to hear if paying a monthly fee isn’t an option.
