TypeOnce
Coming soon
Stop typing the same things repeatedly.
- Chrome
- Edge
- Firefox
Browser extension by A2Z Tools
Distraction Shield
Use the useful parts of websites without the addictive feeds.
Hide feeds, short videos and recommendations on popular video and social sites, site by site, with a focus schedule.
- Coming soon to the stores
- Free
- No account needed
- Version 1.0.1
Chrome Web StoreComing soon for Chrome
Microsoft Edge Add-onsComing soon for Edge
Firefox Add-onsComing soon for Firefox
We are preparing the store listings. The buttons switch on as soon as each store approves the extension; there are no unofficial downloads.
Screenshots
What Distraction Shield does
Most social sites are useful for a few specific things - a video you searched for, a message, a job listing - and then pull you into an endless feed. Distraction Shield keeps the useful parts and hides the feeds that are designed to keep you scrolling.
Each site has its own switches with sensible defaults: Shorts and home recommendations off on YouTube, Reels and Explore off on Instagram, the main feed off on LinkedIn, and so on. Search, subscriptions, messages and profiles keep working.
When you do want the feed, "Show once" reveals it for the page you are on, and you can pause the shield or limit it to focus hours. Everything happens on your device with a stylesheet - nothing about your activity is collected.
Key features
- Hide YouTube Shorts, home recommendations, sidebar suggestions, comments and end screens, and switch off autoplay
- Hide Instagram Reels and Explore while keeping messages, search and profiles
- Hide the Facebook News Feed, Reels and Stories
- Hide the X home timeline, trends and "Who to follow"
- Hide the LinkedIn feed and News while keeping Jobs and Messages
- Hide Reddit Home/Popular/All feeds and trending searches while subreddits keep working
- Every switch is per site; a "Show once" button reveals a hidden feed for the current page
- Pause for 15 minutes, an hour or the rest of the day, or limit the shield to focus hours
- Works instantly on page load, including in-app navigation, with no flashes of the feed
Keyboard shortcuts
- Open Distraction Shield Alt Shift D
Shortcuts can be changed in your browser's extension shortcut settings.
Privacy
Distraction Shield works only on six social sites, hides parts of them with a stylesheet on your device and never reads, collects or sends anything.
What it can access
The address (site and path) of pages on the six supported sites, to decide which of your rules apply. Page content is not read.
Where data is stored
storage.local in this browser profile: your on/off choices per site, schedule and pause time.
Network requests
None.
How long it is kept
Until you reset the settings or remove the extension.
No account, no analytics, no advertising, no selling or sharing of data, and no remotely hosted code.
Permissions and why they are needed
-
Storage
Saves which sections you chose to hide on each site, your schedule and any pause, on this device.
-
Alarms
Clears the "paused" badge on the toolbar icon when a pause you started ends.
Runs inside web pages on: https://*.youtube.com/*, https://*.instagram.com/*, https://*.facebook.com/*, https://x.com/*, https://*.x.com/*, https://twitter.com/*, https://*.twitter.com/*, https://*.linkedin.com/* and https://*.reddit.com/*.
Browser compatibility
| Browser | Minimum version | Store |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome |
120 | Coming soon |
| Microsoft Edge |
120 | Coming soon |
| Mozilla Firefox |
140.0 | Coming soon |
Good to know
- Social sites change their page structure often. Rules use several selectors each, but a redesign can make a switch stop working until the extension is updated.
- Only the web versions of the six sites are supported, not their mobile apps.
- YouTube autoplay is switched off by flipping YouTube's own autoplay toggle, so YouTube remembers it the same way it would if you clicked it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Distraction Shield block the whole site?
No. It hides specific sections such as feeds, Shorts, Reels or recommendations. Search, messages, subscriptions and profiles stay available.
Which sites are supported?
YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and Reddit on the web.
Can I see a hidden feed just once?
Yes. A small notice at the bottom of the page has a "Show once" button that reveals it until you navigate away. You can also pause the shield for 15 minutes, an hour or the rest of the day.
Does it read my posts or messages?
No. It only adds a stylesheet to the supported sites. It does not read page content and has no network access.
A switch stopped working after a site update. What now?
Sites change their layout from time to time. Each rule uses several fallbacks, but if one stops working, report it through the A2Z.Tools contact page so the rule can be updated.
Changelog
-
Version 1.0.1
- Store summary and description reworded for Chrome Web Store metadata policy; no functional change
-
Version 1.0.0
- Initial release with adapters for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Reddit
- Per-site switches, Show once, pause and focus-hours schedule
Related free tools on A2Z Tools
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Questions, bugs or ideas for Distraction Shield? Contact the A2Z Tools team.