How to stop color changing video background on YouTube

Learn how to prevent YouTube on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone, and computer from showing color-changing sidebars instead of solid black bars.

Two YouTube video playback screens with colored background and black background

The formerly solid black bars/sides on the left, right, top, and bottom of videos now show a subtle color shift based on the video you’re currently viewing.

This feature is called Ambient mode. It takes into account the color of the video frame and causes a slight shift in the color of the empty part of the device screen (also called the video’s background).

While YouTube thinks this effect makes your video-watching experience more immersive, most can agree that the background changing its color is very annoying, and turning it off to get back the stable black borders is more comfortable.

Switch off YouTube Ambient mode

We’ve mentioned the steps for both the official app and the website.

In the app

Open the YouTube app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone and play a video.
Tap the settings icon.
Select Additional settings.
Turn off Ambient mode, and it will be disabled for all videos.

Turn off Ambient mode in YouTube mobile app

Note: If you don’t see the Ambient mode option in your YouTube app and are inquisitive, go ahead and update the app to get this feature.

On YouTube’s website

Ambient mode in iOS and Android apps works in both Light and Dark Modes. However, on a computer, it only works when your PC or Mac is in Dark Mode.

YouTube Ambient mode on and off in web browser — In the top image, you will see a tint of red color in the background, while the video background in the bottom image is all black.

Here’s how to turn off Ambient mode in a computer browser:

Turn on Dark Mode on your Mac or PC if it’s off.
Visit YouTube.com in a web browser like Chrome, and it will inherit the system Dark Mode.
Now, play a video on YouTube.
Click the settings icon and turn off Ambient mode.

Turn off YouTube Ambient Mode on computer browser

If you do not see the option for Ambient mode:

Double-check to ensure your computer or browser is not in Light Mode.
Refresh the YouTube web page if you’ve checked and enabled Dark Mode on your computer.
Disable the extension or plugin that forces Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or the concerned web browser to always stay in Light Mode. But then again, if it’s in Light Mode, Ambient mode won’t bother you.
If the above tips do not work for you, update the web browser and restart your computer.

Another way to stop seeing color-shifting video background

This one is obvious!

On a computer, you can go full screen, which will ideally leave no room for video background if it’s a 16:9 video and your monitor is also 16:9.

In the YouTube app on iPhone and iPad, you can pinch out to force the video to take the full screen and leave no empty room for Ambient mode to come into effect.

Put YouTube in full screen to circumvent Ambient mode — The bottom image shows the video zoomed to fill the whole screen, which leaves no room for Ambient mode to work.

Explore other useful YouTube tips: