How to Disable YouTube Live Chat
Please note that this post is over a year old and may contain outdated information.
Here's a simple way to hide the YouTube live chat window and block it from loading altogether. This should also result in a small improvement to page load speed when visiting YouTube video pages that have live chat.
To block the live chat, you'll need an ad blocker extension or plug-in for your browser. If you don't already have one, you can get one from your browser's extension/plug-in page. I recommend µBlock Origin for either Chrome or Firefox. Any one that supports the AdBlock Plus filter syntax will work.
Once you have the ad blocker installed, you'll need to add two lines to the custom filter section. You can do this in the "My filters" section of uBlock, which can be found depending on your browser at:
Chrome
More Tools > Extensions > uBlock Origin Options > My filters
Firefox
Add-ons > Extensions > uBlock Origin Options > Show Dashboard > My filters
Add these two filters on their own lines (copy and paste them) and then hit "Apply changes":
You shouldn't need to restart your browser.
If you want to revert back to allowing YouTube live chat, you'll have to remove the filters from your custom filters.
Get an Ad Blocker
To block the live chat, you'll need an ad blocker extension or plug-in for your browser. If you don't already have one, you can get one from your browser's extension/plug-in page. I recommend µBlock Origin for either Chrome or Firefox. Any one that supports the AdBlock Plus filter syntax will work.
Adding a Custom Filter
Once you have the ad blocker installed, you'll need to add two lines to the custom filter section. You can do this in the "My filters" section of uBlock, which can be found depending on your browser at:
Chrome
More Tools > Extensions > uBlock Origin Options > My filters
Firefox
Add-ons > Extensions > uBlock Origin Options > Show Dashboard > My filters
Add these two filters on their own lines (copy and paste them) and then hit "Apply changes":
https://www.youtube.com/live_chat
www.youtube.com###chat
You shouldn't need to restart your browser.
Reverting Back
If you want to revert back to allowing YouTube live chat, you'll have to remove the filters from your custom filters.