YouTube on desktop now has a comments sidebar, and everyone hates it

TL;DR YouTube is testing a desktop layout that shifts comments and video details into a right-hand sidebar while placing giant recommendation thumbnails below the player.

Viewers report a cramped watch experience and are turning to custom uBlock Origin filters and browser extensions to restore the traditional YouTube video player interface.

Google previously tested a similar sidebar setup in 2024, then rolled it back amid backlash. It remains to be seen whether this change will become permanent.

YouTube is rolling out another controversial redesign to its desktop interface, once again thrusting the comment section and video details into a dedicated right-hand sidebar while moving recommended videos directly beneath the player. The layout test, which resembles previous experiments where YouTube moved comments to the side, seems to be reaching a broader set of users on the web, and the reaction is overwhelmingly negative.

Reports across Reddit show multiple users waking up to the drastic layout shift. …