Unclickbait is a free browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that replaces YouTube video thumbnails with a frame taken from roughly the middle of each video. Its premise is that a representative image from footage already in the video can help viewers judge what they are about to watch, without the exaggerated expressions, arrows, and other attention-grabbing imagery often used to attract clicks. The extension leaves video titles untouched, so viewers can compare a creator’s wording with the actual visuals.
After installation, it works while browsing YouTube, changing thumbnails across the home feed, search results, suggested videos, playlists, Shorts, and the player. You can turn the feature on or off using the extension’s popup. YouTube makes three preview frames available from different points in a video; Unclickbait selects the middle one, when the video is underway. If no frame is available - for example, for a live stream or a video still processing - the original uploader thumbnail remains. The service requires no account and says no data leaves the browser: it uses frames supplied by YouTube and does not run its own analytics or servers. The pitch is a focused change to YouTube’s visual presentation, not a filtering tool for titles or video content.
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