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

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. In the new view, the main video player is flanked by a vertical panel containing comments, video descriptions, and interactive tabs. Below the video player sits a grid of oversized recommendation thumbnails. The result is a cramped watch experience that significantly shrinks the video window and clutters the desktop viewport.

Frustrated viewers have described the interface as disjointed, noting that giant peeking thumbnails directly below the player, while reading comments in a narrow side drawer, make browsing long-form content far more distracting. Some users say the comments also contain spoilers for the video’s content, and are harder to avoid now.

The backlash has already prompted users to search for ways to revert the change, with many turning to custom uBlock Origin filters and browser extensions to restore YouTube to its traditional layout.

This isn’t the first time Google has experimented with this kind of setup. YouTube previously tested a desktop sidebar redesign in 2024 to widespread criticism, briefly letting Premium subscribers test it before rolling it back. While YouTube previously explained why its UI keeps changing, saying the tweaks are intended to reduce clutter, boost engagement, and create cross-device consistency, the reality on desktop feels like a step backward.

For now, YouTube has not officially announced whether this sidebar layout is slated to become permanent or if it remains a server-side A/B test. However, given how fiercely the community pushed back against past iterations, Google might want to reconsider before making it the default for everyone. We’ve reached out to Google, and we’ll update this article when we hear back from them.