SkipAds for Youtube: what it is and how to remove it
SkipAds for Youtube is a browser extension that promised to skip YouTube ads; our 2023 report found it adds ads instead, and both its Chrome Web Store listings are no longer available. Remove it from each browser, uninstall what came with it, and change passwords you used while it was installed.
Facts checked October 5, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation.
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SkipAds for Youtube: summary
| Type | Browser extension sold as a YouTube ad skipper; adware (potentially unwanted program), not malware that destroys files |
|---|---|
| Risk | Medium: it asked for access to every website, and our report describes ads and redirects; no file damage reported |
| Symptoms | Pop-up ads, banners and redirects; a SkipAds for Youtube entry in your extension list that you do not remember adding |
| How to get rid of it | Remove the extension in each browser, uninstall what the installer added from Installed apps, scan with Microsoft Defender, change passwords you used while it was installed |
| Our check (5 October 2026) | Not tested: both store listings are unavailable; store records, tracker data and our 2023 screenshot read |
| First seen | Our report of 4 April 2023; first listing created 28 March 2023 (Chrome-Stats) |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 13 more facts
| Detection | Microsoft Defender: no Microsoft detection name is known for SkipAds for Youtube; we scanned no sample |
|---|---|
| Extension IDs | bcappnbhlaicekdeeolchjbpadlajjeb and hablalfioeaeegjdjnadoakdhleccbgn |
| Publishers | "admin" (first listing) and addonflow.eu (second listing), per Chrome-Stats |
| Users | 104,615 on the first listing and 10,000 on the second at their last count (Chrome-Stats) |
| Removed from the store | 15 October 2023 and 11 April 2024 (Chrome-Stats); both unavailable today |
| Distribution | Chrome Web Store listings, fake download pages and bundled installers |
| Evidence | Chrome-Stats records, Chrome's help, FTC consumer advice and our 2023 report with its screenshot |
| Name | SkipAds for Youtube |
| Extension | SkipAds for Youtube |
| Ads shown as | Ads injected into normal pages |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| Damage | Ads injected into pages, browsing history and searches collected, redirects to risky sites |
| Facts checked | 5 October 2026 |
Facts checked on 5 October 2026 against Chrome-Stats records of the two store listings, the Chrome Web Store, Chrome's help and the FTC. We had no copy of the extension to test, so the ads and redirects come from our 2023 report.
What SkipAds for Youtube is, and what it claims to be
SkipAds for Youtube is a browser extension that says it skips the ads on YouTube videos. Our 2023 report called it adware that adds ads instead of removing them. Two Chrome Web Store listings carried the name, and neither can be opened any more.
- 1
A listing promises to skip YouTube ads
The Chrome Web Store page in our 2023 screenshot is titled "SkipAds for Youtube", sits in the Productivity category and shows a yellow "SKIP AD" button as its picture.
- 2
You add it to the browser
The page offers Add to Chrome. The extension we know of asks for access to every website, not only YouTube, as the next section shows.
- 3
The ads start to appear
Our 2023 report describes pop-ups, banners and redirects after the extension was added. We did not see them ourselves: the extension is no longer available to test.
- Kind of program
- Browser extension sold as a YouTube ad skipper; our 2023 report: adware, a potentially unwanted program, not a virus
- Where it came from
- Two Chrome Web Store listings of the same name, from two different publishers (Chrome-Stats data)
- Extension IDs
bcappnbhlaicekdeeolchjbpadlajjebandhablalfioeaeegjdjnadoakdhleccbgn: the ID is shown on the extension's Details page- Browsers
- Chrome and other Chromium browsers such as Edge; Firefox and Safari steps are given too, in case you added a copy there
Is SkipAds for Youtube dangerous?
What we checked on 5 October 2026
We could not test SkipAds for Youtube itself. Both of its Chrome Web Store listings answer "This item is not available" today, and we have no copy of the extension. What follows is what the store, an extension-tracking site and our own 2023 screenshot show, and nothing more.
SkipAds for Youtube · store pages and tracker data · 5 October 2026
- The first listing (bcappnbh…)Chrome-Stats lists it with the publisher name "admin", created 28 March 2023, last updated 21 September 2023 (version 2.7.2), 104,615 users, and says it was removed from the Chrome Web Store on 15 October 2023. The store itself answers "This item is not available" to us today. We cannot tell from that whether the store removed it or the publisher did.
- The second listing (hablalfi…)Chrome-Stats lists it under the publisher addonflow.eu, created 20 November 2023, last updated 12 December 2023 (version 2.5.4), 10,000 users and a 4.77 rating from 710 votes, and says it was removed on 11 April 2024. The store also shows it as not available today.
- What the extension may readChrome-Stats shows both listings with the permissions storage and webRequest, access to all websites (
*://*/*) and content scripts that match all pages as well as youtube.com. An extension meant only for YouTube does not need all websites. Chrome's help says an extension with this kind of access can read and change your data on the websites you visit. - Our 2023 screenshotThe listing screenshot we published on 4 April 2023 showed 604 users and no ratings, so the first listing grew from a few hundred to over 100,000 users in about six months, by Chrome-Stats' count.
- Ads, redirects, cookiesDescribed in our 2023 report, not re-tested. We have no installer, no extension file and no registry key or file path to name, so none is given.
Treat as adware This is one look at records, not a test of the extension. A listing that has been removed from the store, a request for access to every site and our 2023 report are enough to remove it. They do not show what it sent from your PC.
What our 2023 report showed, and what has changed
28 March 2023
The first listing is created
Chrome-Stats gives this as the creation date of the listing with the ID starting bcappnbh. It is the earliest date we have; the extension may have existed elsewhere before.
4 April 2023
Our report
We described SkipAds for Youtube as a bogus extension that generates ads instead of blocking them. Our screenshot of its store page, shown at the top of this page, read 604 users and no ratings.
15 October 2023
First listing removed
Chrome-Stats records the removal on this date (104,615 users at the last count) and labels it "malware"; that label is the tracker's, we do not know Google's reason.
11 April 2024
A second listing of the same name is removed
It came from another publisher, addonflow.eu, created 20 November 2023 (10,000 users). Chrome-Stats records its removal on this date with the same label.
The risks, from most to least serious
"SkipAds for Youtube virus" is a name people give the ads and the extension, not malware that destroys files. The risk is what an extension with access to every site can see, and where its ads send you.
- High
An extension that can see every page you open
Chrome's help says an extension can be allowed to read and change all your data on websites you visit. Both listings asked for access to all sites. If you used a bank, an email or a shop while it was installed, change those passwords from a clean device and turn on two-factor sign-in, as the FTC advises after malware.
- Medium
Links in the ads that lead to dangerous sites
Our 2023 report says links embedded in the ads may lead to dangerous websites. The FTC warns about bogus software ads on social media and search engines and says not to click an ad to download software; go to the site by typing its address.
- Medium
Browsing data that is sold on
Our 2023 report points to cookies and what they hold: sites visited, links clicked, search terms and purchases. We do not know what this extension collected.
- Low
A slower browser and extra data use
Ads on every page cost time, memory and data. Removing the extension ends it.
How SkipAds for Youtube got into your browser
Our 2023 report names two routes: a fake download page that says you need a browser add-on, and a freeware installer that carries it as an extra. A third route, the store listing itself, is the one we can now document.
| Route | What you would see | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| The Chrome Web Store listing, searched for as a YouTube ad skipper | A page titled "SkipAds for Youtube" with an Add to Chrome button, a few hundred or many thousand users and a yellow SKIP AD picture | Your browser's extension page: chrome://extensions, edge://extensions, about:addons; match the ID with the two above |
| A fake download page that says you must install a plugin to watch or skip something | A page that tells you to add a browser plugin before it will continue; our 2023 report calls this social engineering | The extension list, sorted by what you added after visiting such a page |
| A freeware installer that carries the extension as a bundled extra | A setup with a "Quick" option and extras ticked under "Custom"; a new extension on the day you installed the program | Settings > Apps > Installed apps, sorted by install date |
Check your browser and PC
Our 2023 report lists several effects. We have confirmed only the permissions; the table says which is which.
| Reported change | How it showed | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Pop-up ads, banners and redirects | Ads on pages that never showed them, a click that opens another site | Reported in 2023; not re-tested, the extension is not available |
| Access to every website | The extension can read the pages you open, not only YouTube | Confirmed in the permission data for both listings (Chrome-Stats); permissions are what the extension can do, not what it did |
| Collection of browsing history, searches and logins | Ads that follow what you looked at | Not confirmed: we do not know what it sent, or to whom |
How to remove SkipAds for Youtube
How to remove the SkipAds for Youtube extension
Do the browser steps in every browser and profile on the PC, then check Windows for the program that installed the extension.
Which browser shows the ads?
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Paste
chrome://extensionsinto the address bar and click Remove on anything you did not install yourself, especially anything named SkipAds for Youtube, or with the IDbcappnbhlaicekdeeolchjbpadlajjeborhablalfioeaeegjdjnadoakdhleccbgnon its Details page.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear the site data
Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete, choose All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Delete data.
Reset Chrome
Open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults and confirm with Reset settings. This resets the start page, search engine and pinned tabs and turns off extensions; bookmarks and saved passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Paste
edge://extensionsinto the address bar and click Remove under anything you did not install yourself. Older Edge versions (the pre-2020 one) show a gear next to the extension: select it, then Uninstall.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear the site data
Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Delete browsing data > Choose what to clear, set All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Clear now.
Reset Edge
Open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their default values and confirm with Reset. Extensions are turned off and the start page goes back to default; favourites, history and saved passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Remove add-ons you do not recognise
Paste
about:addonsinto the address bar, open Extensions, and choose Remove from the three-dot menu of anything you did not install yourself.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear cookies and site data
Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data, tick both boxes and click Clear.
Refresh Firefox
Open the menu > Help > More troubleshooting information and click Refresh Firefox. Add-ons and custom settings are removed and the home page goes back to default; bookmarks, history and passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Remove extensions you do not recognise
In Safari > Settings > Extensions, select anything you did not install yourself and click Uninstall.
Clear the site data
In Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, remove the site's data, or use History > Clear History > all history. To empty the cache as well, turn on Show features for web developers in Settings > Advanced and choose Develop > Empty Caches.
Check the Mac for apps from the ads
Ads also target Mac users with fake players and "cleaners". In Finder, choose Go > Applications, look for entries you did not install, and drag them to the Bin (or right-click and choose Move to Bin). In System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, remove unknown items. To remove an app fully, use Go > Go to Folder and check
/Library/Application Support, then/Library/LaunchAgentsand/Library/LaunchDaemons, plus~/Library/LaunchAgents: delete folders and.plistfiles with the same unknown name, then empty the Bin.
Then, whichever browser you use
Step 1: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10, and sort the list by install date. Look at what appeared around the day the problem started and uninstall every program you do not recognise or did not choose.
Free converters, PDF and video tools, "system optimizers" and unknown browsers are the usual carriers of SkipAds for Youtube. If a name is unclear, search for it before you remove it, so you do not uninstall a driver or a Windows component.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 2: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan and remove everything it finds. Then select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now: the PC restarts and scans before Windows loads, which finds files that hide while Windows runs.
Save your work first, because the offline scan takes about 15 minutes. Both scans are built into Windows 11 and Windows 10, and a second scanner from another vendor is a useful extra opinion.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
After removal: keep the ads from coming back
If an installer or a download brought it in
The browser steps above remove the extension. If a program or a fake download page brought it in, finish in Windows as well, and check the browser again afterwards.
- 1
Find what came with it
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11 (Apps & features in Windows 10) and sort by install date. Look for anything you did not install on the day the extension appeared, and for a name with SkipAds in it (Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix).
- 2
Uninstall it
Select the entry, open the three-dot menu and choose Uninstall. If User Account Control asks, click Yes, and wait until the uninstall finishes. Windows 10 shows the same list under Apps & features; the old Control Panel route (Programs > Uninstall a program) still works in both.
- 3
Scan, then scan offline
Run a Microsoft Defender Full scan, then Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan), which finds what hides while Windows runs. If symptoms stay after the extension is gone, look for other potentially unwanted programs: crooks often disguise them as useful tools, which is why they are hard to spot.
- 4
Check every browser and profile
Open the extension page of each browser and of each profile. A program in Windows can add the extension to several.
- 5
Change what it may have seen
If you signed in to banking, email or shopping while it was installed, change those passwords from a clean device and turn on two-factor sign-in.
How to keep it from happening again
Do
- Add extensions only when the publisher is one you can look up. The store page shows the publisher, user count and ratings; our screenshot of a 0-rating, 604-user listing was already adware.
- Before you click Add extension, read the permissions. An ad skipper for YouTube has no reason to read all websites.
- Download programs only from the developer's site or the official store, and when a setup offers Custom or Advanced, choose it and clear every pre-ticked extra before you click Next.
- Keep Microsoft Defender SmartScreen on, or Chrome's Enhanced protection; Chrome's help says it warns when an extension is not trusted.
- Keep a current backup of your files (File History or OneDrive), so an infection does not cost you your documents.
- On public networks a VPN hides your IP address from the sites you visit; it does not block ads or remove an extension.
Don't
- Click an ad or a download page that says you need a plugin to skip ads or to watch something.
- Trust the store rating or the user count alone: both listings here had thousands of users and good ratings by Chrome-Stats' count.
- Visit unfamiliar sites and unregulated streaming platforms: they are where fake download pages are common.
- Accept cookie banners without looking: "Accept" gives the site, and its advertisers, permission to store what you do.
Questions about SkipAds for Youtube
Is SkipAds for Youtube a virus?
SkipAds for Youtube is not a virus in the sense of malware that destroys files, but our 2023 report treats it as adware. It claims to skip YouTube ads, and our report describes ads, pop-ups and redirects after you add it.
We could not test it again in 2026: both Chrome Web Store listings are no longer available, and an extension-tracking site (Chrome-Stats) says they were removed in October 2023 and April 2024. Treat it as unwanted:
- remove it from every browser
- uninstall anything that came with it
- run a Microsoft Defender full scan and the offline scan
Then check the sites you signed in to while it was installed.
Can YouTube ads have viruses?
Watching an ad on YouTube is not how a virus usually gets on a PC; the sources we read do not describe it. The risk is what an ad asks you to do next.
The FTC says scammers place bogus ads for software on social media sites and search engines, and advises not to click an ad to download software but to type the site's address.
An ad that offers a tool to skip ads, a player or an update is the usual pattern. If you added an extension after such an ad, check your extension list and remove what you do not know.
How do I remove SkipAds for Youtube from Chrome?
Open Chrome, select More (the three dots) > Extensions > Manage extensions, find SkipAds for Youtube and select Remove, then confirm. If you cannot find the name, open Details on each extension and look for the ID bcappnbhlaicekdeeolchjbpadlajjeb or hablalfioeaeegjdjnadoakdhleccbgn in the address.
Then clear Cookies and other site data and scan Windows with Microsoft Defender, because a program may have added the extension again. If your start page or search engine changed, use Settings > Reset settings; bookmarks and saved passwords stay.
How do I remove it from Edge, Firefox or Safari?
In Edge, open Settings > Extensions > Manage extensions and select Remove under anything you did not install yourself. In Firefox, open about:addons, choose Extensions and select Remove from the three-dot menu of the entry. In Safari, open Safari > Settings > Extensions, select the extension and click Uninstall.
Our 2023 report only named the Chrome listing, so a copy in another browser would have come from a bundled installer or a download page. Check every browser and profile on the PC, and restart the browser afterwards to see that the entry is gone.
Why does it come back after I remove it?
Something else on the PC is adding it again, or you removed it from only one browser. Our 2023 report says manual removal of unwanted programs can end with the infection resurfacing, because users often leave related files and entries behind.
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, sort by install date and uninstall any program you did not choose. Check every browser and profile, run a Microsoft Defender full scan and the offline scan, and look at the extension list again.
Is SkipAds for Youtube still in the Chrome Web Store?
No, both listings we know of show "This item is not available" on 5 October 2026. Chrome-Stats records the first listing (published by "admin") as removed on 15 October 2023 and the second (addonflow.eu) as removed on 11 April 2024, and labels both "malware".
That label is the tracker's own. We found no source that says what Chrome does to a copy installed earlier, so a removed extension may stay in a browser that installed it before: check chrome://extensions anyway and remove it yourself.
What permissions did SkipAds for Youtube ask for?
Chrome-Stats shows both listings with the permissions storage and webRequest, access to all websites (*://*/*) and content scripts matching every page as well as youtube.com. Chrome's help says an extension can be allowed to read and change your data on websites you visit.
Access to all sites is wider than an ad skipper for one site needs. It shows what the extension could do, not what it did. If you used banking or email with it installed, change those passwords from a clean device.
Can it steal my passwords?
We have no evidence that SkipAds for Youtube stole passwords, and we could not test it. With access to every website it could read what you type on a page, so treat the risk as real until you have removed it.
Our 2023 report says adware of this kind can collect browsing history, searches and logins. Remove the extension, scan the PC, change the passwords of accounts you used while it was installed, and turn on two-factor sign-in. The FTC gives the same steps after malware.
Will Fortect remove SkipAds for Youtube?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For SkipAds for Youtube, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- Chrome-Stats: SkipAds for Youtube (first listing) (read October 5, 2026)
- Chrome-Stats: SkipAds for Youtube (second listing) (read October 5, 2026)
- Chrome Web Store: first listing, "This item is not available" (read October 5, 2026)
- Chrome Web Store: second listing, "This item is not available" (read October 5, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Install and manage extensions (no longer online) (read October 5, 2026)
- FTC: Malware: How to protect against, detect, and remove it (read October 5, 2026)
- Mozilla Support: Disable or remove Add-ons (read October 5, 2026)
- Microsoft Support: Uninstall or remove apps and programs in Windows (read October 5, 2026)
- Apple Support: Delete or uninstall apps on Mac (read October 5, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 5, 2026)