Web Reactions

Emoji reactions for YouTube videos and Shorts

Animated demo of a Web Reactions emoji picker beside a YouTube video's like and share row.
Demo GIF: a YouTube video gets a Web Reactions button next to the like button, opens the picker, and filters the emoji palette.

3 use cases

Get a counted thumbs down back

YouTube removed the public dislike count and left only Like as a visible signal. Web Reactions adds an independent counted layer where a thumbs down is one emoji among the full palette.

Say more than Like

A video can be funny, moving, wrong, or worrying, and the single Like flattens all of that. Pick the emoji that matches what you actually felt.

Keep Like and reactions side by side

Web Reactions doesn't touch YouTube's Like. Keep it for the platform's own signal and add emoji when Like alone isn't enough.

Screenshots

Real screenshot of Web Reactions beside a YouTube video's like and share row.
Video action row The reaction button sits near the like, share, and save controls YouTube viewers already use.
Real screenshot of a searchable emoji picker opened on a YouTube video.
Searchable emoji picker Type a word or pick visually; the same palette is used across every supported site.
Real screenshot of Web Reactions emoji search results on YouTube.
Filtered emoji search The picker filters the full emoji set without touching YouTube's like or share controls.
Real screenshot of an emoji being selected in Web Reactions on YouTube.
Emoji selected The click happens inside the Web Reactions picker, separate from YouTube's native like.
Real screenshot of a selected Web Reactions emoji on a YouTube video.
Reaction applied After selection, the trigger shows the reaction state attached to the video's canonical watch target.

One Like doesn't show how a video landed

YouTube removed the public dislike count

YouTube hid the public dislike total and left only Like as a visible signal. That makes it hard to tell whether a tutorial actually worked, whether a claim was disputed, or whether a video is quietly controversial. The gap is exactly where a richer reaction layer helps.

Web Reactions adds an independent, counted layer. It does not read or restore YouTube's own hidden number; it counts the emoji people pick in the extension, and a thumbs down is one of them.

Reactions attach to the canonical watch target

The YouTube adapter targets a video's canonical watch URL. A Short converges to that same watch target, so a reaction belongs to the video itself, not to a playlist position, an autoplay index, or a recommendation slot. Open the same video later and the same Web Reactions count is there.

What Web Reactions adds to YouTube

A full palette, including a counted thumbs down

Web Reactions sits near YouTube's like and share controls. The trigger opens a searchable palette with reactions across smileys, gestures, hearts, symbols, objects, and more, and a thumbs down is simply one option in that grid. Search works across the supported emoji labels, so you don't have to scroll to find it.

An independent count, documented

The reaction total comes from Web Reactions, not from YouTube. Anyone can read counts without signing in, while submitting one takes a one-time email verification, and the counting model is documented on the counts page. For how this differs from browser tools that try to estimate YouTube's own removed number, see the detailed comparison.

Videos and Shorts, from the same picker

Shorts use the same reaction model as standard videos because they resolve to the same canonical watch target. The picker is added to the Shorts action rail as well as the regular player, so the same emoji vocabulary carries across both without changing how counts work.

Privacy note

The reaction layer is independent of YouTube: it never presses Like, and it doesn't read or restore YouTube's own hidden dislike number, so your reaction is never fed back as a YouTube signal. It's keyed to the video's canonical watch URL, which a Short resolves to as well, and stored by Web Reactions, not your Google account. Reading counts needs no login, leaving one takes a single email verification, and only the aggregate is public.

Read the full privacy policy.

Add a counted reaction layer to YouTube

Install Web Reactions, open a YouTube video or Short, and use emoji, including a counted thumbs down, when Like alone isn't enough.

Install Web Reactions Why hidden dislikes matter

FAQ

Does Web Reactions restore YouTube dislikes?

Not YouTube's own number. It adds an independent counted emoji layer where a thumbs down is one option among the full palette, and that count comes from Web Reactions rather than from YouTube's hidden dislike total.

Are YouTube Shorts supported?

Yes. Shorts converge to the same canonical watch target as the standard video, so a reaction on a Short attaches to that video and shares its count.

Does Web Reactions replace the Like button?

No. Like stays exactly as it is. Web Reactions adds a separate emoji layer beside it; the extension can hide supported native buttons locally if you prefer, but it never presses Like for you.

Can I react to a YouTube video with emoji?

Yes. The picker sits beside the Like button on both videos and Shorts and opens a searchable palette of hundreds of emoji. A reaction attaches to the video's canonical watch URL, so the count stays with the video wherever it is opened.

How can I bring back the dislike button on YouTube?

Web Reactions does not un-hide YouTube's own dislike total, and it does not estimate it the way Return YouTube Dislike does. Instead it gives you a fresh, independent signal: a thumbs down is one emoji in the palette, and its count comes from verified Web Reactions accounts rather than a projection. The comparison with Return YouTube Dislike explains the difference between an estimate and a counted layer.

Reactions on other sites

The same emoji reaction layer — one account, across every supported site.