Unfortunately, By the end of April 2022, YouTube decided they are removing the beloved ‘Sort By Oldest’ feature that allowed users to sort any channel’s videos from oldest to newest.
This one-click button benefited YouTube users in a wide variety of ways that would require their article to fully explore.
So, people had to look for alternative ways to bring back the ‘Sort By Oldest’ feature.
Fortunately, there are many workarounds that allow you to bring back the Sort by oldest such as using an older version of the Youtube app, using third-party tools, or what many users prefer to use; browser extensions.
In this article, we’ll give you 4 browser extensions that will bring back the Sort By Oldest feature to your Youtube browsing experience.
The Reason ”Sort By Oldest” Was Removed From Youtube
In a short video posted on their official Youtube channel, Youtube developers explained their decision to remove the ‘Sort By Oldest’ feature and the future of such a feature.
The main reason was the limited support of the feature, it was only supported in the mixed mode so users had Youtube shorts and lives appear on their search results alongside regular videos.
Youtube also wanted to experiment with the feature by changing its whole format and improving the infrastructure, making it more compatible, less complicated, and easier to work with.
The Best ‘Sort By Oldest’ YouTube Extensions
Extension #01 – Sort By: Oldest
One of the best and most straightforward extensions on the list, this one is a second version of the lately removed extension ”YouTube™ Sort”, although it wasn’t made to have the same function, it does the job of sorting your search results.
It’s available on most browser web stores for free such as the Google web store with over 3000 users, a 4.4/5 review from 40 users, and I’m personally one of those users.
The extension is so easy to use and to make it work you have to follow these few steps:
Step 01: Click on the 3 dots on the top right of your browser.
Step 02: Choose extensions from the menu and then click on “Visit Chrome web store” if you’re using Google Chrome, or ”Open Microsoft Edge Add-ons” if you’re using Microsoft Edge.
Step 03: Locate the search bar at the top of the panel to the left then type ”Sort By Oldest”.
Step 04: Click on the first search result that corresponds to the name and number of users and reviews and click on “Add to Chrome” or ”Get”.
the extension will now be installed on your browser, it will be added to the top right corner of your browser along with other installed extensions.
It doesn’t require much user interaction, all you have to do is type some words on youtube’s search bar, after that click on Sort by: Oldest next to popular on youtube filters, now your search results will automatically appear in chronological order starting by the oldest video showing on top.
Extension #02 – YouTube Redux
When talking about Youtube extensions, YouTube Redux is one of the best extensions to get the job done as it offers various features and many customization options, it mimics the old-vintage look of youtube while also keeping the main functions of the current updated version.
it also restores a lot of missing features, and one of those features is the ability to sort search results by the oldest.
It has over 30000 users and a 4.5/5 rating from over 500 users which makes it highly recommended and very versatile.
To explore the benefits of this extension all you have to do is follow these few steps :
Step 01: Access the web store of your preferred browser.
Step 02: Search for ”YouTube Redux” and then add it to your browser.
Step 03: Once it’s installed, click on the settings menu and then go to the second page.
Step 04: Many options will appear to choose from, make sure that ”Add sorting by oldest videos to channel page” is checked on the list.
now you’re all done, you’ll notice a change in Youtube’s layout, furthermore, you’ll notice that you’re now allowed to sort channel videos or playlists by the oldest again.
Extension #03 – Auto YouTube Shorts Scroller
Another great option is ”Auto Youtube Shorts Scroller”.
it automatically surfs through youtube shorts and videos and scrolls between them while starting from the oldest one following a chronological order without any user interaction required.
The Auto-Scroll extension is available on most web stores with more than 10000 users and 66 4/5 positive reviews, it’s completely functional on every browser.
To add this extension to your browser follow the same few simple steps:
Step 01: Open the web store of the browser you use.
Step 02: Search for ”Auto Youtube Shorts Scroller ” and then click on ”Add/Install/Get”.
After it’s installed its icon will appear on the top right side of your browser.
For an easier experience, you can use the ”Shift + S” keyboard shortcut combination which can be changed to your own shortcut to toggle the auto scroller on and off.
Your search feed will be automatically sorted and played starting with the oldest short posted on Youtube.
Extension #04 – YouTube Chronological Order
This extension is probably the easiest to use and the least complicated out of all the extensions on this list.
The only little non-similarity is that it works only when you’re surfing on the same youtube channel, but it’s still pretty useful especially if you’re watching a playlist or a set of videos on the same channel.
To take advantage of this extension, you’ll need to follow these simple few steps first:
Step 01: Open the web store of the browser you use.
Step 02: Search for ” YouTube Chronological Order” and then click on ”Add/Install”.
after it’s installed:
Step 03: Navigate to the videos tab of a Youtube channel.
Step 04: Click on Sort by ”Date Added (Oldest)”.
It will now play through the channel videos starting with the oldest one.
There might be a time when all the videos on the playlist appear as number 20 including the currently playing video, don’t worry it’s just a visual bug and it should still play your videos from the oldest to the newest.
NOTE: you may notice that some extensions aren’t available, simply don’t exist anymore, or removed the sort by oldest function with updates.
It’s because youtube had to pursue legal actions against the developers of those extensions as it didn’t want any alternatives for their feature on the internet, especially after introducing the shorts feature, stopping the user from searching for his preferences to make their algorithms work correctly.
Will The ‘Sort By Oldest’ Feature Return To Youtube?
According to Youtube, the feature is officially making a return to their vast platform, while they haven’t shared an exact date for its return you can expect the feature to be added back by the end of 2023 or a bit earlier in an upcoming update.
What we know is no matter what the exact date is, we can’t wait to try the new improved ‘Sort By Oldest’ feature, and in the meantime, we’re so far satisfied with what the Sort By Oldest extensions are offering – temporarily – replace the ‘Sort By Oldest’ feature.
Conclusion
In the end, keep in mind that all of these solutions and alternatives above are proven to work on a high scale amongst the users on the internet, and they’re only gathered after testing them in real-time.
We hope that any of these alternatives will work for you, and if nothing works for you then waiting for the re-release of the Sort By Oldest feature will be the best solution for you.
