You are always facing those difficult challenges while you are on the way to search for some content on YouTube, right? You can always save your precious time in order to search out your required information on YouTube. Mastering YouTube keyboard shortcuts will enable you to go through videos in a breeze, saving you much time and effort. These YouTube hotkeys will let you quickly pause, play, rewind a video, or even toggle the captions without reaching toward your mouse.
In this respect, therefore, whether you are a viewer or a content creator on YouTube, it is always better that you have knowledge of these YouTube shortcuts. In fact, this is going to bring about a change in the way you are working with your video.
What are YouTube keyboard shortcuts?
The predefined keys, which some call YouTube keyboard shortcuts or YouTube hotkeys, are various ways to control playback and features on the website without actually relying on a mouse. They are available for every user, work perfectly in most web browsers and desktop applications, and provide perfect facility during the playing/stopping of videos, adjustment of volume, full-screen mode, or skipping particular parts in videos.
What are the benefits of using hotkeys?
There are many reasons why using YouTube keyboard hotkeys significantly pays off in bringing up a much better video-watching experience. The following are some of the major reasons you get acquainted with:
✔ More available: YouTube hotkeys make the site more accessible because you have no need to click through a bunch of menus or hunt to execute an action. This fact helps users with mobility impairments who prefer using only keyboards to navigate.
✔ Simplifies multitasking: Suppose you are working or browsing while watching YouTube; then the shortcuts make it easier to control playback without having to switch between tabs or windows too often.
✔ Customize experience: Most keyboard shortcuts on YouTube are for explicit tasks. From toggling the captions to changing between full-screen modes, these provide seamless modifications toward your needs.
Try screen time limiter to regain balance
YouTube shortcuts on desktop you should know
Mastering the various desktop shortcuts for YouTube will drastically enhance your control over the process of navigating and controlling videos. Be it quickly playing or pausing the content, changing the playback speed, or simply skipping through the video, these YouTube keyboard shortcuts make for a much easier and far more enjoyable means of viewing.
Following are some of the useful shortcuts that any computer user should know.
Category 1: YouTube playback controls
Following are the important YouTube keyboard shortcuts for controlling the video playback on desktop:
Play/Pause video: Press Spacebar or K
Seek backward/forward 5 seconds: Left arrow / Right arrow
Seek backward/forward 10 seconds: J / L
Decrease playback speed: Shift +,
Increase playback speed: Shift +.
Mute/unmute video: M
Increase/decrease volume: Up arrow / Down arrow
Seek backward/forward 1 frame (when paused): Press “,” for backward, and “.” for forward.
Replay video: 0 or Home key
Seek to previous/next chapter: Shift + P for previous video, Shift + N for the next video.
Category 2: Navigation Shortcuts of Videos
These shortcuts will help you in navigating through videos and the platform:
Skip to previous/next video: Shift + P / Shift + N
Seek a certain point in the video: numbers 1-9 for 10%-90% of the video duration
Fullscreen/exit fullscreen: F
Picture-in-Picture: P
Seek to start of video: 0
Seek to the end of video: End key
Category 3: YouTube subtitles and captions hotkeys
Following are some useful hotkeys to control the subtitles or captions:
Toggle subtitles: C
Increase subtitle size: +
Decrease subtitle size: –
Category 4: YouTube 360-degree videos control
In case the video is in 360-degree format, following additional hotkeys offer further control:
Start/Step playback: Spacebar or K
Move video perspective: Arrow Keys or drag video with mouse
Are these shortcuts available with Mac computer?
Yes, Macs can use the same YouTube keyboard shortcuts because they work for all major operating systems. However, there may be minor differences:
✚ Function keys: Some of the shortcuts require using Fn on Mac depending on what your keyboard settings are.
✚ Browser-specific limitations: There can be occasional conflicts, especially in Safari. For example, Spacebar to play/pause scrolls the page instead of pausing the video. This too can be fixed by switching over to Chrome or changing settings in Safari.
What keyboard shortcuts work for YouTube’s mobile version?
While most of the keyboard shortcuts for YouTube are not available directly on the mobile version of a device, mobile has other gestures and touch controls that facilitate similar convenience. Those are intuitive and optimized for touchscreens so that video navigation and control are similarly accessible.
Following are a few common gestures and their alternative on YouTube mobile application:
Seek backward/forward 10 seconds: Double tap on the left side to go back or the right side to go forward.
Adjust playback speed: Tap Settings icon → Playback Speed
Enter/Exit fullscreen mode: Rotate your device horizontally → enter; press the full-screen icon → exit
Skip to next/previous video: Swipe left (next) or right (previous) on the video screen
Turn captions on/off: Tap the CC icon on the video overlay.
Open Picture-in-Picture: On devices that support PiP and have the setting enabled, swipe up or press the Home button while a video is playing.
Seek to: Drag the progress bar to a point in the video.
Why YouTube keyboard shortcuts not working?
Of course, it could be for many reasons that YouTube keyboard shortcuts do not work as expected. I know it can be frustrating; thus, here are some common causes to help you troubleshoot:
1. Browser-specific issues
Some browsers are not supporting YouTube shortcuts or their functionality is limited because they interfere with browser-specific hotkeys or settings. Ensure you’re using an updated version of a compatible browser like Google Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.
2. Hardware or keyboard issues
A wrong keyboard or a conflicting hardware driver can prevent hotkeys from working. Check your keyboard whether the keys are working correctly. Restart your device, or update your keyboard drivers if needed.
3. Changes in YouTube settings or updates
YouTube changes or experimental features can temporarily disable shortcuts. Refresh the page, clean your browser cache, or opt out of that experiment in your YouTube account settings.
4. OS conflicts
Some operating systems, especially Macs, use certain key combinations for system-wide shortcuts and often conflict. Disable or change such conflicting system shortcuts in your operating system settings.
5. Extensions or add-ons
Browser extensions like ad blockers or video downloaders interfere with YouTube. Temporarily disable extensions one by one to identify and remove the culprit.
About the settings of YouTube shortcut keys
YouTube provides several keyboard options for user convenience and navigate more efficiently.
While the default key shortcuts work for many, some would want to manage or customize such settings to appeal more to their taste. This section reviews how one could customize, disable, and even set new shortcuts. Needless to say, this provides instructions on how to make the use of YouTube more personalized.
How to change YouTube Shortcuts?
At this time, YouTube does not allow a user to customize its keyboard shortcuts directly through their settings. However, users are able to modify or customize shortcuts by using browser extensions or through third-party tools. Following is a step-by-step guide using a browser extension:
Step 1. Search for a Chrome extension, something like “Shortkeys” or similarly named, in the Chrome Web Store.
Step 2. After adding, grant the permission that will be requested to access the YouTube site.
Step 3. Open the extension settings, add the site as YouTube, and define your custom shortcut commands with functions related to YouTube.
Step 4. Go onto YouTube and test the shortcuts you created.
How to turn off YouTube keyboard shortcuts?
Yes, YouTube keyboard shortcuts can be turned off but not from native YouTube settings; rather, you can disable them using browser settings or extensions.
Here’s how to do it:
- You will have to install an extension such as “Disable Keyboard Shortcuts.”
- There you’ll have to set it to block the YouTube-specific keyboard commands.
- This extension must be enabled only for using YouTube; otherwise, it could interfere with other sites.
Disabling the shortcuts can’t allow accidental interruptions because of unintended keypresses. Hence, it will improve focus. On the other hand, it can also cut down on accessibility. This will make it more difficult to perform things quickly such as pause with the spacebar or skip ads with ‘L’.
Can I create a YouTube shortcut in Chrome?
Yes, you can, but it involves extra tools or tweaking of settings in Chrome.
Here’s how you do it:
Method 1: Using Chrome extensions:
- Add browser extensions such as “Custom Hotkeys” or “Shortkeys.”
- Label appropriate shortcuts for common YouTube functions like adjusting the playback speed, toggling on/off the captions.
- Follow the documentation to set up the extension.
Method 2: Bookmark shortcuts
Save specific YouTube links as bookmarks and title them by name or shortcut icons, for easy access.
Other accessories:
Accessories like AutoHotkey for Windows or Automator for macOS can build system-wide shortcuts about YouTube actions.
Bonus: What contributes to kids’ excessive screen time on YouTube
Kids always spend so much time on YouTube for several reasons. The platform’s algorithm suggests videos according to one’s preference so that viewers would not stop viewing the videos. With highly engaging content, bright visuals, and catchy music with themes tailored for young audiences, YouTube is especially appeal to children.
Besides, overconsumption may be because of a lack of rules set over screen time or maybe because of a lack of supervision where the child, therefore, does not have a boundary. Of course, YouTube has become a source of fun, learning, and socializing for kids. Therefore, peer influence also plays in watching certain viral videos or following creators in order to stay relevant. It is within these factors that parents can actively take certain steps toward appropriately managing screen time in children.
How parents can intervene and help kids strike a balance between learning and entertainment?
Parents can intervene and help kids balance learning and entertainment on YouTube through rules, active involvement, and technology. One very vital step involves establishing crystal-clear rules and consistent limits on screen time, depending on a child’s age and daily routine.
Parents who are in constant worry for their children’s wrongdoings on their phones can use parental control applications to manage their child’s activity on YouTube. In this way, parents can block inappropriate content, put restrictions on screen time, and encourage a balance between educational and entertaining videos.
More balanced screen time can be achieved by offering parents other interesting activities offline: reading, doing puzzles, or playing outdoors. Parents can play the role of viewing companions to the children themselves. They learn about their children’s preferences and may provide many opportunities for discussions of content to develop critical thinking and joint learning experiences.
Setting limits and allowing healthier routines could also be effectuated by creating device-free zones or times, for example, during meals or family times. Combining these with tools such as FlashGet Kids, parents will successfully guide their children toward responsible YouTube use that furthers both education and enjoyment.
Conclusion
In summary, handling YouTube use is needed for personal productivity or to guide the screen habits of children. Understanding YouTube keyboard shortcuts increases user convenience in terms of ease of navigation and adds to the viewing experience.
Screen time for children is normally controlled by the engaging nature of the contents they view and algorithm recommendations; therefore, parents need to always preset the limits and create a balance. Among other tools, FlashGet Kids places control over screen time, encouragement of educational content, and safety in viewing into a parent’s hands. Users can have the best from YouTube with the help of technology and an engaged way of managing their digital habits.
FAQs
To make the playback speed 2x, click on Shift +. (full stop) shortcut multiple times for incremental increase in speed. You can also select 2x from settings menu manually.
Yes, if there is a “Skip Ads” button, use the Tab key until that is highlighted, then strike Enter to skip the ad.
The up arrow will increase volume and the down arrow will lower volume; each stroke raises/lowers the volume 5%.
