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YouTube is the best place to watch and share videos on the internet. It is a popular part of our culture today, and the online video player has changed a lot since YouTube started. You can already do a lot with YouTube’s video player. Most people know that pressing the spacebar will pause and unpause the video, and anyone with media buttons on their keyboards probably knows what they do just by looking at the labels.
The most-used keyboard shortcuts on YouTube are playing and pausing a video, skipping forward 10 seconds, and skipping backward 10 seconds. Users should press the spacebar or the letter ‘k’ on their keyboards to play or pause a video. Users can skip forward or backward in a video by pressing the right and left arrow keys (five seconds) or the ‘j’ and ‘l’ keys (ten seconds). After pausing a video, users can press the ‘,’ and ‘.’ keys to go to the previous and next frames. Lastly, press “m” on the keyboard to mute a video.
Why keyboard shortcuts are important in YouTube?
Using keyboard shortcuts on YouTube can improve your watching experience, make it easier to talk to other people, and make you more productive overall. Here’s why it’s important to use computer shortcuts when watching YouTube videos:
- Fullscreen and Theater Mode: Using keyboard keys, you can switch between fullscreen mode and theater mode without moving the cursor. This makes it easy to watch something without having to move the cursor.
- Quality Settings: You can quickly change the quality of the video stream by using keyboard shortcuts. This lets you make changes based on how fast your internet connection is.
- Closed Captions: You can turn closed captions on and off with keyboard shortcuts, which makes it easier to understand what’s going on in the movie.
- Playlist Navigation: If you’re watching videos from a playlist, you can use computer shortcuts to move from one video to the next without stopping what you’re doing.
Best YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts
You may control video playback using the keyboard shortcuts instead of needing to use the mouse, saving you time. Using easy key combinations, you are able to play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward the audio as well as modify the level.
General Shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| K or Spacebar | Play/Pause the video |
| J | Rewind 10 seconds |
| L | Fast forward 10 seconds |
| Left Arrow | Rewind 5 seconds |
| Right Arrow | Fast forward 5 seconds |
| M | Mute/unmute the video |
| Up Arrow | Increase volume |
| Down Arrow | Decrease volume |
| F | Enter/exit fullscreen mode |
| C | Toggle captions/subtitles |
| , (Comma) | Move backward per frame |
| . (Period) | Move forward per frame |
| / (Slash) | Move to search bar |
Navigation Shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Home | Go to the beginning of the video |
| End | Go to the end of the video |
| 0 (Zero) | Restart the video from the beginning |
| 1-9 | Seek to the 10-90% of the video’s duration |
| Arrow Keys | Navigate through video thumbnails (on homepage) |
| Tab | Navigate through on-screen elements |
Playback Speed Shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Shift + > | Increase playback speed |
| Shift + < | Decrease playback speed |
| Shift + \ | Reset playback speed to normal |
Fullscreen Shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Esc | Exit fullscreen mode |
| F | Enter/exit fullscreen mode |
| Spacebar | Play/Pause in fullscreen mode |
Best YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts for Different Platforms
By making use of the shortcuts on your keyboard, you will be able to go between the various parts of a video far faster. You may jump to specific parts of a video, move forward or backward in the video, jump to the beginning or the end of the movie, and do a number of other actions by using the keyboard instructions.
YouTube Web Browser (Windows/Linux):
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| K or Spacebar | Play/Pause |
| J or Left Arrow | Rewind 10 seconds |
| L or Right Arrow | Fast forward 10 seconds |
| M | Mute/Unmute |
| F | Enter/Exit Full Screen |
| Home | Restart video |
| End | Go to end of video |
| 0 (zero) or Shift + Home | Go to the beginning of the video |
| 1-9 | Jump to 10% – 90% of video progress |
| C | Turn on/off captions and subtitles |
| + or – | Increase/Decrease playback speed |
| , (comma) | Move backward one frame when paused |
| . (period) | Move forward one frame when paused |
| / (forward slash) | Move to search bar |
| Tab then Enter | Activate video player controls |
YouTube Web Browser (Mac):
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| K or Spacebar | Play/Pause |
| J or Left Arrow | Rewind 10 seconds |
| L or Right Arrow | Fast forward 10 seconds |
| M | Mute/Unmute |
| F | Enter/Exit Full Screen |
| Home | Restart video |
| End | Go to end of video |
| 0 (zero) or Shift + Home | Go to the beginning of the video |
| 1-9 | Jump to 10% – 90% of video progress |
| C | Turn on/off captions and subtitles |
| + or – | Increase/Decrease playback speed |
| , (comma) | Move backward one frame when paused |
| . (period) | Move forward one frame when paused |
| / (forward slash) | Move to search bar |
| Tab then Enter | Activate video player controls |
YouTube Mobile App (iOS/Android):
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Play/Pause Button | Play/Pause |
| Double-tap Left Side | Rewind 10 seconds |
| Double-tap Right Side | Fast forward 10 seconds |
| Swipe Up/Down on Left Side | Adjust brightness |
| Swipe Up/Down on Right Side | Adjust volume |
| Swipe Left/Right | Skip 10 seconds backward/forward |
| Double-tap on Video | Toggle Full Screen |
| Tap on Video | Show/Hide Controls |
| Pinch In/Out | Zoom in/out on video |
Question and Answers
A: Keyboard shortcuts are not customizable by default on YouTube, which is a shame. You can only use the shortcuts that come with your computer.
A: Shortcuts on your keyboard can save you time and make it easier to browse YouTube. They make it easy to quickly do things like control video playback, change the volume, and move between different parts of the YouTube interface.
1. Spacebar: Play or pause the video.
2. K: Play or pause the video.
3. J: Rewind 10 seconds.
4. L: Fast forward 10 seconds.
5. M: Mute or unmute the video.
6. F: Enter or exit full-screen mode.