How to Enhance YouTube Picture-in-Picture Mode on Chrome
The default Picture-in-Picture (PIP) mode on YouTube is a handy feature, allowing you to watch videos in a floating window while you browse other tabs. However, it has its limitations. You can't use it outside of YouTube, check comments, or resize the PIP window. Fortunately, there's a way to overcome these limitations and enhance the PIP experience on Chrome. Let's explore how.
Advanced PIP Mode for YouTube
To get started, open YouTube on your desktop and click on the three-dot menu in your browser. From there, select “More Tools” and then click on “Create Shortcut.”
A pop-up window will appear. Check the box next to “Open as Window” and click on the “Create” button. This will install YouTube as an app on your Windows.
Next, download the app called “Stay on Top,” which allows your app to stay on top of other windows. Once downloaded, open the system tray of Windows and right-click on the Stay on Top icon.
From the list of open apps, select the YouTube app. Now, whenever the YouTube app is open, it will always be on top, similar to the PIP mode.
However, this setup is still not the complete PIP mode. When you click on Full-screen, it occupies the entire screen. To use it as a complete PIP mode, you need to install the “YouTube Windowed Fullscreen” extension. Once installed, you can add a shortcut key in the settings page.
Now, to activate the PIP mode, simply click on the shortcut icon in the omnibar and then press your assigned shortcut for full-screen mode.
With this enhanced PIP mode, you can resize the PIP screen to your liking, access all the YouTube tools including the timeline by hovering over the PIP window, scroll down to read comments, and navigate the entire YouTube site from the PIP screen.
Wrapping Up
The best part about this enhanced PIP mode is that you can instantly minimize it by clicking on the minimize button and still listen to the video. You can then reopen the app whenever you want, just like the native PIP mode. This is particularly useful when you want to remove distractions temporarily, a feature not available in the native PIP mode.
So, if you want to take your YouTube PIP experience to the next level, try out these steps to enhance the functionality and enjoy a more immersive viewing experience.
Also Read: How to Create GIFs From YouTube Videos
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