How to Watch YouTube 2x Faster: A Complete Guide to Keyboard Shortcuts You Didn’t Know About
Save up to 15 minutes a day by ditching your mouse. A cheat sheet for those who value their time.
Have you ever wondered how much time you waste clicking around, trying to catch the right frame or skipping YouTube ads? Over the course of a year, that’s hours stolen from your leisure time or work.Mouse navigation is so last century. If you want to skip videos frame-by-frame and control the volume without lifting your hands from the keyboard, this article is for you. I’ve compiled a collection of secret shortcuts that will turn your browser into a professional remote control. I suggest you memorize these hotkeys: they’ll both speed up your clicking and train your memory.
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| Image created with Gemini AI |
Your cheat sheet to save time
Viewing Controls
Pause and play: to pause the video, use the Space or K keys. Pressing these keys will also start the video.Full screen: to play the video full screen, press the F key (for “Full”). To exit full screen, you can also press F or Esc.
Theater mode: if the standard player is too small and full screen is too much, press T. The video will expand to a wide format (Theater Mode), but you’ll still be able to see the comments underneath. Pressing T again will return it to the previous format.
Mini player: to collapse the video to the mini player (the small rectangle in the corner), press I. To return to the previous viewing format, press I again. This is convenient if you want to search for the next video without interrupting the current viewing.
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| GIF from Tenor: Hurry up |
Quick navigation and rewind
To the beginning and end: to return to the beginning of the video, simply press the Home button or the number 0. To rewind to the end, press the End button.Frame-by-frame rewind: this is a “secret weapon” when you need to examine a detail or text on the screen. Pause the video and press the . (period) to skip forward one frame, or the . (comma) to go back one frame.
Right arrow +5 seconds forward;
Left arrow -5 seconds back;
The L key will skip forward 10 seconds in one go;
The J key will go back 10 seconds.
Left arrow -5 seconds back;
The L key will skip forward 10 seconds in one go;
The J key will go back 10 seconds.
Next Video: to avoid reaching for the mouse, you can quickly switch to the next video by pressing Shift+N (Next).
Previous Video: if you’re viewing a playlist, you can go back using Shift+P (Previous).
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| GIF from Tenor: a working cat |
Volume and Search Controls
Volume: don’t use the mouse to find the slider. To increase the volume by 5%, press the up arrow.To decrease the volume by 5%, press the down arrow.
Instant Silence: to instantly mute a sound (for example, a ringing phone), press the M (Mute) button. Press it again to unmute the sound.
Quick Search: to avoid clicking the search bar, simply press the / (slash) button. The cursor will immediately appear in the input field, allowing you to type the title of the next video.
I believe our lives are made up of little things: be it a convenient key on your keyboard or a favorite item on your desk. My goal is to create things that make your day easier and more enjoyable. If you found these YouTube tips helpful, perhaps you’ll appreciate my merch, created with the same attention to detail. Come get your dose of inspiration — you can find something beautiful here, and something useful here! 🦝
Which of these keys was a revelation for you? For example, I couldn’t get used to skipping frames using periods and commas for a long time, but now it’s my main tool. Share your favorite shortcuts in the comments!
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