YouTube is used for entertainment, news, and education these days. However simply clicking or tabbing your way through YouTube is slow and inefficient. Today I hope to help you to use YouTube better via some powerful keyboard shortcuts!
Before you start
Some of these keyboard shortcuts will only work when the YouTube player is in focus. If you’re navigating other parts of the video page, then these shortcuts may not work. You can click on the YouTube player to gain back focus.
Screen reader users need one extra step
If you’re using a screen reader, you need to switch into a mode that lets keystrokes go directly to the web page instead of being intercepted by the screen reader.
JAWS users, press INSERT+Z to get out of virtual mode so that these keys will work as YouTube intended.
NVDA users, press INSERT+SPACE BAR, or CAPS LOCK+SPACE BAR. This will place NVDA in a mode that allows for hotkeys that directly interact with the web page and not the screen reader.
Narrator users, press INSERT+SPACE BAR, or CAPS LOCK+SPACE BAR.
When you’re done with these YouTube hotkeys you may need to toggle the use of these initial keys so that you can browse normally again.
Playback shortcuts
K, pause or play the video.
SPACE BAR, pause or play the video when the player is focused.
LEFT ARROW, move backward 5 seconds.
RIGHT ARROW, move forward 5 seconds.
J, move backward 10 seconds.
L, move forward 10 seconds.
COMMA when paused, step backward one frame.
PERIOD when paused, step forward one frame.
GREATER THAN, increase playback speed.
LESS THAN, decrease playback speed.
0 or HOME, restart the video from the beginning.
END, skip to the end of the video.
Numbers 1 through 9, jump to that percentage of the video. For example, pressing 5 will move you to fifty percent of the file.
Volume shortcuts
UP ARROW, increase volume by 5 percent.
DOWN ARROW, decrease volume by 5 percent.
M, mute or unmute volume.
Display and view shortcuts
F, enter or exit full screen mode.
ESCAPE, exit full screen mode.
T, toggle theater mode.
I, toggle mini player mode.
Caption shortcuts
C, turn closed captions on or off.
PLUS, increase caption font size when captions are on.
MINUS, decrease caption font size when captions are on.
B, cycle through caption background color options.
Playlist and navigation shortcuts
SHIFT+N, play the next video in the recommendation list or playlist.
SHIFT+P, play the previously played video.
CONTROL+RIGHT ARROW, skip to the next video in a playlist.
CONTROL+LEFT ARROW, skip to the previous video in a playlist.
SLASH, place the text cursor in the search field to start typing.
ESCAPE, focus away from the search field if the text cursor is there.
Tip about YouTube TV mode
YouTube TV mode takes the most advantage of these shortcuts. If you like navigating YouTube with keyboard shortcuts, then you’ll definitely like the YouTube TV mode. You can use it on both your PC and your smart TV.
FAQ
Why are the shortcuts not working?
The most common reason is that the YouTube player doesn’t have focus. Click on the video player area or press TAB until focus lands on the player. Screen reader users should also make sure they have toggled out of virtual or browse mode using the keystrokes described above.
Can I change the playback speed with shortcuts?
Yes. Press the GREATER THAN key to speed up and the LESS THAN key to slow down. Each press changes the speed by one step.
Is there a way to jump to a specific time?
Yes. The number keys 1 through 9 let you jump to 10 percent through 90 percent of the video. Pressing 0 or HOME restarts from the beginning.
How do I control captions from the keyboard?
Press C to toggle captions. When captions are showing, use PLUS and MINUS to change font size, and B to change the background color.
All Done
I think that’s all of the YouTube keyboard hotkeys. If I missed any please let me know and I’ll update the list.
Qapla!
Awesome! So glad they are working for you! I learned a few of these myself while researching for this article. 😉
I was listening to my favorite YouTube channels this morning and decided to try a bunch of these. I gotta say, this made my day! I’m a serious shortcut user, preferring it over zoom + mouse or manual navigation. If there’s a shortcut for something I do all the time, I’m gonna use it. And I use YouTube for everything from following tutorials to listening to music, and even use videos in my blog. Thanks! :)