Usually, shortcuts save time. YouTube shortcuts are not an exception to that.
In this post, we will see all the shortcuts of YouTube. Let’s check out.
YouTube Shortcuts
First, let’s classify the YouTube shortcut keys into two sections:
- The shortcuts that work when the focus is not on the YouTube video player.
- The shortcuts that only work when the focus is on the YouTube video player.
Let me explain:
For instance: I am pressing “/” key, which brings the focus to the Search box. Then, I am pressing the “Escape” key, which brings the focus out of the Search box.
Here, the K can still play/pause the video. Remember, the K belongs to the first section.
However, the volume up key will not increase the volume, which it can when the focus is on the video player. The volume up key belongs to the second section.
I hope you got the point. With all that said, let’s see the shortcuts and their actions.
Method #1
The Shortcuts that Work When the Focus is Not on the YouTube Video Player
| Shortcut Key | Action |
| K | Play or pause the video. |
| L | Forward video for 10 seconds. |
| J | Backward video for 10 seconds. |
| F | For the full screen. Pressing this key again will bring back the video player to the mode, which it is before entering the full screen. Alternatively, you can use the Escape key to get out of the full screen. |
| M | Mute or unmute the volume. |
| / | Bring the focus to the Search Box. |
| Esc | Bring the focus out of the Search Box. |
| Page UP | Scroll the page upward. |
| Page Down | Scroll the page downwards. |
| Home | Take you to the top of the page. |
| End | Take you to the end of the page. |
| Shift + P | Play the previous video on the playlist. |
| Shift + N | Play the next video on the playlist. If you use this shortcut on a video that is not in the playlist, then it will play the next suggested video. |
| > | Speed up the player speed. |
| < | Slow down the player speed. |
| . | Move one frame forward in the paused video. |
| , | Move one frame backward in the paused video. |
| ? | Pops up the list of YouTube keyboard shortcuts. |
Method #2
The Shortcuts that Only Works When the Focus is on the YouTube Video Player
| Shortcut Key | Action |
| Space Bar | Play or pause the video. |
| Up arrow | Increase 5% volume. |
| Down arrow | Decrease by 5% volume. |
| Right arrow | Forward video for 5 seconds. |
| Left arrow | Backward video for 5 seconds. |
| 0 or Home | Start playing the YouTube video from the beginning. |
| End | End the video playback. |
| 1-9 | You take to a certain percentage of the video. For instance: pressing the “9” key will take you to 90% of the video. |
| Page Up | Forwards one minute (works only when the focus is on the progress bar of the video). When the focus is not on the progress bar, it will scroll the page upward. |
| Page Down | Backward one minute (work only when the focus is on the progress bar of the video). When the focus is not on the progress bar, it will scroll the page downwards. |
| C | Turn on or off subtitles. |
| O | Change the Font Opacity (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) of the subtitles. |
| – | Decrease subtitle size. |
| = | Increase subtitle size. |
Here are the shortcuts that only work for the Spherical videos:
| Shortcut Key | Action |
| + on the Numeric keypad (or ]) | Zoom in the video. |
| – on the Numeric keypad (or [) | Zoom out the video. |
| A | Pan left. |
| S | Pan down. |
| W | Pan up. |
| D | Pan right. |
Here are some important things you need to note:
If you want to bring focus to the video player, then click on the blank area (the one besides time) of the video player. Alternatively, you can use the “Tab” button for this task.
If you want to move forward between the elements of the page, press the “Tab” button. To move backward between the elements, press “Shift + Tab.”
You can use the Space Bar (or Enter key) to click the selected element.
