YouTube keyboard shortcuts

Your computer and programs running on your computer are not the only places keyboard shortcuts can be used. Many online services like YouTube also have keyboard shortcuts that can be used. Below is a listing of keys you can use on your keyboard to control YouTube videos.

Note: The YouTube video and window must be active. If these keys are not working, click the video to make sure it is selected. Switching between windows, changing tabs in your browser, or performing other actions like making a comment unselects the video.

Play and pause a video

Press the space bar or the 'k' key on your keyboard to play and pause a video.

Tip: Holding down either of these keys also plays the video in slow motion.

Jump to start of a video

Pressing the 0 (zero) key on your keyboard will jump to the beginning of a video. The home key also works for jumping to the start of a video.

Jump to the end of a video or go to the next video

Pressing the end key on your keyboard will go to the end of the video. If you are playing a playlist, it will also go to the next video in the playlist.

Skip or jump in the video

Fast forward or rewind

If you want to fast forward or rewind in increments of five seconds, press the left or right arrow keys. If you need to jump more than five seconds hold down the Ctrl key and press the arrow key for the direction you want to jump in ten second increments.

Skip to video sections

Pressing the number keys from 1 to 9 seeks (jumps) to that percentage of the video. In other words 1 jumps to 10%, 2 jumps to 20%, 3 jumps to 30%, etc.

Make the video full-screen

Pressing 'f' on the keyboard switches between full-screen and normal mode.

Tip: Pressing Esc will also exit full-screen mode.

Turn up and down the volume

Pressing the up or down arrow keys turns up and down the volume of the video. If you are turning down the volume and continue to hold the down arrow key, it will eventually mute the volume.

Tip: Pressing 'm' on the keyboard will also mute and unmute the volume.

YouTube Lean Back

Finally, from our YouTube Top 10 tricks, if you still cannot get enough of the keyboard YouTube also has a feature called YouTube Lean Back that allows you to easily navigate YouTube using a keyboard or other input device that is not the mouse.

Additional information

• Full listing of computer keyboard shortcuts.
• See our YouTube definition for further information and related links on this term.