YouTube keyboard shortcuts
YouTube's web player has a surprisingly complete set of keyboard shortcuts covering playback, seeking, speed, captions, and view modes. They are identical on Windows and Mac because everything runs in the browser. Learning j, k, l and the number keys alone changes how you watch videos. This cheat sheet covers 35 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.
Playback
| Play / pause | KK |
| Play / pause (when player is focused) | SpaceSpace |
| Rewind 10 seconds | JJ |
| Fast forward 10 seconds | LL |
| Rewind 5 seconds | Left arrowLeft arrow |
| Fast forward 5 seconds | Right arrowRight arrow |
| Previous frame (while paused) | ,, |
| Next frame (while paused) | .. |
| Decrease playback speed | Shift+,Shift+, |
| Increase playback speed | Shift+.Shift+. |
| Next video in playlist | Shift+NShift+N |
| Previous video in playlist | Shift+PShift+P |
Seeking
| Go to beginning of video | HomeHome |
| Go to end of video | EndEnd |
| Seek to beginning (0%) | 00 |
| Seek to 10% through 90% of the video | 1-91-9 |
| Jump to previous chapter | Ctrl+Left arrowCmd+Left arrow |
| Jump to next chapter | Ctrl+Right arrowCmd+Right arrow |
Volume
| Toggle mute | MM |
| Volume up 5% | Up arrowUp arrow |
| Volume down 5% | Down arrowDown arrow |
View Modes
| Toggle full screen | FF |
| Toggle theater mode | TT |
| Toggle miniplayer | II |
| Exit full screen or miniplayer | EscEsc |
Captions
| Toggle captions/subtitles | CC |
| Rotate caption text opacity | OO |
| Rotate caption window opacity | WW |
| Increase caption font size | |
| Decrease caption font size | -- |
Site & Help
| Focus the search box | // |
| Show keyboard shortcuts help | Shift+/Shift+/ |
| Play / pause (media key) | Play/Pause media keyPlay/Pause media key |
| Next track (media key) | Next track media keyNext track media key |
| Previous track (media key) | Previous track media keyPrevious track media key |
Put your top YouTube shortcuts on real keys
The five YouTube actions most worth binding to a physical macropad key:
KK Play / pause The core control; works no matter what part of the page has focus.
JJ Rewind 10 seconds Replaying the last sentence of a tutorial is the most repeated action while learning.
LL Fast forward 10 seconds Skipping sponsor reads and filler without touching the seek bar.
Shift+.Shift+. Increase playback speed Power viewers watch at 1.5-2x; one tap per speed step.
FF Toggle full screen Instant immersive mode and back, hundreds of times a week.
I hand-build small-batch programmable macropads (QMK/VIA) in Barcelona. One press, any shortcut, any app.
YouTube shortcut FAQs
What do J, K, and L do on YouTube?
J rewinds 10 seconds, K toggles play/pause, and L jumps forward 10 seconds. They sit next to each other so you can scrub with one hand.
Why should I use K instead of Space to pause YouTube?
Space only pauses when the player has focus; otherwise it scrolls the page. K always controls the player, so it never scrolls by accident.
How do I skip to a specific part of a YouTube video with the keyboard?
Press a number key: 0 goes to the start, and 1 through 9 jump to 10% through 90% of the video. Ctrl+Left/Right (Cmd on Mac) jumps between chapters when the video has them.
How do I change YouTube playback speed with the keyboard?
Press Shift+. to speed up and Shift+, to slow down. Each press moves one step, for example from 1x to 1.25x.
How do I see all YouTube keyboard shortcuts?
Press Shift+/ (the ? key) on any watch page to open YouTube's built-in keyboard shortcut list.