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Video popout is a great way to watch videos while doing other work. There are various ways you can use the video pop out feature in Google Chrome, be it through the built-in Picture in Picture mode, or with a dedicated extension.
The interface for the two would be exactly the same. The extension, developed by Google, is made available for users who can’t access or use the built-in method.
So, check both out and choose the desired video pop out method in Google Chrome.
Does Chrome have a popout video player?
Yes, Google Chrome offers both built-in popout video players and an extension for it. The best part about these players is that they can both the repositioned and resized.
So, you can always watch your favorite videos while working on other tabs in Chrome or using a completely different app, with the pop out video feature in Google Chrome. Let’s now walk you through the two ways you can do that.
How do I make videos pop out in Chrome?
1. Use the Picture in Picture mode
NOTE
To use the feature, make sure you have the latest version of Chrome installed on the computer or at least Version 70 or later. Also, remember that the feature will not be available on all platforms, but it works seamlessly on major ones like YouTube.
- Open the video that you want to view in popout player, right-click on it, and select Picture in Picture. Some users might have to right-click twice to see the option.
- Once the popout player opens, you can hold and move to reposition or drag the borders to resize it.
- You will also find a Picture-in-Picture icon on the tab that’s using this mode, and hover the cursor over it for more information.
As already discussed, this Picture in Picture mode for video pop out in Google Chrome has several limitations.
It doesn’t work on every website, the functioning isn’t very smooth, and various controls such as changing the volume are missing, but it’s the best we have at the moment. To access these controls, you will have to visit the page where the video was initially being played.
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If you are unable to access the Picture in Picture mode through the context menu, as is the case with Chromebook, there’s a dedicated extension for it as well. Let’s find out how you can get it.
2. Use a dedicated Chrome extension
- Open Google Chrome, and go to Chrome Web Store.
- Now, type Picture in Picture in the search field, and hit Enter.
- Click on the Picture in Picture (by Google) search result.
- Click on the Add to Chrome button.
- Next, click on Add extension in the confirmation prompt.
- Now, whenever you want to play a video in popout video player, just hit Alt + P.
This extension will help everyone launch a pop out video player when on Google Chrome. The interface will be the same as the Picture in Picture mode but the extension helps ensure that the feature reaches maximum Chrome users.
These are all the ways you can open the video pop out feature in Chrome, using the built-in method or an extension. If you don’t want to use this feature, we have a guide on how to disable picture in picture on Windows 11, so be sure to try it.
Also, find out the best Chrome extensions to protect your privacy since instances of data breaches and hacking have been on a rise recently.
If you have any other queries or want us to cover a topic that you are interested in, drop a comment below.
Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim has always been fond of technology, be it scrolling through the settings on his iPhone, Android device, or Windows PC. He’s specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
Long-time Windows user, Kazim is ready to provide a solution for your every software & hardware error on Windows 11, Windows 10 and any previous iteration. He’s also one of our experts in Networking & Security.
Overview
Pop-out and load any video element to a floating window.
Video Popout is an extension that lets you easily detach the active video in a tab and load it in a small and floating popup outside of the current window.
The floating window remains active even if you change the active tab. Please note that if you close the tab that contains the video, the floating popup window will be closed as well. This addon uses the new JavaScript API called «picture-in-picture». It currently works in all modern browsers. It is important to note that, the floating window will stay on top of other windows.
Note: please play the video first and then click on the toolbar button to make it pop out. A paused or stopped video element, will not respond to the pop-out request. To change this behavior, please visit the extension options page and adjust the settings.
If you have a feature request or found a bug to report, please fill out the bug report form on the addon’s homepage (https://mybrowseraddon.com/video-popout.html).
Details
-
Version
0.1.5
-
Updated
September 17, 2024
-
Offered by
loora
-
Size
20.9KiB
-
Languages
-
Developer
Emailloori.svalf@gmail.com
-
Non-trader
This developer has not identified itself as a trader. For consumers in the European Union, please note that consumer rights do not apply to contracts between you and this developer.
Privacy
The developer has disclosed that it will not collect or use your data.
This developer declares that your data is
- Not being sold to third parties, outside of the approved use cases
- Not being used or transferred for purposes that are unrelated to the item’s core functionality
- Not being used or transferred to determine creditworthiness or for lending purposes
Support
For help with questions, suggestions, or problems, visit the developer’s support site
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Desktop Browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox have a Picture in Picture mode, allowing you to play videos in a floating window which remains on top of the other tabs.
The video player pops out of its tab and completely detaches from the browser window and remains active in the foreground on top of other open app windows..
You can resize this floating pop-out window and drag it to any part of the desktop screen. It would remain visible even when you minimize the browser window. You can simultaneously work in other tabs or apps while the video plays in the floating window.
This mode in desktop browsers was first introduced in Safari Browser on macOS Sierra released in 2016 and was later adopted in Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. The Picture in Picture mode for videos is present natively in Microsoft Edge Version 93 and later.
Moreover, it does not require installing any third party extensions or add-ons to enable this feature.
Enabling Picture in Picture mode in Edge
The Picture in Picture mode in Edge works perfectly on YouTube and Netflix however, some of the popular video sharing sites like Vimeo are not supported so far.
To enable PIP mode in YouTube, open any video and then right click twice within the video player area while the video is playing. The first right click would open YouTube’s context menu, right click again to open Edge’s contextual menu and then select Picture in Picture mode.
The video player would detach from the tab and then appear in a floating popup window. You can resize the floating window or drag and position it anywhere on your desktop. It would stay on top of other open windows and apps.
The Floating Windows has control to play or pause the video but the video progress or the seek bar is not displayed.
Enable Picture In Picture in Edge’s Global Media Control
Global media control button will automatically appear in the Edge toolbar when it detects a video, audio or any media file playing in the browser. This tool lets you play or pause videos directly from the toolbar without the need to find the tab playing the media.
In Google Chrome Picture in Picture is a part of the Global Media Control Panel. In Microsoft Edge, however, you would have to use Edge flags to enable this feature.
Before enabling these flags make sure that you have updated to the latest version of Microsoft Edge. These flags only appear in Edge version 93 and later. You can check the Edge version by typing the following command in the Edge’s address bar.
edge://settings/help
To enable the PIP button in the Global media control you have to enable the following two flags:
Global Media Controls
To enable this flag type or copy-paste the following address in Edge’s address bar and hit Enter.
edge://flags/#global-media-controls
Click on the dropdown and select Enabled.
Restart Edge and enable the following flag.
Global Media Controls Picture in Picture.
To enable the flag type the following in Edge’s address bar and hit Enter.
edge://flags/#global-media-controls-picture-in-picture
Click on the dropdown and select Enabled. Restart Edge to enable the Global Media controls and Picture in Picture mode button.
(Image credit: Chris Lawton on Unsplash)
Chrome Flags are experimental features that aren’t yet part of the browser by default, but can be enabled with a couple of clicks. They’re simple to use and can transform the way you browse the web.
To access the Flags menu, type chrome://flags into the address bar and hit Enter. Here, you’ll see a long list of options, each of which has a drop-down menu that can be set to Default, Enabled or Disabled. There are lots of them, so the best way to find the one you want is to hit Ctrl+F and search for it.
Once you’ve enabled a Flag, you’ll be prompted to re-launch your browser to activate it. This will close and re-open all your current browser windows, so make sure you’ve saved anything you’re working on.
The tools here are still in testing, and aren’t necessarily stable. There’s also a possibility, however small, of security issues. If that’s something you can live with, there are some real gems on offer. Here’s our pick of the best…
1. Picture-in-picture video
Many of the big browsers are starting to experiment with picture-in-picture video, and you can enable it in Chrome right now by activating the flags #enable-surfaces-for-videos and #enable-picture-in-picture.
With these enabled, you can right-click twice on a YouTube video and select ‘Picture-in-Picture’ to make it pop out in its own little window. You can drag this around your screen anywhere — even outside your browser.
2. Show autofill predictions
Unless you’ve disabled it, Chrome will store data like addresses that you often enter in forms, and offer to autofill it for you. With the Flag #show-autofill-type-predictions activated, such forms will be pre-filled automatically, saving you a few valuable seconds. Handy!
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3. Automatically reload offline tabs
Your Wi-Fi connection has dropped and all your tabs need to be reloaded. Normally you’d have to go through clicking each one to make that happen, but with #enable-offline-auto-reload enabled, all your open tabs will be reloaded automatically when you’re back online.
4. Show saved copy button
You now the feeling – you need some information from a webpage that you’ve visited before, but now the page is gone.
Worry not, with this Flag enabled, you won;t have to resort to trawling through the Internet Archive for a copy of the missing page. If it’s been cached by your browser, you’ll be presented with a button offering to load that ‘stale’ saved copy instead. Look for #show-saved-copy and turn it on.
5. Lazy image loading
A particularly useful feature for viewing photo-heavy sites on mobile devices, the Flag #enable-lazy-image-loading speeds up page loads by not loading pictures until you’ve scrolled down far enough to see them.
- Check out our ultimate guide to the best web browsers
Cat is TechRadar’s Homes Editor specializing in kitchen appliances and smart home technology. She’s been a tech journalist for 15 years, having worked on print magazines including PC Plus and PC Format, and is a Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) certified barista. Whether you want to invest in some smart lights or pick up a new espresso machine, she’s the right person to help.
Google Chrome is the world’s most popular browser, but even though it gets a lot right, you can still improve it. Chrome experts probably know that some of its best options are hidden.
Many of these secret options live in the Chrome Flags menu. Let’s discuss some of the best Chrome flags that you can tweak for a faster, handier, or more enjoyable experience.
How Do I Get Chrome Flags?
Chrome has a list of experimental features that you can access by entering this address in your search bar:
chrome://flags
Doing so will grant you access to the backdoor list of new options. This is a hidden Chrome page to prevent novice users from playing with them and accidentally creating issues. Not all of them are applicable for normal use, but you’ll find several that are worth tweaking.
Please note Chrome’s warning that these flags can cause security issues and potential data loss.
Note that since the flags aren’t in any sort of order, use the search bar at the top of the screen to easily jump to them. Google may change or remove these flags at any time, so you shouldn’t get too attached to them. Sometimes they end up in the stable release of Chrome as full features; other times they disappear.
Once you’ve enabled the Chrome flags you want to try, just click the big Relaunch Now button at the bottom of the screen. Chrome will restart and you can use the flags you’ve turned on.
How Do I Enable the New UI in Chrome?
Google released Chrome version 69 in September 2018. This version marked a revamped user interface, complete with more rounded tabs than before. Since Chrome updates automatically, you’re almost certainly using the new UI already.
It doesn’t hurt to check for updates while you’re at it. You’ll need to head into Chrome’s options to do this. Wondering how to get to Chrome’s settings to update? Click the three-bar Menu icon and browse to Help > About Google Chrome to check for browser updates. We used Chrome version 73 when creating this list.
How Do I Go Back to the Old Chrome?
Shortly after the new layout released, you could use a flag to go back to the old Chrome look. However, this flag is no longer available. Thus, the only way to go back to the old Chrome look would be to use an older version. We don’t recommend this, as older versions aren’t as secure.
How to Reset Chrome Flags
If you change some Chrome flags and later find something isn’t working right, don’t panic. Just open the flags page again and click the Reset all to default button.
1. Picture-in-Picture Mode
Search: #enable-picture-in-picture. This also requires enabling #enable-surfaces-for-videos.
Doing one task at a time is so last year. The latest trend is picture-in-picture mode, which allows you to pop out a window on your mobile device to watch a video or other content on top of another app.
Using this flag, you can try the same on your desktop. It works fairly well; right-click twice on a YouTube video and choose Picture in picture. This will pop the video out into a window you can move around anywhere—even outside of Chrome.
2. Tab Discarding
Search: #automatic-tab-discarding
Chrome is infamous for sucking up a ton of memory. If you have a lower-end computer, you can use this flag to help conserve some RAM. Enabling it will make Chrome «disable» tabs that you haven’t used in a while. They stay at the top of your browser and will reload when you click them.
Visit chrome://discards to see some information about tab discarding. The list shows how «important» Chrome thinks each tab is.
3. Quickly Mute Tabs
Search: #sound-content-setting
Everyone hates sites that blast auto-playing videos every time you visit. To combat this, Chrome lets you right-click a tab and choose Mute site to keep it quiet in the future. But doing this will mute all future tabs of that site, which you might not want.
Set this flag to Disabled and you’ll get the old Mute tab action back. This lets you mute one tab of a website without affecting the audio if you open that site in the future.
4. Generate Passwords Automatically
Search: #automatic-password-generation
You hopefully know that using a strong password is paramount to online security. We recommend using a password manager to create and save strong passwords. If you don’t want to try a dedicated app, you can try a built-in Chrome feature.
Enable the flag above, make sure you’re signed into your Google account in Chrome, and your browser will generate passwords on account creation pages. It syncs these to your Google account automatically.
5. Stop Websites from Hijacking Navigation
Search: #enable-history-entry-requires-user-gesture
Have you ever clicked the Back button on a website and found that you stayed on the same page? This is due to websites abusing the History feature in your browser and writing dummy entries that keep you on their page when you click Back. Thus, you have to click the button several times quickly to escape.
Chrome’s developers noticed this and added a flag to battle it. Enable it, and websites won’t be allowed to write extra entries into your history unless you interact with the page.
Search: #smooth-scrolling
When you scroll a page using your mouse wheel, arrow keys, or touchpad shortcut, you might have noticed a jerky animation, especially if you have lots of tabs open. This flag will smooth out that stutter and make your scrolling nice and crisp.
The Default setting on this flag seems to enable smooth scrolling. However, some claim that when you have many Chrome tabs open, the browser reverts to the clunky scroll format. So while you might not notice a difference with this one if you have a powerful PC, you can still give it a try if you like.
Search: #enable-mark-http-as
You’ve probably noticed that Chrome displays secure sites (using HTTPS) with a green padlock icon. Whenever a site uses an insecure connection (HTTP), however, Chrome doesn’t use any colors. It displays a Not Secure message, but that’s easy to miss.
Set this flag to Enabled (mark as actively dangerous), and Chrome will feature that Not Secure text in red instead. It’s a minor touch, but a good reminder not to enter any private information on insecure sites. Note that Chrome will always display a red warning icon on unsafe sites, like those with invalid security certificates.
8. Enable HDR
Search: #enable-hdr
HDR, or high dynamic range, is one of the latest advancements in display technology. It essentially makes colors richer by increasing the contrast and providing more colors to display.
If you own an HDR monitor, you should take a moment to enable this flag so Chrome supports HDR content. It might not do a whole lot yet, but we’ll surely see more support for HDR in the near future.
9. Easily Show Cached Websites
Search: #show-saved-copy
When you visit a website, your browser stores a copy of it in the cache. This allows it to quickly display the page without downloading everything again when you next visit it.
Normally, when you try to access a website that won’t load, your only options are refreshing and waiting. But if you set this flag to Enable, you’ll see a new Show saved copy button. This lets you see the website as your browser last saved it, as long as you haven’t cleared it.
Of course, if the website isn’t responding, you can’t do much with it. But this will at least let you finish an article you were reading.
10. Show Autofill Predictions
Search: #show-autofill-type-predictions
You probably use Chrome’s autofill all the time to populate fields with common info like your address. You can use a flag to take this handy feature a step further. Enabling it will pre-populate fields with your autofill text.
11. Automatically Reload Offline Tabs
Search: #enable-offline-auto-reload
If your browser goes offline and you have a ton of tabs open, you usually have to manually click each of them to activate and reload them. If you enable this flag, Chrome will automatically reload any offline tabs when you get back online.
Use it with caution, as it could result in a heavy workload if you have lots of tabs open. If you prefer, you can disable this flag and enable a similar flag, labeled #enable-offline-auto-reload-visible-only. This will only reload offline tabs when they’re visible.
12. Reduce Tracking
Search: #disable-hyperlink-auditing
It’s no secret that all sorts of web entities love to track your browsing. While it’s not one of the strongest ways to block trackers, you can set this flag to Disabled to turn off the sending of «hyperlink auditing pings.» Every little bit helps.
What Are Your Favorite Chrome Flags?
We’ve looked at some of the best Chrome flags; now you have all sorts of new Chrome options to play around with. Google could easily remove any of these flags or add new ones, so keep an eye out if you’re interested in trying more experimental features. You can also try the Chrome Beta for access to the latest features before they go mainstream.
For more like this, our list of power user tips for Chrome on Android covers some handy Chrome flags for Android.
Want more ways to make Chrome better? Try these extensions to improve your browsing experience.