Install freeWhat picture-in-picture does
Picture-in-picture (PiP) takes the video out of its tab and puts it in a small, always-on-top window. You can keep working in another tab, another app or another virtual desktop and the video stays visible. The floating window has play and pause, a button to send the video back to its tab, and on sites that support it, skip controls. It works on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, and it does not need YouTube Premium or any account.
Method 1: Right-click the video (built in)
- Right-click anywhere on the video. On plain HTML5 players Chrome’s menu appears straight away.
- If a site menu appears, right-click again. YouTube, Vimeo and many players draw their own menu on the first click. A second right-click on the same spot opens Chrome’s menu underneath.
- Choose “Picture in picture”. The video pops out into the floating window.
This works on most sites, but it is fiddly: the double right-click is easy to miss, and some players cover the video with an overlay that swallows the click.
Method 2: The media controls button (built in)
When a tab is playing audio or video, Chrome shows a media controls icon at the right end of the toolbar (it looks like a music note or a small player). Click it, find the video in the list, and press the picture-in-picture button next to it. This is the most reliable built-in route because it does not depend on the site’s own menu.
Check the setting first. Open chrome://settings/content/pictureInPicture and make sure “Sites can enter picture-in-picture automatically” is allowed, or at least that the site you are on is not blocked.
Method 3: A keyboard shortcut
Chrome itself ships no shortcut for picture-in-picture. Two options:
- Google’s official extension uses Alt + P (Option + P on macOS). It has not been updated since February 2025; see our comparison.
- Picture in Picture for Videos lets you choose any key combination: open
chrome://extensions/shortcuts, find the extension and type a shortcut next to “Activate the extension”.
Method 4: One click with Picture in Picture for Videos
- Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store. It is free and about 34 KB.
- Pin it to the toolbar with the puzzle-piece menu so the icon is always one click away.
- Click the icon on any tab with a video. The extension finds the video on the page and asks Chrome to pop it out. No double right-click, no menu hunting.
- Drag and resize the window. Put it in a corner over your editor, your notes or a game. It stays on top until you close it.
The extension does not add its own player or overlay. It uses Chrome’s picture-in-picture window, so playback quality and controls are exactly what Chrome provides, and nothing about your browsing is collected. It works on YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar, Twitch and most sites; see supported sites for the list.
Which method should you use?
| Method | Clicks | Works on YouTube | Works when the site hides the menu | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right-click menu | 2–3 | Yes (double right-click) | Sometimes | No |
| Media controls button | 2 | Yes | Yes | No |
| Google’s extension | 1 | Yes | Yes | Alt+P (fixed) |
| Picture in Picture for Videos | 1 | Yes | Yes | Any key you choose |
Tips once the video is floating
- Resize from any edge. The window keeps the video’s aspect ratio.
- Hover for controls. Play, pause, back to tab, and close appear on hover.
- Keep the original tab open. Closing the tab ends the floating video, because the page is what is actually playing it.
- Use it for live content. Twitch streams, webinars and video calls that use a standard player all float the same way. See the Twitch guide.
When it does not work
If the option is missing or the window opens black, the cause is almost always one of three things: the site set disablepictureinpicture on its video, the content is DRM-protected, or the picture-in-picture permission is off. The troubleshooting guide walks through the fixes in order, and the Netflix guide covers Netflix, Prime Video and Hotstar.