Picture in Picture for Videos

Netflix picture-in-picture on Chrome

Netflix hides Chrome’s picture-in-picture option from its player, so the right-click menu rarely works. With Picture in Picture for Videos, one click on the toolbar icon pops the episode into a floating, always-on-top window. The same steps work on Prime Video and Hotstar.

Published · Updated · Applies to Picture in Picture for Videos 1.6

Now playing · Streamingnetflix.com/watchPlaying in picture-in-pictureContinue watchingnetflix.com
On Netflix, Prime Video and Hotstar: press play, click the icon, and the episode moves to the floating window.

Watch Netflix in a floating window: three steps

  1. Install Picture in Picture for Videos. Free, no account, about 34 KB.
  2. Open the episode on netflix.com and press play. Wait until the video is actually rendering; the extension looks for the video that is playing.
  3. Click the extension icon. The episode moves into Chrome’s floating window. Drag it to a corner, resize it, and switch to whatever you were doing. Click the icon again or use the back-to-tab button to return.

Why the built-in menu does not work on Netflix

Chrome has picture-in-picture built in, but it relies on the page exposing a standard video element and a standard right-click menu. Netflix replaces the menu with its own, and its player layers controls over the video, so the “Picture in picture” item never shows up. Picture in Picture for Videos skips the menu entirely: when you click the icon it finds the playing video on the tab and asks Chrome to pop it out.

Prime Video and Hotstar

Both work the same way: start playback, click the icon, drag the floating window where you want it. Trailers, previews and full titles all pop out. Subtitles drawn by the player as an overlay do not travel into the floating window; subtitles that are part of the video stream do.

Tips once the window is floating

  • Keep the Netflix tab open. It can be behind other tabs or in a minimised Chrome window, but it must stay open.
  • Pause and play from the window. Hover the floating window for play, pause and the back-to-tab button.
  • Change episodes in the tab. When Netflix auto-plays the next episode, click the icon again if the window does not pick it up by itself.
  • Resize freely. From a thumbnail in the corner to a quarter of the screen; the aspect ratio stays locked.

If the window does not appear

THREE CAUSES COVER MOST CASES1Video has not started playingPress play, then click the icon2Permission is switched offchrome://settings/content/pictureInPicture3Site restricts picture-in-pictureCheck the supported sites list
Check these three in order before anything else.

A few setups refuse to render protected video outside the main tab: managed work or school Chrome profiles, some graphics-driver and Chrome-version combinations, and other video extensions that wrap the player. Work through the troubleshooting guide: start playback first, check chrome://settings/content/pictureInPicture, update Chrome, and disable other video extensions one at a time. If it still fails, email us the Chrome version and we will look at it; the supported sites page is kept current from those reports.

Other sites

Everything with a standard player works the same way: YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo, course platforms, news sites and embedded players. Install Picture in Picture for Videos and read how to use picture-in-picture in Chrome for keyboard-shortcut setup.

Frequently asked questions

Does Picture in Picture for Videos work on Netflix?

Yes. Open the title in the Netflix tab, press play, and click the extension icon. The episode moves into Chrome’s floating, always-on-top window and keeps playing while you use other tabs and apps. The same works on Prime Video and Hotstar.

Does Chrome’s built-in right-click menu work on Netflix?

Usually not. Netflix draws its own player and hides the picture-in-picture option from the right-click menu, which is why most people reach for an extension. The extension asks Chrome directly to pop the playing video out.

Will the floating window keep playing when I switch tabs or apps?

Yes. The window stays on top of every tab and every application. Keep the Netflix tab open in the background; closing that tab ends playback because the tab is what is streaming the video.

What if the floating window does not appear on my setup?

Make sure the episode is actually playing (not paused on the preview), click the icon again, and check chrome://settings/content/pictureInPicture allows netflix.com. Corporate or school Chrome profiles and some graphics-driver combinations can block protected video from rendering outside the main tab; the troubleshooting guide walks through the fixes in order.

Does it work on Disney+ and other streaming services?

Netflix, Prime Video and Hotstar are supported. Disney+, Peacock and some smaller services restrict picture-in-picture on parts of their catalogue, so results there vary by title and region. See the supported sites page for the current list.

Keep reading