YouTube rolls out ‘Miniplayer’ for desktop; here’s how it works

YouTube Miniplayer is basically a “Picture-in-Picture” mode for videos on desktop.

YouTube Miniplayer on desktop. (YouTube)

YouTube has started rolling out a new feature for its desktop app. YouTube videos can now be played in 'Picture-in-Picture' mode on desktop while users continue browsing. This feature has been available on the mobile app for iOS and Android.

YouTube Miniplayer was first spotted by 9to5google. This feature can be hard to spot and could remain unused at all. YouTube on Windows and Mac desktops both have this feature available. An update isn't required for this feature.

Note that the miniplayer exists only within YouTube and not for browsing on other pages. There were some glitches in the miniplayer with the audio lagging a few times. Browsing was fine otherwise.

How to use YouTube Miniplayer

When you play a video on YouTube, scroll down to the bottom bar of the window.

It's the third icon from left just next to the cogwheel button.

Once you tap on it, the video will shrink and the YouTube homepage will open.

To exit, simply tab the x icon on the top right corner.

To maximize the window, tap on the title of the video.

YouTube Miniplayer also supports playlists. (YouTube)

YouTube Miniplayer also supports playlists. (YouTube)

You can hover around the miniplayer for more options. At present, you have the play/pause and next buttons. YouTube also provides the seek bar in the miniplayer. The artist and title of the video is also displayed in the video tab.

YouTube miniplayer supports playlists as well. Users can select the drag down icon just next to the title of the video. Here, the small window will extend to show the list of upcoming videos. Users can scroll down and select which video to play. There's an option to add the playlist to one's library too.