YouTube is one of the largest video content providers on this planet. It contains thousands of millions of videos on numerous topics. You can search & watch videos, subscribe to a channel, like or dislike videos, and share them with your friends, etc. Youtube also lets anyone become a content creator and post their own videos on tutorials, technology, gaming, or any other topic. Along with that, there are tons of features, tips and tricks on Youtube you aren’t aware of.
In this tutorial, we will be exploring the 40+ Youtube tricks and tips that everyone should know. So, without further ado, let’s get started. Related: 5+ Best YouTube Live Streaming Apps For Android
Also Read: Best Internet tricks and Hacks you don’t know
Best YouTube Tricks and Tips You Should Know
1. Download Youtube videos without any software
Downloading a Youtube video is a very simple and easy process. We have already made a dedicated article on this topic How to download Youtube Videos [100% working] you can read the step-by-step instructions from there.
In a nutshell, open the link of a Youtube video in your chrome browser that you want to download. Then, just add the “SS” keyword after “www.” in the URL as shown in the image and hit enter. Next, you’ll be redirected to a new web page where you can select the resolution of the video and click on the green Download button.
2. Watch videos without ads on YouTube
This one is probably one of the best Youtube tricks you can do now. Recently, YouTube has started showing multiple ad layers before showing you actual video content. And, It’s quite frustrating to watch those ads you don’t want. That’s where this Chrome extension comes in place. You can download and install this extension from the Chrome web store for free on your browser and set it up instantly. Next, just make sure it’s enabled from the extension icon and then refresh the page. Now any ads on YouTube or web pages will be blocked automatically. You can also opt for Adblock Premium to get more useful tools.
4. Make GIFs of a YouTube video
The next cool trick is you can make GIFs of any Youtube video by just placing the keyword “GIF” right after “www.” in the URL bar of a video. For instance, open a link of a Youtube video in the Chrome browser that you want to make GIFs, then go to the URL bar and add “SS” after “www.” as shown in the image. Next, you will be redirected to a new web page where you can pick a timeline and create GIFs for free.
We already have covered this tutorial on our website, just read this article for more info on How to Convert a YouTube Video To GIF for free.
5. Turn on Dark Mode on YouTube
Now the dark mode is available on the YouTube platform as well. Youtube dark enhances the viewing experience, reduces eye strain, and decreases battery consumption on smartphones. This feature can be enabled on desktop as well as mobile devices.
How to enable Youtube Dark Mode on Desktop: Visit Youtube’s official website on Google Chrome or other alternatives. Click on the profile logo from the top right corner and click on Appearance. Now select the Dark Theme.
How to enable Youtube Dark Mode on Mobile: Open the YouTube app on your smartphone and click on the profile logo from the top right corner. Click on Settings > General > Appearance > Dark theme.
For a more detailed tutorial follow this link How to Enable YouTube Dark Mode on Android and iOS.
6. Live Stream On YouTube
One of the best ways for new content creators and businesses to reach an audience is through a live stream. As per YouTube rules, you can’t go live on mobile unless you have 1K subscribers on your channel. However, there’s a trick that allows you to live stream on YouTube with 0 subscriber. Follow this complete tutorial step by step and know How to Live Stream on YouTube.
7. Use “#” (Hashtag) when searching on YouTube
When searching on YouTube, using # (hashtag) with a keyword allows you to filter only those videos with the keyword you use. For example, if search #pubgmobile, it will show you only PUBG mobile videos.
More Articles: 5 Best PUBG Mobile Alternatives for Android & iOS
8 . Clear YouTube Watch and Search History
If you don’t know, the videos you watch on YouTube are saved in the History tab, and anyone can view those history videos. So, it’s better to clear the history before anyone sees it.
Clear History from the Youtube app:
- Open Youtube app > Click the profile picture
- Open setting > Click history & privacy
- Click Clear Watch History and Search History.
Clear History from the PC:
- Open Youtube on the Chrome browser
- Click History from the right sidebar
- Click watch history and then click click Clear all watch history
- Now click search history and then click Clear all search history
9. Create a Short Link of a Video on YouTube
There are several benefits of creating a short link of a Youtube video. A short link leads to a higher click-through rate, lets you track down the performance, promotes sharing, etc. You can create a short link of Youtube videos in two ways.
First, use Youtube’s built-in feature to shorten a link. To do so, open the video link you want to shorten then click on the Share button and copy the shortened link.
Or, you can just use external online platforms like TinyURL to do this job. Just copy and paste the Youtube video URL on this website and click on the Make TinyURL button. It will shorten the URL that you can copy and share with your friends.
10. Start a YouTube video at a certain time
You can share a Youtube video with your friends that starts only at a certain time duration. You can do this with your smartphone or desktop PC. However, to do this on a smartphone you will have to use the Google Chrome browser in desktop mode. Here’s how:
- Open a Youtube video link on your Chrome browser.
- Then, tap on three verticle dots and turn on Desktop site mode.
- Once reloaded, tap on the Share button and enable Start at timer from the below
- Lastly, enter the starting time (for instance, type 0:40 if you want to start the video at 40 seconds mark) and tap on Copy to copy the link. Now you can share this link with your friends or followers on your social media platforms.
It’s the same process for desktop users, except they don’t have to enable desktop site mode.
11. Create Playlists on YouTube
You can create different playlists on Youtube for songs, movies, tutorials, etc. To do so, just open the link of a Youtube video and click on the Save icon under the video screen. Then. Click on Create a playlist and give it a name and privacy settings and click create. Now, open the same video again and click on the Save icon > then, enable the check box in front of your playlist name. That’s it. Just like that, you can create multiple playlists for different categories and organize your videos to watch them later.
12. Add Polls in a YouTube Video (For Content Creators only)
You can create polls for donation links or do a survey by creating & providing a poll to your viewers. Here’s how to do it
- Open the Youtube Creator studio
- Choose a video to add polls and click Edit
- Click cards from the top
- Again Click the poll from the top
- Click add cards then click Create
- Name the title of polls with some choices
- Set the start timing of poll
13. Add Cards in a Video to Engage More Viewers on YouTube (For Content Creators only)
One of the best ways to engage with your viewers more closely is through adding polls or cards in your videos. You can create polls asking for multiple questions, opinions, and other responses. To create a poll in Youtube videos, open Creator studio by clicking on the profile icon then YouTube Studio. Next, click on the content section from the left side and click on a video link. Then, scroll down and click on the Cards tab on the left. Click on the Plus (+) icon in front of the timeline and choose a video (you can choose a playlist or channel too if you want). Lastly, select a video and click on save from the top right.
13. Enable Subtitle in YouTube Videos (For Content Creators only)
Don’t let language be a barrier, you can add subtitles to your Youtube videos in many different languages. To add subtitles on your videos, go to Youtube Creator Studio by clicking on the profile icon and choosing the YouTube Studio option. Now, click on the Content tab from the left sidebar. Click on a video link in which you want to add subtitles. Scroll down and you’ll a subtitle option on the right side of the screen, click on it. Here you can upload your subtitle file by clicking on Upload file then use the Auto-Sync feature to sync audio with your video. Or you can type subtitles manually. Once done, click on the Done button from the top right.
14. Save Videos to Watch Later
Youtube offers a special library feature called Watch Later where you can save your videos and watch them later without browsing the Youtube main page again. To do this on a desktop, just open a video link and click on the save icon > then, select Watch later. (Alternative method only for app users on mobile: Tap on the three dots in front of a video title, then click on Save to Watch later.) You can save videos to watch later and watch them whenever you want. You can access Watch later playlist by clicking on the hamburger icon from the top left then Watch later, or just tap on the Library option from the bottom on the mobile app and tap on Watch later.
More: 10 Best Educational Apps For Android and iOS
15. Use YouTube Kids for your Kids
YouTube also contains some mature contents that aren’t made for kids. That’s why it’s suggested to use YouTube kids for your kids. YouTube Kids is particularly designed for kids and does not contain any content that might disturb a child. It’s made for fun, family-oriented and educational purposes. You can get YouTube Kids from the play store for free.
16. Play YouTube Videos in the Background
On Desktop, it’s fairly simple to Play Youtube videos in the background. However, you will need to buy a Youtube premium subscription plan to do this on mobile. But not anymore, after this Youtube trick you’ll be able to run Youtube videos in the background on mobile devices. To do this, just open Youtube.com in your Google Chrome or Safari browser. Click on the vertical three dots from the top right corner and select desktop mode (For Safari, tap on the aA icon on the top left and request Desktop mode). Next, search and open a video. Once it starts playing, tap on the Home button to exit Chrome. Lastly, open the Quick panel on your smartphone and click on the play button from the media controls.
17. Use Google Trends and Optimize SEO to Rank in YouTube Search Engine
Sometimes it’s hard to rank videos on the Youtube platform. In this case, you can take the help of SEO and keyword research tools like Google Trends’ inbuilt tools like keyword research and increase the SEO of your videos. It will help you to rank videos higher in the Youtube search engine and increase your popularity.
18. Promote your YouTube Videos to get more views
Promoting your videos on social media platforms is another way to get more views and subscribers on Youtube. There are several online ad platforms like Facebook, Adwords for Youtube, etc where you can run campaigns and rank your videos. Along with that, Youtube also has its own built-in feature to promote your videos. To do so, open Creator studio and click on the Content tab. Then click on vertical 3 dots in front of a video you want to promote and click on the Promot option. It will redirect you to a new web page Google ads where you can create a new account or log in with your existing account and run ad campaigns.
19. Get YouTube Premium For Free (YouTube Tricks and tips)
YouTube premium offers a bunch of new cool features that you can access with regular free YouTube. These features include ad-free videos, background play, offline full HD videos, Youtube music, and try experimental new features. There are two easy ways to get Youtube premium for free. But to make it simple, let’s go with the first method only.
To get Youtube premium for free, open this link which is an official YouTube premium page. Click on Get YouTube Premium button. Click on the “Try it Free” Option. Enter Your Card Details and Billing Address (Don’t worry it won’t charge any fees). Click on Buy and Enjoy 3 months Free trial.
20. Enable Data Saving to save your internet data
If you’re on an economy internet pack, this option in the Youtube app might help you to save your data. Open the YouTube app on your phone. Tap on the “Profile icon” on the top right and select the “Settings” option. Tap on Data saving. Toggle to turn on Data-saving mode. It will reduce the quality of the video and downloads, and restrict downloading over mobile data.
21. Create a 60 Seconds Video Clip
YouTube shorts is a great way to engage with more new viewers. YouTube shorts allows users to record and create a 60-second max video using just their smartphones. However, you can now clip & create shorts out of a regular Youtube video instead of recording shorts again. To do that, open Youtube on a browser or smartphone. Click and open a video link. Click on the Clip option by the like, dislike, and share button. Give it a catchy description. Then, type start & end time in the box or simply use the slider to adjust the length of the video (maximum 60 seconds is allowed). Lastly, click on the Share Clip button. You can also copy the shorts link and share it with your friends & followers on social media platforms.
22. Turn Off Playback in Feeds on YouTube
YouTube lets you quickly preview the content inside the videos by auto-playing them as you scroll through the home feed. But, it also costs your internet data, as well as previewed videos get added to the history tab automatically. Fortunately, you can stop auto-play videos as you scroll through the home feed. To stop auto-play on Android & iOS, open the YouTube app on your smartphone. Tap on the profile picture from the top right and select Settings. Tap on the “General” option. In General option, tap on “Playback in feed” and set it to “Off”.
For desktop devices, open Youtube.com in your internet browser. Click on the Profile Picture icon from the top right corner. Click on Settings and turn off “Inline playback” from the Playback and performance tab.
23. Picture in Picture Mode on YouTube
PiP or Picture in Picture mode allows you to watch Youtube videos in a small floating window on mobile devices. So that you can watch videos and chat with your friends on Whatsapp simultaneously. To enable Picture in Picture mode on Youtube, tap on your Profile picture from the top right and select Settings. Tap on the General tab and enable the Picture-in-Picture mode.
24. Restricted Mode to Hide Mature Videos
YouTube has a feature called restricted mode that allows you to hide mature videos from your Youtube feed. To access it, open the Youtube settings from the profile picture. Tap on the General tab and enable Restricted Mode.
25. Remind to Take Break
We know at least one of our friends who watch Youtube videos for hours and hours without getting tired. Watching this long videos could be bad for health in long term. To prevent it, there is a very useful feature on Youtube that will remind you to take a break from watching videos. To turn on this feature, open Youtube and click on the Profile picture. Then, click on Settings. Open the General tab. Enable the first option “Remind me to take a break” and set the timer. Once the time’s up, Youtube will send you a popup notification to take a break from Youtube.
26. Remind When It’s Bedtime
Just like the previous one, this Youtube feature will tell you when it’s bedtime and you should sleep now. Enable this feature from YouTube > Settings > General > Remind me when it’s bedtime. You can set a timer that will remind your bedtime every day when you’re watching Youtube videos.
27. Enable the Smart Download feature on YouTube App
YouTube allows you to download videos automatically when you are connected to an unmetered internet connection. Moreover, offline downloads will be moved to your SD card if supported. To enable smart downloads, open the Youtube app in your smartphone, click on the profile picture from the top right and select Settings, click on Background and downloads, and enable Smart downloads from here.
28. Add Special Effects to your Videos on YouTube
There is an inbuilt video editor on Youtube. It has some pretty amazing effects that you can apply to your videos and make them more interactive. Here’s how to use it:
On Youtube app:
- Open the Youtube app on Android or iOS
- Tap the plus icon in the bottom middle
- Tap on Upload a Video
- Allow the permission and choose your video
- Tap Next
- Tap Filters from the bottom
- Choose a video filter and Tap on Done
- Then, tap Next from the top right
- Give it a title and upload the video.
On the Desktop PC
- Go to Youtube.com on your browser.
- Click on the Profile picture.
- Click on Youtube studio.
- Click on the Content from the right sidebar.
- Select an uploaded video from the video manager.
- Click on Editor from the right side.
- You’ll see a Get Started option. Click on it and edit your video.
On PC, you get some pretty advanced options to edit your videos, such as custom blur effects, trim videos, add cards, etc.
29. Accessibility Controls While Playing a Video
YouTube has an accessibility menu that adds a few more video controls option in the player. You can turn it on from YouTube > Settings > Scroll down and tap on Accessibility > Enable Accessibility player. Also, click on Hide player controls and set it as “After 3 seconds” to hide accessibility options from the player after 3 seconds. To access these control, simply open a video and tap on it.
30. Watch YouTube Videos on TV
You can link your YouTube from your smartphone device to your smart TV and use your smartphone to play the contents directly on your TV. To do that, make sure your both devices (TV & smartphone) is signed in with the same account and also connected over the same WiFi network. Once done, open the Youtube app on your smartphone. Tap on your Profile picture >then, Settings. Tap on the “Watch on TV” option and connect your both devices. Once connected, you will be able to play, pause, like, and dislike videos with your smartphone without using a TV remote.
31. Manage Notifications From YouTube
Sometimes notifications from Youtube can be very annoying and difficult to deal with. However, the Youtube app’s built-in notification feature allows you to manage each incoming notification on your smartphone. Open the YouTube app on your Android or iOS device and click on Settings from the profile icon. Then, click on Notifications and manage all your notifications from different sources.
32. Turn Off AutoPlay Videos
When autoplay is on, YouTube automatically plays the next video without your interruption. It can annoying feature on Youtube, but you can easily turn it off. To do so, click on your profile picture on youtube and open Settings. Then, click on Auto-play and disable this feature. Alternatively, you can click on video and toggle to turn off auto-play from the top icon.
33. Change Streaming Quality
Watching a Youtube Video at a higher resolution takes more internet data compared to watching it at a lower resolution. So that’s why you should change your streaming quality depending on the data you have left. To do that on a mobile phone, open a video on the Youtube app, tap on vertical three dots from the top right corner, tap on Quality and select Advanced, and then choose a resolution (choose the lower resolution to save your data). Alternatively, you can open YouTube’s settings > Video quality preferences > choose Data saver or Auto (recommended).
On a Desktop, simply open a video on YouTube, click on the Settings icon from the below and choose your resolution.
34. Listening Controls
YouTube has been testing out a dedicated music player with its premium subscribers. You can use this player to control some actions like play, pause, & like, a video song. To use it, open a Youtube video, click on the vertical three dots, and open the Listening controls. You may not get this option if you’re a free user on Youtube.
35. Change Playback Speed Of YouTube Videos
You can adjust the video playback speed to slow, fast or normal. To do that, simply open a video on Youtube, tap Settings, and Playback speed. There are various options to increase video playback speed, you can choose any one. To bring the video playback speed back to normal, again tap Settings > Playback speed > Choose Normal.
36. Watch YouTube Videos in VR
There are specific videos on YouTube that you can watch in VR using your VR headset device. To watch VR videos on Youtube, simply search “VR videos” on YouTube and you’ll see tons of VR videos listed there, open any one. From there, tap on the vertical three dots and select Watch on VR. Now connect your VR headset and enjoy the view.
37. Stats For Nerd
If you’re having any problems during watching a Youtube video, you can always troubleshoot or debug yourself by enabling the “Stats for nerd” feature. You can enable it on an Android phone from YouTube > Settings > General > Enable stats for nerds. For iOS devices, go to Youtube app > Settings > Enable Stats for nerds.
For Desktop (Windows, Linux, Mac), search & open Youtube.com > Start watching a video > right click on a video and select ‘Stats for nerds’.
38. Report a YouTube Video
You can help YouTube to provide you with better information by reporting spam, fake, violent, and abusive types of videos. To do that, simply click on a 3 dot on a video, click on the ‘Report’ and choose the relevant option.
39. Turn on Captions in Videos on Youtube
The Youtube captions feature allows you to show the subtitles in real-time when playing a video. You can turn on the captions in your language if you don’t understand the language of the video. To enable the captions, start watching a youtube video and turn on the caption using the captions button on the bottom
Note that: Not all Youtube videos support subtitles.
40. Manage Subsribitions Notifications Individually
Now you can individually manage notifications from each subscribed Youtube channel. For instance, if you don’t want to get notifications from a particular channel, you can always turn it off from YouTube > Subscriptions > Click on ‘Manage’ or ‘ALL’ button from the top of the window > Click on the notification icon and select None. You can also select ‘Personalized’ to get important notifications only.
CONCLUSION
If you like these 40+ YouTube tricks and tips, then don’t forget to share this article with your friends and social media platforms. Also, you can ask your questions or queries in the comment box.
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