When we play a video on the Internet from a PC we are used to using only the mouse to pause, go back and forth and change the listening volume, given the simplicity with which it is possible to execute this type of commands. But if we have a large number of tabs active within the browser or we are writing an online document from which we do not want to focus, it can be very useful to use the keyboard to control the videos on the Web, so that we can stop playback without having to lose focus looking for the button on the screen and on the right tab.
In this guide we will show you how to control the web videos from the keyboard and mouse, using the keyboard commands supported by most sites that host videos, a small program to add support for multimedia commands on any computer and a practical extension to be able to control the playback of all active cards, so as to quickly decide which video to stop.
How to control web videos from keyboard and mouse
As already mentioned in the introduction, in the guide we will show you the keyboard shortcuts supported by the sites that host videos (including YouTube), a small program for Windows to add new keyboard commands to control multimedia actions and finally an extension for Google Chrome can control videos open from all tabs, without necessarily changing the tab currently open.Keyboard shortcuts for YouTube and other similar sites
The sites that host videos already allow you to use keyboard shortcuts to control the videos: the only requirement is that the card with the video is in the foreground and that the video is correctly selected (i.e. we will have to click at least once on it in order to activate the keyboard control).
The shortcuts that we can use are:
- Spacebar : Plays / pauses the video or activates the previously selected button.
- K button : Plays / pauses the video.
- Left / right button in the scroll bar : go back / forward 5 seconds.
- J button : go back 10 seconds.
- L button : goes 10 seconds.
- Up / down button in the scroll bar : increases / decreases the volume by 5%.
- F key : activate / deactivate the full screen.
- Button C : activates / deactivates the subtitles (if available).
- 0 (zero) button : goes to the beginning of the video.
Set up multimedia shortcuts on Windows
If our PC or notebook does not have a keyboard with multimedia keys included and we want to control playback even when we do not have the focus on the browser or active tab, we can use the free Volume2 program.
By installing this app on our computer with Windows 10 we will have full control over the multimedia keys and the volume of the system; for example we can change the volume of Windows simply by pointing the mouse on the taskbar and rotating the mouse wheel. In addition to the volume control we can set new multimedia shortcuts by opening the program settings, going to the Keyboard tab and memorizing the multimedia shortcuts already set; alternatively we can create new ones using the Add button or modify those already present, so that we can set a button to stop or start playback, to activate the mute on all applications or to activate the mute on other applications excluding the active one on the screen .
Check media cards from Chrome
If we love working with many open tabs on Google Chrome, we will find the Streamkeys extension very useful.
With this we will be able to control the reproduction of the cards in which there is an active video, without necessarily having to move the focus between one card and another; if we are working or writing on a site and we want to interrupt or forward the music played by the YouTube card, just click on the extension button and use the multimedia button corresponding to the name of the Web service that we are using.
In addition to mouse control, the extension also adds convenient keyboard shortcuts, which we can use on the fly to control the playback of any active video in one of the browser tabs (the best results are obtained with a single active multimedia card, also if it is possible to switch from one service to another quickly and easily).
Use multimedia keyboards and programmable mice
If we want to control our videos directly from the keyboard, we choose a keyboard with the multimedia keys included, so as to have specific keys for this activity.
The best keyboards with multimedia keys that we can buy are:
- ITEK iTek KC105 keyboard - Multimedia (7 €)
- Ewent Keyboard and Mouse Kit EW3123 (14 €)
- Microsoft Wired 600 USB Connection Keyboard (€ 18)
- Trust Tecla Multimedia Keyboard and Wireless Mouse Set (26 €)
- Logitech G213 Gaming Keyboard, RGB Backlight (53 €)
- AmazonBasics - Multicolor gaming mouse (11 €)
- TECKNET Gaming Mouse, Raptor PRO Gaming Mouse (€ 16)
- Gaming Mouse LUDOS FLAMMA Gaming Mouse (21 €)
- CSL-Titanwolf Professional Computer Gaming Mouse (23 €)
- Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury Gaming Mouse (38 €)
Conclusions
Use the PC by pressing as few keys as possible and moving the mouse only when strictly necessary is possible by following the methods that we have described in this guide; from now on we can quickly change the playback volume, stop or change the song without even keeping the video just a click away, by acting on the keyboard shortcuts or the mouse.To know the other keyboard shortcuts for Windows and for the main browsers, we recommend that you read our guides to the main combinations of keys and shortcuts for Windows and the keyboard shortcuts on Firefox and Chrome . If, on the other hand, we want to know the other keyboard shortcuts supported by YouTube or other sites, we recommend reading the article in the Shortcuts and quick keys for Facebook, Gmail, Youtube, Twitter and Dropbox .
