Manage YouTube Playback Controls in Chrome

It turns out that the latest version of the Google Chrome browser contains many benefits for normal users. First of all, we found that this allows users share web pages on different synced devices. After some research, we've grabbed more than 20 hidden Chrome themes. If that was not enough, today we have discovered another useful feature. You can now manage YouTube playback controls in Chrome while browsing another tab.

This means that you no longer need to switch to the YouTube tab to pause a song, play the next or previous songs, and so on. All of this can be done while you are working on another tab. This feature is made possible by activating one of the many hidden Chrome flags, called "Global Media Controls".

The Google Chrome indicators allow you to access hidden experimental features. These features may not be available to normal users in the near future. Similarly, in this guide, we will use another flag of this type. Just make sure you use the Chrome version 77.0.3865.75 or build later. You can check the same thing by clicking on the three vertical dots located at the top right. Then, in the drop-down menu, select Help me > About Google Chrome. Now follow the instructions below to manage YouTube playback when you navigate to another tab.

Do not miss it: move the Chrome browser address bar to the bottom of your screen.

Manage YouTube playback by navigating another tab

1. Open the Google Chrome Navigator.
2. Open a new tab and type chrome: // flags in the address bar.
3. This will bring you a list of various flags available. Use the search bar at the top and search Global controls of the media.
4. Now click the drop-down arrow next to Disabled. In the list, select enabled.
   
5. In this case, you will be notified of the restart of the Chrome browser. Click on Now restart button that would appear at the bottom right.
6. After a few seconds, the Chrome browser will reopen. You will now see a Reading icon at the top right of your toolbar, next to the address bar. This is the icon that will help you manage the YouTube Play Toolbar.
   
7. Now open YouTube and search for your favorite song.
8. Switch to the desired tab and continue your work. Whenever you need to pause a song or play the previous / next song, just click the Play icon. This will open the toolbar of the playback menu. Use this toolbar to perform the desired action.
   

With this, we conclude the guide on how to handle YouTube playback commands while we are browsing other tabs. This works not only for YouTube, but also for other music / video streaming services. The only drawback? It will not show you thumbnails of the video or song being played, unlike YouTube. But I imagine that we could do without it, in exchange for a feature as amazing as it provides.

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