Reading email while a tutorial plays in the corner: picture in picture keeps YouTube visible over everything else you're doing.
Updated August 09, 2026, after a fresh review, with updated visuals and links.
Free on most devices, paid on a couple, occasionally stubborn. Here's how to enable it everywhere, device by device.
What you'll need
- The YouTube app or a browser
- Three minutes of settings
The steps, start to finish
1. Android: grant the permission
Settings, Apps, YouTube, Picture in picture, allowed. Then inside YouTube: Settings, General, Picture in picture on. Press home mid video and the player shrinks to a floating bubble. (On free Android tiers in the US this works everywhere; elsewhere, non music content works free and music videos stay Premium territory.)
2. iPhone: Premium officially, Safari unofficially
YouTube Premium includes background and PiP play across everything. No Premium? The classic workaround: open youtube.com in Safari, request the desktop site, play the video fullscreen, then swipe home, the video floats.
3. Desktop: right click twice
The elegant trick: right click ANY playing YouTube video, then right click AGAIN on the same spot, the browser's own menu appears with Picture in Picture. Two clicks, floating resizable window, works in Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
4. Control the floating window
Drag to any corner, pinch or drag edges to resize, double tap to jump back to the app. The X on the little player closes it, the fullscreen icon brings the theater back.
Pro tips without the attitude
- Pair PiP with split screen for full multitask layouts: video floating above your notes app is peak productivity theater (that occasionally even involves work).
- PiP dies on some videos when app permissions reset after updates: revisit the settings when floating stops working after an update.
- The browser trick works on tablets too when apps behave badly.
Keep reading
- How to Use ChatGPT as a Study Buddy (Learn Anything Faster)
- How to Sign a PDF Electronically (Legally Valid, Totally Free)
- How to Set Up Netflix Profiles (And Keep Your Recommendations Yours)
Permission granted, two right clicks on desktop, Safari trick on iPhone. Your video now floats over life instead of blocking it.
