Learn how to change the playback speed of YouTube videos so you can speed up (up to 4.00x) or slow down (up to 0.25x) the clip to a pace that’s suitable for you. The steps here apply to iPhone, iPad, Android phone, and computer browsers.
When I watch a short informative YouTube video, I tend to play it at the normal 1x speed. However, when I’m listening to podcasts, I usually speed them up to 1.25x or 1.5x. Sometimes, when I’m in a hurry or if the video host talks very slowly, I even double the speed to 2x (but I never go beyond that to 3x or 4x).
On the other hand, there are times when I slow down the YouTube video because I have difficulty making out what the person says, and captions are unavailable or incorrect.
You can also change the video playback speed in the mobile app as well as on the website. The steps are almost identical for other platforms like Apple TV and Smart TVs. However, some inexpensive Android televisions may not allow you to change the speed because of hardware or software restrictions. Aside from using third-party YouTube apps or a browser, you can’t do anything in this case.
Note that you cannot change the speed of YouTube Shorts videos, but only regular videos (even if they are in vertical orientation).
In the YouTube app
- Open the YouTube app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone and play a video.
- Tap the gear icon at the top of the video player.
- Select Playback speed.
- Use the suggested speed presets or drag the slider to set the speed between 0.25x (slowest) and 4.00x (fastest). If you don’t pay for YouTube Premium, the playback speed will be capped at 2x speed.
I think it’s implied that when you play a 10-minute video at 2x speed, it will only take you 5 minutes to finish watching the clip.
Pro tip: You can simply touch and hold anywhere on the YouTube video player, and the video will start playing at 2x speed for as long as you don’t lift your finger. This is super helpful if you want to quickly go through boring or repetitive parts of a video clip without fast-forwarding or changing the entire clip’s playback speed. I love it and use it very frequently.
On the YouTube website
- Visit YouTube.com and start playing a video.
- Click the gear icon and select Playback speed.
- Use the available speed presets or drag the slider to set the speed between 0.25x and 4.00x. Again, if you are not a Premium subscriber, the maximum speed is 2x.
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