2 Quick Ways to Watch YouTube Videos Frame By Frame

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An easy guide to play and watch YouTube videos one frame at a time
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Is there a YouTube video you want to watch one frame at a time? If you're using a computer or laptop, you can use a keyboard shortcut to control the speed of a video. While you won't be able to use this shortcut on mobile, you can still adjust the "Playback speed" to a to a lower speed. This wikiHow will show you how to navigate frame-by-frame through a YouTube video using your computer, iPhone, or Android.

Things You Should Know

  • Find a video and pause it. Press the "," key to go backwards frame-by-frame, or "." to go forwards.
  • Press the left arrow key to rewind by five seconds, or press the right arrow key to fast-forward by five seconds.
  • On mobile or Smart TVs, select the cog icon and then "Playback speed". Select "0.25x" and play the video again.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using a Keyboard

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    You can search for channels , browse playlists and your recommendations , or use the search bar to find a specific video.
    • This method will only work with the desktop version of YouTube and a physical keyboard.
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    You can press Spacebar on your keyboard or click the video to pause it.
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  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/94\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/94\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":544,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    These characters can be found between the M and ? key on your keyboard. When you press these keys, the video can go frame-by-frame backwards or forwards.
    • Press the "," key to go backwards frame-by-frame.
    • Press the "." key to go forwards frame-by-frame.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b3\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b3\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-4.jpg\/v4-728px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":548,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This can be found on the right side of a full-sized keyboard. When you press these keys, the video can rewind or fast-forward by five seconds.
    • Press the left arrow key to rewind by five seconds.
    • Press the right arrow key to fast-forward by five seconds.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using Playback Speed

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    You can search for channels, browse playlists, or use the search bar to find a specific video.
    • Use this method if you're watching YouTube using the mobile app, a Smart TV , or elsewhere. Keep in mind you won't be able to view the video frame-by-frame, but you can watch it at 25% of its normal speed.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a5\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a5\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-6.jpg\/v4-728px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":544,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The location will vary depending on your device, but it will most likely be at the top or bottom corner of the video.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-7.jpg\/v4-728px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":547,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This is next to the icon of half-dotted Play icon. By default, this should be set to Normal .
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/02\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/02\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-8.jpg\/v4-728px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This should be the very first option. You can also select 0.5x or 0.75x , but 0.25x is the slowest possible playback speed.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/94\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/94\/Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-9.jpg\/v4-728px-Go-Frame-by-Frame-on-YouTube-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":548,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The video will begin playing at 0.25 speed.
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