The best browser extensions to get more out of YouTube

From wedding speeches To music videos, from DIY tutorials to movie trailers, from celebrity interviews to remote wilderness adventures, it’s all on YouTube. According to YouTube’s official figures, more than 20 million videos are uploaded daily on the platform.

Over the years, YouTube has added a host of additional features to improve the viewing experience for its users, but you can enhance it even further with some well-chosen browser extensions. No matter how you use YouTube, there should be something you can benefit from here.

Here we’ve focused on Google Chrome extensions, which should also work on Microsoft Edge and any other Chromium-based browser (including Opera and Vivaldi). We’ll also be moving away from extensions that rely primarily on ad blocking, in the spirit of supporting YouTube creators.

YouTube optimization

YouTube optimization offers a range of features.

Courtesy of David Nield

YouTube Optimization is one of the most comprehensive and longest-running YouTube extensions, and brings with it a host of features. For a start, you can use it to change the look of YouTube in a number of ways: hide the sidebar or video thumbnails for a sharper look, for example, or change the color of the progress bar and other elements.

Other tweaks you can apply include new tabs for search results (so you can find new videos without losing your place in the current one), the option to hide YouTube Shorts, and a reverse option for your playlists. You can also pause videos when switching tabs, and use the extension to set up custom keyboard shortcuts. There is a lot here.

Optimized for YouTube

YouTube Optimizer includes a variety of operating modes.

Courtesy of David Nield

This is another stretch with a lot of strings to its bow. YouTube Optimizer gives you quick and easy access to playback speed, quality, and volume, as well as more precise control over videos compared to YouTube’s built-in options. The extension can also transform the look of YouTube with custom themes, such as a custom dark mode theme that offers dozens of different looks.