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How to use Safari's Picture-in-Picture mode with YouTube on macOS

Introduced in macOS Sierra, Picture-in-Picture mode for Safari allows users to pop a video out from a webpage and onto the Mac desktop. The floating and resizable window hovers above other applications, keeping it in view while other applications are kept usable in the background.

While it is easily available in apps, including iTunes, as well as some websites, it is oddly not immediately accessible when viewing YouTube, arguably one of the biggest video services online. YouTube does support Picture-in-Picture for Safari, but there's a trick to actually using it.

Starting YouTube Picture-in-Picture

Open Safari . It is not currently possible to use the Picture-in-Picture feature with other browsers, not even Google Chrome considering this tip deals with YouTube.

Open a YouTube video that you wish to view. At this point it can be paused or left to continue playing.

Right-click on the middle of the video. This brings up YouTube's contextual menu which, while interesting, should not be used for the moment.

Immediately right-click the middle of the video again. This second right-click brings up a Safari menu, which includes the option we need.

Click Enter Picture in Picture . This will move the video from the browser out into its own floating panel.

Using Picture-in-Picture

The video panel can be moved around the screen by clicking and dragging it to a different corner. If you hold the Command key down, you can drag it to a specific point of your screen instead of a corner.

The size of the panel can be adjusted by dragging the edges or the corner to make it larger or smaller. At most, the panel can be resized to take up a quarter of the screen.

The playback controls on the website will still work as normal, but there are also basic controls on the video panel itself, shown by mousing over the picture.

To exit the mode, click the X symbol in the top left corner of the video panel, or by clicking the symbol next to the play button in the panel to replace it in the page. You can also right-click the webpage as before and select Exit Picture in Picture .

Further Notes

Websites have to enable Picture-in-Picture mode for it to work, but not every site does so. For example, while Vimeo is more direct in offering the feature by openly displaying a PiP button, there is currently no way to use the function with video from Netflix nor Amazon Prime Instant Video.

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There is an awesome extension for Safari called PiPer that adds a button for PiP mode to websites like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime and many more. It can be downloaded from the Safari Extension Gallery right here:  https://safari-extensions.apple.com/details/?id=com.amarcus.safari.piper-BQ6Q24MF9X   The source code is also available on github for anyone who's interested!  :)

726 comments

Sweet. Thanks AppleInsider!

343 comments

Tirea said: There is an awesome extension for Safari called PiPer that adds a button for PiP mode to websites like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime and many more. It can be downloaded from the Safari Extension Gallery right here:  https://safari-extensions.apple.com/details/?id=com.amarcus.safari.piper-BQ6Q24MF9X   The source code is also available on github for anyone who's interested!  :) I was going to comment just that!  It makes PIP work on everything like it should!

Tirea said: There is an awesome extension for Safari called PiPer that adds a button for PiP mode to websites like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime and many more. It can be downloaded from the Safari Extension Gallery right here:  https://safari-extensions.apple.com/details/?id=com.amarcus.safari.piper-BQ6Q24MF9X   The source code is also available on github for anyone who's interested!  :) That plugin seems to have a lot of unnecessary permissions... why does it need access to all of my personal information to include Credit Cards and Passwords? Zero chance that's going to stay on my computer. Apple should remove it.

Cesar Battistini Maziero said: Tirea said: There is an awesome extension for Safari called PiPer that adds a button for PiP mode to websites like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime and many more. It can be downloaded from the Safari Extension Gallery right here:  https://safari-extensions.apple.com/details/?id=com.amarcus.safari.piper-BQ6Q24MF9X   The source code is also available on github for anyone who's interested!  :)

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YouTube picture-in-picture works in Safari for Mac with this hidden menu

The ability to watch YouTube using picture-in-picture on the Mac isn’t new , but it’s new to me. Apple added support for native picture-in-picture video to Safari on the Mac way back in 2016, and YouTube has supported it since day one. The option is hidden behind a couple of clicks…

I’ll be the first to admit that most of you reading this probably already know how to activate picture-in-picture mode on YouTube’s website in Safari. For those of you who are like me and have gone over four years without it, this article is for you.

YouTube seems like it wants to hide the option to watch videos in picture-in-picture. As we’ve seen on the iPhone and iPad side of things , YouTube isn’t keen on giving its users the ability to easily watch videos anywhere outside of the native YouTube app or website. Unlike on iOS, however, YouTube’s efforts can only go so far.

How to use YouTube picture-in-picture in Safari on the Mac

There are just a few steps to start watching a YouTube video in picture-in-picture on the Mac in Safari.

• Open the YouTube video in Safari on your Mac as normal
• Right click on that YouTube video
• When the YouTube’s native right-click menu appears, right click one more time.

After you right click for second time, you’ll see Safari’s menu that includes the option to “Enter Picture-in-Picture.” Choosing this will snap the YouTube video into Safari’s native picture-in-picture experience.

As a refresher, Safari’s picture-in-picture video player can be placed in any of the four corners of your Mac’s display. You can resize the player to your preference, play or pause the video, and snap the video back to the YouTube video in Safari.

That’s literally all there is to it. I can’t believe it took me this long to realize this feature exists. Please don’t be as mean to me in the comments as my colleagues were to me in Slack .

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Apple’s latest MacOS Big Sur beta brings 4K YouTube to Safari

If you’re a fan of the Safari web browser on your Mac, Apple just gave YouTube video playback a major upgrade in its latest macOS beta release. Now available for download , developers on the macOS Big Sur beta 4 can finally playback YouTube videos in 4K UHD resolution using Apple’s Safari browser.

Apple published details about the feature change in its Big Sur beta 4 documentation, noting that the software brings “support for 4K HDR playback of YouTube videos” in Safari and Webkit.

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Prior to today’s release, YouTube video was capped at just 1080p FHD resolution when using Safari. This meant that if you wanted to play YouTube videos at resolutions greater than FHD, you had to choose an alternate browser, like Google’s Chrome. If all goes well during Apple’s beta testing period, Big Sur is expected to be released this fall for all consumers.

This change is especially notable given Apple’s push for higher resolution displays in recent years with Retina Displays appearing on smartphones, tablets, and the Mac. This means that if you own Apple’s iMac with Retina 4K Display, iMac with Retina 5K Display , iMac Pro with Retina 5K Display,  or Apple’s studio-grade Pro Display XDR panel with a Retina 6K Display, you can edit and playback YouTube videos in resolutions up to 4K .

Initially announced earlier this summer at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference event, macOS Big Sur introduced a number of new features , including new icons, an updated menu bar, redesigned sheets, and a refreshed Notification Center — changes that will helps to unify Apple’s desktop macOS operating system with its mobile iOS and iPad OS platforms. In fact, Apple views the changes introduced with Big Sur significant enough to warrant a numerical jump to its macOS platform, moving from macOS 10 for desktops — which was initially introduced in 2001 — to macOS 11.

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How to play YouTube videos in the background on your iPhone, without having to keep the app open

• You can play YouTube videos in the background on your iPhone using YouTube Premium or Safari.
• YouTube Premium lets you play videos when the app isn't open, but it costs $11.99 per month.
• You can also play YouTube videos in the background in Safari using view mode.

Lots of people use YouTube as their main music streaming app. But unlike other music apps, if you close the app or lock your iPhone while listening, all the music will shut off.

That is, unless you've signed up for YouTube's paid subscription service, YouTube Premium . This is the only official way to play YouTube in the background on your iPhone.

If you don't want to sign up for YouTube Premium, you can also use a trick involving your iPhone's Safari app. However, this method can be finicky, and may be removed in a future update.

Here are both ways to play YouTube in the background on your iPhone, so you can start listening to videos without keeping the app open.

How to play YouTube in the background on an iPhone using YouTube Premium

First, you need to sign up for YouTube Premium.

YouTube Premium costs $11.99 a month for a single account ($6.99 a month if you're a student), or $17.99 a month for six accounts in a "Family Plan."

Signing up will get rid of all ads on YouTube videos, allow you to download videos to watch offline, and give you access to both "YouTube Original" videos and YouTube Music, the site's music streaming service.

And, of course, you'll receive the ability to play and listen to any YouTube video in the background, even while using other apps.

How to sign up for Youtube Premium

Now, let's go over how to sign up for YouTube premium.

1. Navigate to the YouTube Premium homepage, which can be found here.

2. Click the blue button that says TRY IT FREE , which will open a window for you to enter your payment information.

3. Enter your payment information and zip code. YouTube Premium offers a three-months free trial, so if this is your first time signing up, you won't be charged the $11.99 fee until the months have passed. YouTube may, however, charge you a $1 fee at first to make sure that the payment information you've given them is valid — this dollar should be refunded within a few days.

4. The YouTube account you used to sign up for Premium will be immediately granted access to all the new features of Premium.

How to play YouTube videos in the background

Now that you have YouTube Premium, here's how to play videos in the background:

1. Open the YouTube app on your iPhone.

2. Navigate to the video that you want to listen to in the background.

3. Once it starts playing, feel free to lock your iPhone or close the app and open another one. You can pause and play the video's audio from the iPhone's Control Center, by opening it and holding your finger down on the music tab for a moment.

As long as you're subscribed to YouTube Premium, you'll be able to listen to YouTube videos without having the app open.

How to play YouTube in the background using your iPhone's Safari app

Ever since YouTube Premium launched, Google has worked hard to make sure that it's the only way to play YouTube in the background. Every few months a new trick appears that lets users bypass it, but it's quickly patched out.

This is the newest trick. It involves opening YouTube in the Safari app, and then using desktop view to make your phone think it's just a regular video, which can be played in the background.

1. Open Safari and go to www.youtube.com . If you do this and it automatically redirects to the YouTube app, you might need to uninstall the app.

2. Find the video that you want to play in the background and start playing it.

3. Tap the aA icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen and select Request Desktop Website .

4. The page will reload, and the new video player will look just like the YouTube website you'd see on a computer. Tap on the video again to start playing it. It'll start playing in fullscreen mode.

5. Close the app. You'll notice that the sound will stop playing — this is normal.

6. Open your iPhone's Control Center. In the box that shows what music is currently playing, press the play button .

You'll now be able to lock your phone, use other apps, and even browse other Safari pages with YouTube playing in the background. Just note that if you're playing from a playlist, you'll need to do this for each individual video.

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• How to enable picture-in-picture for YouTube on your Mac

Using Safari, it’s easy to watch a video while doing other things

By Barbara Krasnoff , a reviews editor who manages how-tos. She’s worked as an editor and writer for almost 40 years. Previously, she was a senior reviews editor for Computerworld.

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If you like to work with a music video playing in the background or watch your favorite sports team while perusing social media or maybe if you simply like doing two things at once, picture-in-picture (PiP) can be really useful. It lets you pin a small window showing a video within a larger window on your computer or TV screen.

If you’re using a Mac, you can easily set up PiP for a YouTube video using either Apple’s Safari or Google’s Chrome browsers as well.

This first time, on how to have PiP on Safari, is courtesy of a great tweet by Ricky Mondello .

PiP using Safari

• Right click twice on the YouTube Video. The first click will get you a menu that lets you copy the URL of the video, embed the code, or do other YouTube-related tasks. The second click will get you a more traditional menu. 

• Click on “Enter Picture in Picture.” Your video will shrink down to a much smaller size.
• Open a new tab on your browser (or several, if you want) and go to another site — or you can leave the browser entirely. The video will keep playing. 

• To control the video, hover your cursor over the video. You can pause and restart it, take it out of PiP mode, or close the window entirely.
• To move the small video window around, you can press down with one finger on your touchpad and use the other finger to move the window around your screen. If you’re using a mouse, then use the Command key.

There are a couple of other ways you can start PiP. 

• While your video is playing, right click on the volume icon in the tab; the menu will include the “Enter Picture in Picture” command. (Note: You won’t see the volume icon if you pause the video.)
• If you have a Touch Bar, use the PiP icon (it looks like a small filled-in rectangle over a larger clear rectangle).

PiP using Chrome

After this article was published, a reader wrote me and asked why I hadn’t also included the way to do PiP using Google’s Chrome browser on a Mac. So I did a bit of research and found that you can have PiP on your Mac using Chrome — and it works almost exactly the same way that Safari does, except you can either use the built-in method ( courtesy How-To Geek ) or a Google PiP extension.

Use the built-in feature:

• Right click on the YouTube video you want to make into a PiP
• As with Safari, the first menu you’ll get will be YouTube’s right-click menu. So right click again (outside of the menu). You’ll get a Chrome menu with a “Picture in Picture” selection; click on that.

Again, as with Safari, the PiP functionality is pretty basic; you can move the video anywhere around the screen, pause it, and return it to its YouTube window. However, don’t expect to get any captions with it; the captions will continue to run on the original YouTube page.

Use Google’s PiP extension:

There is no perceivable advantage to using the extension over the built-in right-click feature; both give you the same simple (but effective) PiP feature.

• In the Chrome Web Store, find the Picture-in-Picture extension . Click on the “Add to Chrome” button.
• You will be asked for permission to “Read and change all your data on the websites you visit”
• Once the extension is installed, you can access it either by clicking on the new PiP icon to the right of your address field or hitting the option+P keys.

That’s it! Enjoy your video.

Update June 23rd, 2020, 10:08AM ET: This article was originally published on December 27th, 2019, and it has been updated to include instructions on PIP in Chrome.

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YouTube Doesn't Allow PiP on the iPhone. Here's How You Can Do It Anyway.

Use this trick to get a floating window for any YouTube video on iOS.

YouTube got rid of PiP on iOS, but there is a workaround.

Apple introduced Picture in Picture mode back in 2020 with the release of iOS 14, which allows you to watch videos in a floating window anywhere on your phone or tablet. If you want to watch Netflix or HBO Max without being in the app, you can easily do so by swiping up out of it, which usually enables PiP by default. Unfortunately, PiP doesn't work with every third-party video streaming app on iOS, including YouTube.

YouTube's iPhone app has offered a Picture in Picture feature to YouTube Premium subscribers as an experiment for nearly a year now, but recently the popular video-sharing service confirmed on Twitter that the feature has been removed. PiP appears to remain available if you've already activated it, but if you haven't, YouTube hasn't mentioned a date for its return. 

Just to clarify – what's currently being rolled out is the YouTube TV picture-in-picture for iOS 15+ devices. If you're referring to the one for the YouTube app, it's only available to Premium members on Android mobile phones. https://t.co/wB9vUWtm3U — TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) April 11, 2022

The announcement came after YouTube sent out a since-deleted message on Twitter stating that PiP would soon be available for everyone, causing confusion for viewers who were hoping to enjoy the feature. YouTube tweeted out: "Are you using an iOS smartphone? If so, the Picture-in-Picture feature is still rolling out & will be available in a matter of days across all iOS 15+ devices. Tweet back @ us if needed."

It turned out the announcement was about the YouTube TV service instead, which apparently is rolling out PiP for iOS users, and that was then followed up by another announcement from the official YouTube TV Twitter account. YouTube did mention that PiP is still available for the regular YouTube app, but only for premium members on Android, which wasn't the case until pretty recently (it's been widely available on iOS).

Fortunately, if you're an iPhone user and still want to access the removed feature, there's a workaround to get YouTube to work with PiP on iOS -- and it doesn't require a premium subscription.

Use the PiPifier app on your iPhone or iPad to get Picture in Picture

To use Picture in Picture with YouTube on iOS, you'll first need to download PiPifier, an app from Arno Appenzeller that acts as an extension for Safari and allows you to use PiP with any HTML5 video (essentially every web video on iOS) in Safari. That includes YouTube, but only if you access it in your web browser.

PiPifier is free to download on the App Store.

PiPifier is free to download from the App Store and works on the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac. It requires at least iOS 15, iPadOS 15 or MacOS 12 (the Apple M1 chip version) to work properly.

Enable the PiPifier extension in Safari

Once you download the app, you don't need to open it -- you can go straight to Safari to turn on the extension. In Safari, tap the AA icon on the top-left, go into Manage Extensions , toggle on PiPifier and hit Done . This will enable the PiPifier extension in Safari, which means you can now use it directly from the website settings menu.

In Safari, go to AA > Manage Extensions to enable PiPifier.

How to use Picture in Picture with YouTube on the iPhone and iPad

To use Picture in Picture with YouTube, open the Safari app, go to the YouTube website and find the video you want to watch. Now tap the AA icon on the top left and hit the PiPifier option in the menu that appears. A small floating window should appear at the bottom of your screen, playing the YouTube video.

Run PiPifier from the AA icon in Safari.

You can then swipe out of Safari and the floating window will follow you wherever you go, including your home screen and other applications. Use your fingers to move the floating window around the screen, and pinch in and out to resize it accordingly. If you tap on the floating window, you have options to fast-forward, rewind and play or pause the video, as well as maximize it to full-screen. To close the floating window, tap on the X icon on the top left of the window.

You can now watch YouTube videos from anywhere on your iPhone.

Functionality of a PiP video, in comparison to using the YouTube app, is pretty much the same: You can like and save videos, create a queue and leave a comment. The user interface is a bit clunkier, so it's more difficult to use, but if you're only using PiPifier with the YouTube website, you shouldn't really run into any major issues.

If you want to learn more about other iOS settings, check out these  10 iOS 15 hidden features you might have missed and 20 iOS 15 settings you can tweak to help you become a power user .

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Browse the web using Safari on iPhone

View websites with Safari

You can easily navigate a webpage with a few taps.

Get back to the top: Double-tap the top edge of the screen to quickly return to the top of a long page.

See more of the page: Turn iPhone to landscape orientation.

Refresh the page: Pull down from the top of the page.

Preview website links

Touch and hold a link in Safari to see a preview of the link without opening the page. To open the link, tap the preview, or choose Open.

To close the preview and stay on the current page, tap anywhere outside the preview.

Translate a webpage or image

When you view a webpage or image that’s in another language, you can use Safari to translate the text (not available in all languages or regions).

Add Safari back to your Home Screen

If you don’t see Safari on your Home Screen, you can find it in App Library and add it back.

On the Home Screen, swipe left until you see the App Library.

Enter “Safari” in the search field.

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How to Keep YouTube Playing in the Background on an iPhone or iPad

Last Updated: March 19, 2024 Tested

Using Picture in Picture with Google Chrome

Playing audio in the background with safari.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 84,348 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to keep a YouTube video playing while you use other apps on your iPhone or iPad. Though this feature is unavailable in the YouTube app unless you subscribe to YouTube Premium , you can play audio in the background using the Safari web browser, or even watch a smaller version of the video while using other apps using Google Chrome.

Quick Steps

• Go to https://www.youtube.com/ in the Google Chrome app.
• Tap ••• and select Request Desktop Site .
• Find and play a YouTube video.
• Swipe up or press the Home button to return to the Home screen.

• If you don’t have Chrome, download it now from the App Store .
• You must be using iOS 14 or later to use Picture in Picture.

• To close the window, tap it once to bring up the controls, and then tap the X at the bottom-left corner.

• If you don't subscribe to the Premium version of YouTube, you can still play YouTube audio in the background while you do other things if you use YouTube in the Safari web browser.

• The audio will stop playing, but you'll be able to start it again in just a moment.

• The next video in the playlist will not play automatically. You’ll need to return to the YouTube page to play another video, re-open the Control Center, and then press Play.

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YouTube on Safari causing high CPU and overheat, what should I do?

I have got MacBook Pro 2013 and M1, both of them used 256GB SSD, 8GB Physical Memory.

And, whenever playing music or seeing clip on YouTube, even 1080HD, the MPB 2013 and M1 had got over 100% CPU. This appeared only with YouTube tab on Safari.

I've read some articles, then I knew the Safari using hardware acceleration, instead of decoding by software from Chrome. Even 1080HD but not 4K, the very high CPU occurred.

May you suggest something to fix, change or tuning performance which caused overheat and overload CPU in this situation?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Nov 24, 2022 6:36 PM

Posted on Dec 31, 2022 6:20 AM

I oso have this issue. And what u told was lit man. Every time i look for issues only receive this kind of stupid replies rather then a real solution.

Similar questions

• Macbook air M1 cpu slowdown Hi, my M1 macbook air has had a sudden slowdown. It's so bad that safari tabs literally take 2 whole seconds to open and when I'm doing a "power intensive" task, like video editing, gaming, or doing a benchmark. It gets so slow that safari literally freezes, and opening a new tab takes 10 whole seconds. 414 2
• Youtube videos freezing in Safari Hi, I've just bought a 2015 MBP and noticed that youtube videos are freezing in Safari (but not Chrome). I'm going spare reading about it and checking settings but can't seem to find the solution. The video freezes after a few seconds, the audio continues. The video is reactivated when I scroll over the video. I've tried changing the video quality but it doesn't seem to help. Any ideas? 1476 8
• Safari Using too much CPU and Memory While using Safari sometimes my fans ramp up due to overheating CPUs. Activty Monitor shows "Safari Networking" using 300% CPU and several GB of RAM. I believe the problem is triggered by visiting some OWC (macsales.com) web pages such as: https://eshop.macsales.com/search/?q=blu-ray&filter.catidpath=2224/2225 ... either alone or when several other OWC web pages are opened in tabs. I have not noticed the problem with other websites (but it's possible I just didn't notice). Closing the OWC webpages usually allows the heavy CPU use to return to normal, but sometimes I have to quit Safari. The problem does not occur in Safe Boot Mode. If I delete the Cookie for OWC (macsales.com) the excess activity does not occur when I open the first OWC webpage - but that re-reinstalls the cookie, and opening a second OWC page cause the problem to return. Can I assume the fault lies entirely with the OWC website, or is it possible there is something wrong with my system? I can post EtreCheck logs if necessary. Safari 12.1.2 running under MacOS 10.12.6 on a 2011 iMac (iMac12,1) 2505 6

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Dec 31, 2022 6:20 AM in response to trantuananh24hg

Jan 25, 2023 5:51 PM in response to trantuananh24hg

Ha! Amazing,

"You can solve your web browser issue by force quitting safari". Thanks Apple.

My 2019 MBP reaches 900% CPU use when I watch a YouTube video in safari. I can no longer watch a video and do any other tasks. Glad I found out the issue its its a pretty big one...

Jan 26, 2023 1:11 AM in response to LLonsdale

Temporarily, you can do something to decrease CPU % performance when loading in YouTube tab as following:

• Do not chose 2K or 4K video clip, indeed 1080 maximum resolution
• Disable playing when moving mouse option at: User -> Setting -> Playing and Performance
• Clear cache & cookies at least 1 week
• Using Adblock premium
• Downgrade MacOS to Catalina, BigSur (in my opinion, Mojave is the best MacOS for all Intel Macbook)
• Enable Firewall and disable FileVault.

Hope to help.

Nov 27, 2022 6:25 PM in response to Todd0213

Thank you, @Todd0213.

If I want to eat a candy, I just put it into my mouth. And if the candies are in a box, I will open and eat them :D

(Please do not guide me something simply as delete cache, history, disable extensions ...)

No, I want to understand, why YouTube cause high CPU when using on Safari, just only YouTube tab but not also another.

Let take a keen on eyes to kernel_tasks, this is a complicated background processes, which might be created by something old language, such as C or even Assembly, an ancient one. The kernel_tasks works as more than one application, it will never breaks anything cause hang OS, at least as my understood.

I see, YouTube uses or prefer VP9 decode which just only comfortable to Chrome or x86_64, and it used software accelerator progression. Safari used hardware instead of, that's might be reason.

Nov 26, 2022 2:44 PM in response to trantuananh24hg

Hello trantuananh24hg,

We're glad you were able to isolate the issue to when watching videos via YouTube in Safari. With the CPU usage you're seeing, you'll want to quit Safari in Activation Monitor. This can be done by following the steps listed below. You can also learn more about using Activity Monitor via the following article.

• Open Activity Monitor.
• Click Safari in the list of apps.
• Then click the stop sign icon located towards the top-left of the window.

View information about Mac processes in Activity Monitor - Apple Support

Nov 27, 2022 6:39 PM in response to trantuananh24hg

trantuananh24hg,

We understand. You're welcome to reach out to Apple directly for information about this here: Get Support

How to Block Youtube Ads on Safari

Key points:.

• YouTube ads can be annoying and intrusive, and some users may want to block them on Safari.
• There are different methods to block YouTube ads on Safari, such as subscribing to YouTube Premium, ad blocker extensions, and browsers with ad block.
• Ghostery is a YouTube ad blocker extension for Safari that’s free and powerful, and lets you block ads and trackers on YouTube and other websites.

Block Youtube Ads on Safari

YouTube is one of the most popular video-sharing platforms in the world.

By June 2022, more than 500 hours of video were uploaded to YouTube every minute, which is about 30,000 hours of uploaded content per hour .

However, videos are interrupted often by ads, and they’re often irrelevant to your interests.

And while Safari comes with some built-in tracking protection , it does not block ads without using a browser extension.

We’ll explain different ways to block YouTube ads, including subscribing to YouTube Premium, using an ad blocker, or downloading a browser with ad blocking built-in.

Why Block YouTube Ads

YouTube ads are a way for the platform to generate revenue and support its creators, but some ads are more intrusive than others.

The main form of YouTube ads are:

• Pre-roll ads: Play before the video starts. They can be skippable or non-skippable, and they can last from 5 seconds to 20 seconds or more.
• Mid-roll ads: Play during the video, usually at a predetermined time. They can also be skippable or non-skippable, and they can interrupt the flow of the video.
• Post-roll ads: Play after the video ends. They are usually skippable, but they can still be annoying if you want to watch another video right away.

These types of ads can negatively affect your YouTube experience in several ways.

For example, YouTube ads:

• Waste your time and bandwidth by forcing you to watch something you are not interested in.
• Interrupt your concentration and enjoyment by breaking the continuity of the video.
• Expose you to unwanted or inappropriate content that may not match your preferences or values.
• Track your online activity and collect your personal data for advertising purposes.

So you may wonder, “Can you block ads on YouTube?”

Here’s how to automatically skip ads on YouTube.

Methods to block YouTube ads on Safari

There are different ways to block YouTube ads for Safari.

YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium is a subscription service that offers several benefits for YouTube users. You can:

• Videos without ads: Watch any video on YouTube ad free.
• Offline videos: Download videos to watch them later without an internet connection.
• Background play: Play videos in the background while using other apps or when your screen is off.
• YouTube Music: Access a music streaming service with millions of songs and playlists.
• YouTube Originals: Watch exclusive shows produced by YouTube.

YouTube Premium includes a one-month free trial for new users.

Ad blocker Extensions for Safari

Another way to block YouTube ads on Safari is to use an ad blocker extension for Mac , iPhone , and iPad . An ad blocker extension is a software that blocks or filters out unwanted ads from websites.

There are many ad blocker extensions available for Safari, and one of the best ones is Ghostery Ad Blocker . Ghostery’s Safari YouTube ad blocker is a powerful tool that blocks ads on YouTube and other websites.

With Ghostery’s ad blocker extension, you can:

• Block ads on YouTube, including pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll ads.
• Stop trackers that may slow down your browser or compromise your privacy.
• Whitelist specific websites that you want to support or see ads from.

Ghostery’s ad blocker extension is free and easy to install.

How to Install Ghostery's Ad Blocker Extension on Safari

To install Ghostery’s Safari ad block extension:

• Go to our website and click on Get Ghostery .
• Follow the on-screen instructions to add the extension to your browser.
• Enjoy an ad-free browsing experience with Ghostery!

Never installed a browser extension on Safari? Check out our instructions on how to get started or watch our YouTube video guide .

Once you’re finished, you can block YouTube ads on Safari on almost any website you visit.

Browsers with Ad Block

If you do not want to add an extension to Safari, then another option to block YouTube ads is to use a browser with ad block. An ad-blocking browser is a web browser that has a built-in ad blocker that automatically blocks ads from websites.

One of the best ad-blocking browsers is the Ghostery Private Browser .

Ghostery Private Browser is a fast, private browser that offers a smooth and ad-free browsing experience. With it, you can:

• Block ads on YouTube and other websites without installing any extensions or making further configurations.
• Protect your privacy and security with features such as private browsing windows and anti-phishing protection .
• Browse faster and save data by reducing page loading time and bandwidth consumption.

Ghostery’s Private Browser is free and easy to use. You can download it here .

TIP: Click here for ways to protect your privacy on Safari.

Final Thoughts

YouTube ads can be a nuisance for many users who want to enjoy their favorite videos without interruptions or distractions. Fortunately, you can block ads on YouTube using Safari by:

• Signing up for YouTube Premium and getting ad-free videos and other benefits.
• Installing Ghostery’s ad blocker extension to stop ads and trackers on YouTube and other websites.
• Downloading Ghostery Private Browser with a built-in ad blocker feature.

Whichever way you choose, you can start blocking ads on most websites.

Get in touch if you have any questions. We’re always happy to help.

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Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Former kl2 awardee recognized with rising star award in basic life sciences, summary heading link copy link.

The UIC Research and Scholarship Annual Awards, presented by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research , honor the exceptional work of faculty members at the forefront of their fields in science and humanities. Awardees were celebrated in an April 17 ceremony at the Field Museum of Natural History.

Center for Clinical and Translational Science KL2 alum , Andrew Riley, received a Rising Star Award for his efforts to develop new pain drugs by examining compounds in natural sources, such as the seeds and leaves of plants.

“We start with compounds that we can fish out of nature, and they inspire us to work towards these different targets,” Riley said. “I find it fascinating how these small molecules can have such a profound effect on humans.”

Learn more about 2024 Rising Star Award Winner, Andrew Riley