How to Control Videos & Music on Chrome’s Toolbar

Control music, video, or anything that plays sound in a Chrome tab. 

While Chrome Control your music and videos has let users mute audio in individual tabs for some time, Google is currently testing a new media control feature in the browser’s latest Canary build. When enabled, users can play, pause, and skip/rewind audio and video content directly from the browser’s toolbar—incredibly convenient for silencing (or starting) Spotify while you work, for example, even if you’re not looking at the Spotify tab.

Google teased this feature for some Chrome users in a previous stable version of the browser, but it disappeared just as suddenly as it appeared. Hopefully Google is finally bringing the feature back—this time for good.

Play music or sound across Chrome tabs (Control your music and videos)

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. In a tab, play music, a video, or anything else with sound. You can stay on that tab or navigate to a different one. 
3. To control the sound, at the top right, click Media control . 
4. You can pause, go to the next song or video, or click to go back to the tab where the song or video plays. 

Tip: Your media will continue to play whether you stay in the tab or go to a different one. 

Watch a video across Chrome tabs

You can play a video from one tab in a smaller window on top of other tabs you browse.

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. In a tab, play a video.
3. To view the video while browsing on other tabs, at the top right, click Media control   Enter picture-in-picture . 

Tip: To reposition, click and drag the video window.

If you have feedback on this feature, learn how to send feedback in Chrome.