The Best Browser Extensions to Get More Out of YouTube | WIREDSkip to main contentMenuSECURITYPOLITICSTHE BIG STORYBUSINESSSCIENCECULTUREREVIEWSMenuAccountAccountNewslettersBest Android TabletsBest Smart RingsDyson VacuumsSmart Home SecurityChoose the Right LaptopDeals DeliveredSecurityPoliticsThe Big StoryBusinessScienceCultureReviewsChevronMoreExpandThe Big InterviewMagazineEventsWIRED InsiderWIRED ConsultingNewslettersPodcastsVideoLivestreamsMerchSearchSearchDavid NieldGearMay 24, 2026 7:00 AMThe Best Browser Extensions to Get More Out of YouTubeYou can significantly improve the YouTube experience with these five browser add-ons.Courtesy of David NieldCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyFrom wedding speeches to music videos, from DIY tutorials to movie clips, from celebrity interviews to remote wilderness adventures, it's all on YouTube. Per YouTube's official figures, more than 20 million videos are uploaded every day to the platform.Over the years, YouTube has added a bunch of extra 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 that you can benefit from here.We've focused on extensions for Google Chrome here, which should also work on Microsoft Edge and any other browser based on Chromium (including Opera and Vivaldi). We're also going to steer clear of extensions based primarily around blocking ads, in the spirit of supporting content creators on YouTube.Improve YouTubeImprove YouTube delivers a host of features.
Courtesy of David NieldImprove YouTube is one of the most comprehensive and longest-running YouTube extensions, and it brings with it a host of features. For a start, you can use it to change the look of the YouTube site in a variety of ways: Hide the sidebar or video thumbnails for a cleaner 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 have videos pause when you switch tabs, and use the extension to set up custom keyboard shortcuts. There's a lot here.Enhancer for YouTubeEnhancer for YouTube includes a variety of playback modes.
Courtesy of David NieldThis is another extension with a lot of strings to its bow. Enhancer for YouTube gives you quick and easy access to playback speed, quality, and volume, and more granular control over videos than the built-in YouTube options. The extension can also transform the look of YouTube with custom themes, like a bespoke dark mode look that offers dozens of variations.You're able to show and hide all kinds of on-screen furniture, and there are pop-up and mini players that you can customize. You can even also set up your own keyboard shortcuts for easier YouTube control. Everything is managed through a busy console of controls that includes space to load in your own custom code if you want to take the tinkering further.PocketTubePocketTube gives you better options for organizing your videos.
Courtesy of David NieldPocketTube is all about your YouTube subscriptions. By default, the way that YouTube handles the channels you're subscribed to is a little rudimentary. But PocketTube lets you create groups and subgroups for your subscriptions, and even give them custom icons. You've also got auto-generated playlists to handle all the videos in each group.PocketTube is not only very useful, but also neatly designed, too, fitting into the YouTube experience seamlessly—if you didn't know otherwise, you wouldn't think there was an extension involved. There's lots more to explore, including a Deck mode that arranges YouTube in columns and extra filtering and sorting options for your video lists.Turn Off the LightsDim the area surrounding your video.
Courtesy of David NieldTurn Off the Lights gives you a way of transforming the YouTube viewing experience in your browser. It dims the area around the video that's currently playing, so you're not distracted by comments, recommended videos, or anything else on screen. You really need to give the extension a try to understand how much of a difference it can make.There are more customization options than you might expect, too, because you're able to change the opacity of the dimming and the color of the darker layer, and add soft glowing effects around the video you're watching. There are some useful extras, such as video filters and an option to change the audio volume with the mouse scroll wheel.DeArrowDeArrow relies on user-submitted titles and thumbnails.
Courtesy of David NieldYouTube extensions don't have to pack in lots and lots of features to be worthwhile: DeArrow simply concentrates on improving the titles and the thumbnails of the videos you see on the platform. These two key elements of videos, so often manipulated to be sensational or baiting, are instead crowdsourced by DeArrow users to be more informative.It's an interesting experiment and highlights just how much titles and thumbnails are tweaked to game the YouTube algorithm. If there are no crowdsourced suggestions for the videos you're watching, you can default to random thumbnails and titles with emoji removed. 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To significantly enhance the YouTube experience, several browser extensions are recommended for users, focusing primarily on Google Chrome, which functions across Chromium-based browsers. These tools aim to provide granular control and deeper functionality beyond the platform's built-in features, steering clear of extensions primarily designed for ad blocking to support content creators.

One extension, Improve YouTube, offers extensive customization options for the site's appearance and navigation. It allows users to modify various aspects, such as hiding the sidebar or video thumbnails for a cleaner interface, adjusting the color of the progress bar and other elements, providing new tabs for search results to maintain context, offering the option to hide YouTube Shorts, reversing playlist functions, pausing videos upon switching tabs, and setting up custom keyboard shortcuts.

Enhancer for YouTube provides sophisticated playback management and visual customization. This extension grants users access to detailed control over playback speed, quality, and volume, offering more granular control than the default YouTube settings. Furthermore, it enables visual transformations with custom themes, including numerous dark mode variations. Enhancer for YouTube allows for the display and concealment of on-screen furniture, customizable pop-up and mini players, and access to a console where users can input custom code for advanced tinkering.

PocketTube focuses on improving the organization of subscribed content. It addresses the rudimentary way YouTube currently manages subscriptions by allowing users to create hierarchical groups and subgroups for their channels, assign custom icons, and generate automatic playlists for the videos within each group. Beyond basic organization, PocketTube provides advanced features such as a Deck mode for arranging YouTube content into columns, along with additional filtering and sorting options for video lists, ensuring a seamless integration into the YouTube experience.

Turn Off the Lights is designed to reduce visual distraction during video playback. This extension achieves this by dimming the area surrounding the currently playing video, minimizing attention to comments, recommended videos, or other on-screen elements. It offers considerable customization, allowing users to adjust the opacity of the dimming effect, change the color of the darker layer, add soft glowing effects around the video, utilize video filters, and control audio volume via the mouse scroll wheel.

DeArrow addresses the manipulation of video metadata by crowdsourcing user input. This extension focuses on improving the titles and thumbnails of videos displayed on the platform by incorporating suggestions from the user community. This aims to counteract the tendency for titles and thumbnails to be sensational or manipulative, operating on the principle that crowdsourced suggestions yield more informative results. Users have the option to contribute their own title and thumbnail suggestions.