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Sh Raj
Sh Raj

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Supercharged YouTube Console Guide — basic + premium-like features (copy-paste ready)

#youtube #webdev #ai #programming

Supercharged YouTube Console Guide — basic + premium-like features (copy-paste ready)

Nice — below is a single readable article you can paste from top to bottom into the browser console (or copy individual snippets).
Important legal note up front: I will not provide or help with any code that hacks, cracks, or circumvents YouTube Premium paywalls (background play when intentionally blocked by the site, paid-download bypasses, account theft, etc.). That would be illegal/unethical. What I will provide: plenty of safe, browser-only console snippets that automate the page or use normal DOM / HTML5 APIs to give you premium-like convenience (Picture-in-Picture, automatic skip when the Skip button appears, background audio via PiP + hide video, instant speed/quality toggles, captions helpers, UI tweaks, etc.).

How to use

Open the YouTube video page, open DevTools → Console, then paste.

Start by grabbing the main <video> element (use v for all snippets below):

// Get the currently playing video element
var v = document.querySelector('video');
if (!v) console.warn("No <video> element found — make sure you're on a YouTube watch page.");
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Basic playback & control (copy-paste) 

v.play();                    // play
v.pause();                   // pause
v.currentTime = 60;          // jump to 1:00
v.currentTime += 10;         // skip forward 10s
v.currentTime -= 10;         // back 10s
v.playbackRate = 1.5;        // set speed to 1.5x
v.playbackRate = 0.75;       // slow motion 0.75x
v.volume = 0.5;              // set volume (0.0 - 1.0)
v.muted = !v.muted;          // toggle mute
console.log({time:v.currentTime, dur:v.duration, speed:v.playbackRate});
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Quick speed helpers 

v.playbackRate = Math.min(16, v.playbackRate + 0.25); // increase speed safely
v.playbackRate = Math.max(0.1, v.playbackRate - 0.25); // decrease speed safely
v.playbackRate = 2; // set to 2x (your original example)
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Loop, repeat range, instant replay 

v.loop = true; // loop whole video
// repeat a range [start,end] in seconds
(function(start,end){
  let id = setInterval(()=>{ if (v.currentTime > end) v.currentTime = start; }, 150);
  // store ID on window so you can clear: window._repeatLoop = id
  window._repeatLoop = id;
})(30, 45);
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Stop repeat:

clearInterval(window._repeatLoop);
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Picture-in-Picture & background audio tricks (legal) 

// enter PiP
v.requestPictureInPicture().catch(e=>console.error(e));

// auto-enter PiP when playing (useful for background listening)
(function(){
  v.addEventListener('play', ()=> v.requestPictureInPicture().catch(()=>{}));
  console.log("Auto PiP on play enabled for this tab (until reload).");
})();
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Make PiP + hide video (audio-only experience)

v.style.opacity = 0;
v.style.height = '0px';
v.requestPictureInPicture().catch(()=>{});
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Restore:

v.style.opacity = '';
v.style.height = '';
document.exitPictureInPicture().catch(()=>{});
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Auto-skip ads (click “Skip Ad” when available)

This does not bypass ads — it just automates clicking the visible Skip button when YouTube offers it.

window._skipAdInterval = setInterval(()=>{
  const btn = document.querySelector('.ytp-ad-skip-button.ytp-button, .ytp-ad-skip-button');
  if(btn) btn.click();
}, 250);
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Stop auto-skip:

clearInterval(window._skipAdInterval);
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“Clean player” — remove overlays / end screens / clutter 

// remove end-screen suggestions
document.querySelectorAll('.ytp-ce-element, .ytp-ce-covering-overlay').forEach(n=>n.remove());
// remove suggested video thumbnails in the right rail
document.querySelectorAll('#related, #secondary').forEach(n=>n.style.display='none');
// minimal player controls (hide everything except video)
document.querySelector('.ytp-chrome-top')?.remove();
document.querySelector('.ytp-chrome-bottom')?.style.opacity = '0.6';
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Restore page by reloading (recommended).

Force theatre / fullscreen mode 

// theatre mode (toggle click the theatre button if available)
document.querySelector('.ytp-size-button')?.click();

// fullscreen
document.querySelector('.html5-video-player')?.requestFullscreen().catch(()=>{});
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Captions / subtitles helpers

Toggle captions (if the button exists):

document.querySelector('.ytp-subtitles-button')?.click();
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If captions are shown as DOM elements, extract visible caption text (useful for quick copying):

(function(){
  const cues = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('.caption-window, .ytp-caption-segment, .ytp-caption-window-rollup')).map(n => n.innerText).filter(Boolean);
  console.log(cues.join('\n'));
})();
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(Selectors vary; this tries common caption nodes.)

Downloading transcripts (legal only if visible on page)

YouTube provides "Open transcript" via the UI — this just extracts currently shown transcript lines:

(function(){
  const lines = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('#body #segments-container .segment')).map(s=>s.innerText.trim()).filter(Boolean);
  if(lines.length) console.log(lines.join('\n'));
  else console.log("No transcript DOM found — open the Transcript panel or use the UI '...' > Open transcript.");
})();
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Quality helper (attempt to open settings menu and click quality)

YouTube changes DOM often. You can try opening settings programmatically — success may vary.

// tries to open settings menu
document.querySelector('.ytp-settings-button')?.click();

// attempt to set quality by searching menu items (may fail if YouTube changed DOM)
setTimeout(()=>{
  const menu = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('.ytp-panel-menu .ytp-menuitem'));
  const q = menu.find(m => /quality|p$/i.test(m.innerText));
  if(q) q.click();
  else console.warn("Quality menu item not found — YouTube DOM likely changed.");
},300);
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(If that fails, use the native gear menu manually — this script is best-effort only.)

UI effects & fun things 

// rotate video 180°
v.style.transform = 'rotate(180deg)';

// mirror video
v.style.transform = 'scaleX(-1)';

// spin video continuously
window._spin = setInterval(()=> v.style.transform = `rotate(${(Date.now()/10)%360}deg)`, 20);

// stop spin
clearInterval(window._spin); v.style.transform='';
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Automatic watch-progress logger (great for developers) 

// logs every 5s
window._watchLogger = setInterval(()=> console.log(`t=${v.currentTime.toFixed(1)} / ${v.duration?.toFixed(1)}`), 5000);
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Stop it:

clearInterval(window._watchLogger);
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Keyboard shortcuts via console (example: space to play/pause anywhere) 

// attach global key handler (space toggles play/pause, > increases speed, < decreases)
window.addEventListener('keydown', function _ytKey(e){
  if(document.activeElement.tagName === 'INPUT' || document.activeElement.tagName === 'TEXTAREA') return;
  if(e.code === 'Space'){ e.preventDefault(); v.paused? v.play(): v.pause();}
  if(e.key === '>') v.playbackRate = Math.min(16, v.playbackRate + 0.25);
  if(e.key === '<') v.playbackRate = Math.max(0.1, v.playbackRate - 0.25);
});
console.log("Global keyboard shortcuts enabled: Space = play/pause, > = faster, < = slower");
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(Remove by reloading the page.)

Auto-like / auto-subscribe (one-click) 

// like
document.querySelector('[aria-label^="like this video"], [aria-label*="like this video"]')?.click();
// subscribe (note: will subscribe your logged-in account)
document.querySelector('#subscribe-button yt-button-shape, #subscribe-button button')?.click();
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Be careful with auto-subscribe — it performs an account action.

Extract video metadata (title, id, author, thumbnail) 

const meta = {
  title: document.querySelector('h1.title, h1.ytd-watch-metadata')?.innerText?.trim(),
  author: document.querySelector('.ytd-channel-name a')?.innerText?.trim(),
  videoId: new URL(location.href).searchParams.get('v'),
  thumbnail: `https://i.ytimg.com/vi/${new URL(location.href).searchParams.get('v')}/maxresdefault.jpg`
};
console.log(meta);
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Auto-pause when tab is hidden (save bandwidth) 

document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', ()=> {
  if(document.hidden) v.pause();
  else v.play();
});
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Batch small useful snippets (run individually)

  1. Jump to end minus 1s: 
v.currentTime = Math.max(0, v.duration - 1);
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  1. Set exact playback time (MM:SS): 
(function(mm,ss){ v.currentTime = mm*60 + ss; })(2,30); // jump to 2:30
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  1. Slow-motion + auto frame step: 
v.playbackRate = 0.5; v.pause(); v.currentTime += 0.04;
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  1. Extract available audio tracks (if accessible): 
console.log(v.audioTracks?.length ? Array.from(v.audioTracks).map(a=>a.label) : 'No audioTracks API available');
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  1. Highlight comments area: 
document.querySelector('#comments')?.scrollIntoView();
document.querySelector('#comments')?.style.border = '4px solid #f00';
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  1. Toggle captions styling (if cue elements exist): 
document.querySelectorAll('.ytp-caption-segment').forEach(n => n.style.textShadow='2px 2px 4px #000');
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  1. Clear inline style changes (restore video): 
v.style = '';
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  1. Simulate click on the mini-player button: 
document.querySelector('.ytp-miniplayer-button')?.click();
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  1. Pause when playbackRate > 4 (safety): 
if(v.playbackRate > 4) v.pause();
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  1. Show current video URL + timestamp to copy: 
console.log(`${location.href}&t=${Math.floor(v.currentTime)}s`);
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“Premium features” I WON’T provide

  • Any code that removes the paywall or enables Premium-only features for non-paying users (e.g., unlocking downloads behind Premium, background play if site explicitly blocks it for non-premium accounts, or tricks to bypass paid access).
  • Code to steal accounts, bypass authentication, or download videos in ways YouTube forbids.

If you want paid features, support creators and consider subscribing to YouTube Premium or YouTube Music — that directly funds creators and gives full legitimate access.

Alternatives to get Premium features legally

  • Use Picture-in-Picture (supported above) for background listening on desktop — many browsers support it.
  • Subscribe to YouTube Premium for ad-free listening, background play on mobile, and downloads for offline.
  • Use the YouTube Music app or web UI for background audio and playlists.

Final tips & safety

  • YouTube changes classes/DOM frequently. If a selector doesn't work, inspect the element and adapt the selector.
  • Running console scripts will affect only your browser session (unless you perform account actions like subscribe/like).
  • Avoid scripts that perform repeated account actions (could be flagged as bot behavior).
  • If you want a single ready bookmarklet for a favorite snippet (e.g., toggle 2x speed), I can convert any snippet into a bookmarklet.

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