Every shortcut Video Controls Plus sets can be rebound in Settings, and a key already in use tells you which action has it. Changing a key works without an account.
The one exception is 4 browser-level shortcuts, and they come at the end.
Settings refuses it and tells you which shortcut has it.
One key does one thing. If you pick Ctrl + Alt + L for something new, the message names the key, the shortcut that holds it and its section, and says the key was not assigned. Then it gives you a link that goes straight to that shortcut, so you can move it first and come back.
Here is a real one. Put Set loop start point (A) on Ctrl + Alt + 1 and Settings stops you, because that key already sets the speed to 0.5x in the Preset Speeds section. The link takes you to that preset. Move the preset to Ctrl + Alt + 9 or drop it, then go back and give the loop its new key.
That rule covers every set of shortcuts at once, including the Netflix Recovery Controls block, so a Netflix key can never double as a general one.
You never end up with one press doing 2 things, and you never hunt for the row that holds the key you want.
Letter and digit keys need Ctrl + Alt. Only [, ], =, \, ', ,, . and Esc work alone.
That split is on purpose. YouTube's own player already uses keys like K, J and L for play, rewind and forward, and Ctrl + Alt keeps the extension's keys out of the way of every site player that does the same.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
[ / ] | 0.1x slower / faster |
= | Back to your default speed |
\ | Show the current speed |
' | Apply the Current Dynamic Speed |
, / . | Step back / forward one frame |
Esc or Ctrl + Alt + H | Hide or show the widget |
Ctrl + Alt + 1 to Ctrl + Alt + 8 | Preset speeds, 0.5x to 4x |
Ctrl + Alt + P | Picture-in-Picture on or off |
Ctrl + Alt + X | Copy a link with the timestamp |
Ctrl + Alt + Z | Theater/focus mode on or off |
Ctrl + Alt + A / Ctrl + Alt + B | Set loop point A / B |
Ctrl + Alt + L | Loop on or off |
Ctrl + Alt + U / Ctrl + Alt + Y | Audio boost up / down by 20% |
Ctrl + Alt + C | Capture the current frame |
Ctrl + Alt + O | Add a bookmark at the current moment |
The filter, normalize, skip-intro and clear-loop keys are listed on the docs page linked at the end.
The loop, audio, Picture-in-Picture, filter and screenshot keys need a connected account. Signed out, they do nothing. They say so when you press them.
Open Settings, go to the Keyboard Shortcuts tab, find the shortcut and set a new key.
Ctrl, Shift and Alt.You can take the Ctrl + Alt off a letter key if you want a single key. Then it's up to you to keep clear of the site's own player keys.
Yes, one at a time or a section at a time. A switched-off shortcut keeps its key in Settings, so when you turn it back on later the same key returns.
| What you switch off | Where |
|---|---|
| One shortcut | The switch on that shortcut's row |
| A whole section, for example A-B Loop | The switch on the section |
Yes, on the same tab. The 8 presets on Ctrl + Alt + 1 to Ctrl + Alt + 8 can each be edited, and you can remove the ones you don't use.
Add a ninth preset to use Ctrl + Alt + 9. The most you can have is 9.
Your key bindings are saved in this browser. With an account connected and cloud sync on, they're saved to the account as well, and Settings on your other browser picks them up from there.
Without an account they stay in this browser, and Settings can also export all your settings as a JSON file for you to import on another browser by hand.
Click Reset All at the top of the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. It resets the preset speeds as well as the keys.
The Netflix Recovery Controls section has its own Reset button, which resets only the Netflix keys.
These 4 are set by the browser, not the extension:
| Suggested key | What it does |
|---|---|
Alt + V | Open the popup |
Ctrl + Shift + V | Show or hide the floating controls |
Ctrl + Shift + P | Picture-in-Picture on or off |
Ctrl + Shift + C | Take a screenshot |
On a Mac, the last 3 use Command + Shift. The extension cannot change these. You change them on your browser's own extension shortcuts page.
The Default shortcuts page in the docs lists every key with whether it needs an account.
Last updated 2026-10-24 by the Video Controls Plus team.