Keyboard Shortcuts — Video Controls Plus Cheat Sheet (40+)

The Video Controls Plus keyboard shortcuts page is a single-glance cheat sheet for all 40+ default hotkeys, organized by category: speed, loop, audio, filters, capture, and notes. Every binding is remappable from Settings → Shortcuts, and the page includes a printable version (Ctrl+P) for taping next to a monitor. Power users typically learn ten shortcuts in the first week and the rest over the next month; this page is the reference you keep open in a second tab while you build muscle memory.

Use cases

Building muscle memory in the first week

Print the cheat sheet, tape it to the side of your monitor, and lean on it for the first few sessions. Most users internalize the speed and loop bindings within two or three sessions.

Resolving a binding conflict with another extension

If ] and [ are claimed by another extension, this page shows you the exact binding to remap and links straight to Settings → Shortcuts where you can change it without scrolling.

Onboarding a teammate or family member

Send the link as a one-page reference. Each binding lists the action, the platform notes, and a link to the longer guide for that feature.

Auditing accessibility

Every binding has a screen-reader description and a fallback overlay button. Users who cannot use the default modifier keys (Alt-only, Ctrl-only) can rebind to single-key alternatives.

How it works

  1. Speed control. Press ] to speed up by 0.1x, [ to slow down by 0.1x, = to reset to 1x, and number keys 1–8 for preset speeds (0.25x, 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, 3x).
  2. A-B loop. Alt+A marks the loop start (A), Alt+B marks the loop end (B), Alt+L toggles looping on or off, Alt+C clears the loop.
  3. Audio boost. Alt+U raises gain by 25%, Alt+Y lowers it by 25%, Alt+N normalizes to 100%. Cap is 400% on most sites, lower on DRM-protected services.
  4. Filters. Alt+F toggles the filter overlay where brightness, contrast, saturation, blur, and grayscale can be adjusted with sliders or arrow keys.
  5. Capture and notes. Alt+S captures the current frame as a PNG; Alt+. (period) opens a timestamped note input over the video.

Examples

  • Speed-watching a long lecture. Press 6 to jump to 1.5x, then ] twice to nudge to 1.7x; total time = 2 keystrokes.
  • Drilling a guitar tab. Alt+A → Alt+B → Alt+L marks and starts the loop; press 2 to drop to 0.5x while drilling; press = to reset speed when you are ready to play along at full tempo.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remap any binding?

Yes. Settings → Shortcuts exposes every binding. Conflicts with other extensions are detected on save.

Why does Alt+B sometimes do nothing on YouTube?

YouTube reserves a few Alt-key bindings for its own player. Either remap Alt+B in Video Controls Plus or focus the extension overlay first (click the overlay) before pressing the binding.

Is there a binding to open the popup?

Browsers do not allow extensions to open the popup via a content-script keypress; you can use the browser-level "extension command" feature (chrome://extensions/shortcuts) to bind a global hotkey.

Can I use modifier-free single keys?

Yes for keys that do not collide with the page (1–8 are already single-key). For others, remap from Settings.

Do shortcuts work in fullscreen?

Yes. The content script attaches to the document, not to a specific UI layer, so fullscreen does not break bindings.

Is there a printable PDF version?

Yes — Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac) on /keyboard-shortcuts produces a single-page PDF cheat sheet.

Tips

  • Learn ] [ = first; everything else can wait. Those three cover 70% of typical use.
  • If you use the on-screen overlay, hover it once at the start of a session — the first hover registers focus so subsequent shortcuts hit immediately.
  • For Mac users: Alt is the Option key. Cmd is not used because of conflicts with browser-level shortcuts.
  • Custom bindings sync via cloud sync when you sign in — your Mac and PC stay in agreement.

Limitations

  • Some sites consume modifier keys for their own UI (YouTube's Alt-J/Alt-K). Remap or click into the overlay first.
  • Browser-level "extension commands" (chrome://extensions/shortcuts) are limited to four global hotkeys. The rest must be content-script bindings, which means the page must be focused.
  • Bindings do not work on chrome:// or about: pages because content scripts are not allowed there.

Last updated 2026-05-06 by Ahsan Mahmood, maintainer.