Enable and configure plugins
Turn plugins on, change their settings, fix conflicts and pick a starter set — a practical guide to the plugin system in YouTube Music Desktop App.
Every feature that is not part of YouTube Music itself is a plugin here, and there are more than forty of them. They are all one switch away, and each keeps its own settings.
This is how the system works, plus a starter set worth turning on the day you install.
Steps
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Open the plugin list
Use the app menu → Plugins. Every available plugin is listed with a toggle. If the menu bar is hidden, press Alt to reveal it.
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Enable what you need
Switch a plugin on and the app reloads its interface. Some plugins ask for a restart; the app tells you when that is the case.
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Open a plugin’s settings
Plugins with options show a settings entry next to their toggle — that is where you set the download folder, EQ curve, hotkeys, scrobbler accounts and so on.
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Resolve conflicts
A handful of plugins touch the same part of the interface (visualizer, ambient mode and video toggle, for instance). If something looks wrong, disable the most recently enabled plugin first.
Tips
- A good starter set: Ad Blocker, Downloader, Synced Lyrics, Shortcuts, Video Toggle and Precise Volume.
- Beta plugins are labelled as such — enable them one at a time so a problem is easy to attribute.
- Plugin settings live in your local configuration file, so they survive updates.
Frequently asked questions
Do plugins slow the app down?
Most cost nothing measurable. The exceptions are the visual ones — Visualizer, Ambient Mode and blur effects — which use GPU continuously.
Can I write my own plugin?
Yes. The project documents the plugin API and the repository contains the built-in plugins as working examples.
What happens to plugin settings when I update?
They persist. Updates occasionally add new options, which take their defaults until you change them.