Keyboard shortcuts and global media keys
Control YouTube Music from anywhere with global hotkeys and media keys — a full shortcut reference for the Windows and macOS desktop app.
A browser tab cannot reliably claim your keyboard’s media keys, and it certainly cannot respond while minimised. The desktop app can, through the Shortcuts plugin.
This page covers the in-app shortcuts and how to make the global media keys work on Windows and macOS.
Steps
-
Enable the Shortcuts plugin
Menu → Plugins → Shortcuts (& MPRIS). This is what registers global hotkeys and takes over the media keys.
-
Claim the media keys
Turn on the media-key override so play/pause, next and previous reach this app rather than a background browser tab. Closing or muting other media tabs helps too.
-
Assign custom hotkeys
Set your own combinations per action in the plugin options — useful if your keyboard has no dedicated media row.
Shortcut reference
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Play / pause | Space or the media play key |
| Next track | Media next key, or your custom hotkey |
| Previous track | Media previous key, or your custom hotkey |
| Search | Ctrl + F (Cmd + F on macOS) |
| Back / forward | Alt + ← / Alt + → (Cmd + [ / Cmd + ] on macOS) with the Navigation plugin |
| Volume up / down | Mouse wheel over the player with the Precise Volume plugin |
| Toggle mini player | Configurable hotkey with the Picture-in-picture plugin |
Tips
- Global hotkeys work while the app is minimised — that is the whole point of the plugin.
- The Taskbar Media Control plugin adds transport buttons to the Windows taskbar thumbnail; the TouchBar plugin does the same on supported MacBook Pro models.
- If media keys still go to your browser, another player has registered them first; the override setting resolves the conflict.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my media keys control Chrome instead?
Whichever application registered them last usually wins. Enable the media-key override in the Shortcuts plugin, and pause or close other media tabs.
Can I control playback from a script?
Yes — the API Server plugin exposes local HTTP endpoints for playback control, which is what you script against.
Do shortcuts work when the window is closed to the tray?
Yes, as long as the app is still running. Global hotkeys are registered with the operating system, not the window.