ytbud Add to Chrome

How to screenshot a YouTube video without the bar

Updated · tested in Chrome

Short answer

A normal screenshot catches YouTube’s controls and is only as sharp as your screen. ytbud’s Screenshot button under the player saves the exact frame as a PNG at the video’s own resolution, with no controls, and copies it to your clipboard too.

Add to Chrome — it’s free
Screenshot button, recorded on YouTube with ytbud.

Without an extension

  1. Pause on the frame.
  2. Move the mouse off the player and wait for the controls to fade.
  3. Use your system screenshot (Windows: Win + Shift + S; Mac: Cmd + Shift + 4) and crop.

The result is screen-sized and often catches a title overlay or the cursor.

With ytbud, step by step

  1. Add ytbud to Chrome. The Screenshot button is on by default.
  2. Pause on the frame you want. Use Frame-by-frame to step one frame at a time.
  3. Click Screenshot under the player.
  4. The PNG is saved as “title-mm-ss.png” and copied, ready to paste.

Good to know

Exact frames
Turn on Frame-by-frame for back and forward step buttons while paused.
The thumbnail, too
The Thumbnail button saves the video’s cover image in full quality.

Questions

What resolution is the screenshot?

The video’s own: a 1080p stream gives a 1920 × 1080 PNG, whatever the player’s size on screen.

Does it work on any video?

On videos YouTube plays in the normal player. Protected streams (some films and live TV) can’t be captured.