How to watch YouTube faster than 2x
Updated · tested in Chrome
Short answer
The YouTube player stops at 2×. Turn on “Extra speeds” in ytbud for YouTube and pick “Extra speeds” in the player’s gear menu: any speed from 0.25× to 4× in 0.05 steps, plus 5×, 8× and 16×. Shift + . and Shift + , step through them.
Add to Chrome — it’s freeYouTube’s limit
Settings → Playback speed offers 0.25× to 2×, and Custom lets you set any 0.05 step up to 2×. Nothing beyond that.
With ytbud, step by step
- Add ytbud to Chrome and turn on Extra speeds in Tools.
- Open the gear menu on any video and choose Extra speeds.
- Use − and + for 0.05 steps, or a preset like 2.5×, 3× or 4×.
- Your speed sticks through quality changes and ads. A change in YouTube’s own menu wins.
Good to know
- See the real time left
- Turn on “Real time left”: the tool row shows “12:40 left at 2.5×”.
- Speed per channel
- “Remember per channel” keeps 2× for lectures and 1× for music, by channel.
Questions
Is 3x speed still understandable?
For many talks and lectures, 2.5× to 3× is followable with practice. Turn captions on to help.
What’s the maximum YouTube speed?
Chrome plays HTML video at up to 16×, and ytbud offers it.