3 Ways to Enter Picture-in-Picture Video in Safari for Mac

Do you want to watch videos simultaneously while you’re working on your Mac? Thanks to the picture-in-picture mode that’s built into Safari, you can multitask efficiently on your Mac. And there are actually multiple different ways to access and enter into Picture in Picture mode in Safari for Mac, so let’s cover those.

PiP (Picture-in-Picture) is a feature that has been available in Safari since macOS Sierra. It lets you play videos in a resizable floating window on your Mac while you’re focusing on other tabs or apps. This could prove to be essential for regular multitaskers, or if you’re too busy to watch a video at work. In the latest versions of Safari, Apple also added a new shortcut to the address bar for quickly accessing picture-in-picture mode.

How to Use Picture-in-Picture Video in Safari for Mac

There are multiple ways to enter picture-in-picture mode from Safari on your Mac, but regardless, it’s a pretty simple and straightforward process. Just follow the steps below.

Entering Picture in Picture with YouTube

This method has been the same for a while and is necessary for YouTube but also works with many other video sites too:

1. We’ll start with YouTube first since it’s the most popular video-sharing platform. Right-click on the video that’s being played back and you’ll see options to “loop”, “copy video URL”, and so on.
   
   
2. You’ll need to right-click on the video again to access the picture-in-picture option as shown below. So basically, you’ll have to right-click twice on the video. Choose “Enter Picture in Picture” and the video will pop out of Safari.
   
   

Enter Picture in Picture via Playback Menu

Many video playing sites support entering PiP via the Playback menu, like so:

• In certain websites like Vimeo, you might see the Picture-in-Picture icon in the playback menu, as shown below.
  
  

Entering Picture in Picture via Tabs

This handy trick is available to quickly enter Picture in Picture mode via the tab playing the video:

• Right-click on the sound icon and choose “Enter Picture in Picture” when you’re watching a video in the tab.
  
  

Moving and Closing Picture-in-Picture Video Windows

Of course you can move and close PiP videos at any time as well.

Moving Picture in Picture Videos

The video that’s being played back in the picture-in-picture mode can be resized by dragging the corners of the window. You can also move this video to any of the four corners on your screen.

Closing / Exiting Picture in Picture Videos

To exit picture-in-picture mode, you can click on the PiP icon and the video will snap right back into Safari. Or, you can click “x” when you’re done watching the video.

There you go. Now you know how easy it is to take advantage of Safari’s Picture-in-Picture mode on your Mac, whether to enter, exit, or move the video windows around.

It’s important to note that this feature may not work on all the websites, as the website needs to enable picture-in-picture mode on their end for the feature to work as expected.

In addition to Safari, Picture-in-Picture mode is also available on iTunes, Apple TV, and QuickTime Player. You’ll find the Picture-in-Picture option in the playback menu of these apps and it works in an identical way.

Do you use an iPhone or iPad? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that picture-in-picture is also available on those devices. You’ll be able to access this feature on not just Safari and Apple’s apps, but also third-party apps that support it too.

Older versions of Mac OS X can also use Picture in Picture mode via Helium, a third party solution.

We hope you were able to put picture-in-picture mode to good use while multitasking on your Mac. What are your overall thoughts on this handy feature? Do share your valuable opinions and experience in the comments section down below.