Essential Tricks to Get the Most Out of YouTube

It is almost impossible to imagine the world before YouTube; that is how much of an impact it has had on almost every single aspect of modern society, whether it is entertainment, information, tutorials, funny cat videos, or video game walkthroughs. YouTube is home to them all. From its inception in 2005 to the present day, where users upload about 500 hours of video to the site every minute, YouTube has become a staple of society. With so many years of updates and billions of users, it may be surprising to many that there are quite a few hidden, and some not-so-hidden features and tips you can take advantage of to improve or customize your viewing experience.

Use VPN

If you have spent any time watching content creators on YouTube, you will have almost certainly come across some that were sponsored by a VPN, and dedicated a small section of their video to it, praising its virtues and benefits. But are these claims true, and if they are, are these benefits even applicable to YouTube? Well, every situation is different, of course, and what may apply to others may not apply to you, but in short, yes, a VPN for Youtube can make your life easier and a lot safer. The internet is full of predators stalking the digital jungle for their prey, and a good VPN is a wall between you and them, cloaking your activity across the internet and hiding your IP address that makes you vulnerable to their attacks. VPNs make it much, much harder for anyone with malicious intent to stalk your digital footprints and get to your private data, as well as making it very simple for you to bypass YouTube’s data and streaming throttling or region locks and access whatever you want, how you want.

Use Dark Mode

You probably know, or should know, of this feature already, but turn on dark mode on YouTube. Not only does it look significantly cleaner and visually appealing and pleasant in general, but it is also actually better for your health. When you spend long periods on the app, it can have negative effects on your eyes, and switching to dark mode will help to reduce eye fatigue and strain, as well as save battery power. Win-win. Simply click or tap on your profile picture in the corner, navigate to “Display”, and select dark mode, whether you are on PC or on your phone.

Activate Parental Control

YouTube does not allow extremely graphic content to begin with, but if you are a parent, then there is more than enough inappropriate content on YouTube for your child. At the same time, you cannot sit next to them like a hawk every time they hop in front of the TV or open the tablet or phone. Parental controls come to the rescue. Simply navigate to the app settings on your smart TV, search for “Restricted” mode, activate it, and that is it; you can now easily filter out the majority of content on YouTube that is not appropriate for children. You still should not leave them unsupervised for hours on end in front of the device, but it makes your life a lot easier and more relaxed.

Make Your Own GIFs

GIFs are a wonderful, amusing way of communication and showing reactions, doing the work of a hundred words sometimes, and there are always more to be made and shared. Well, did you know you could make your own from YouTube too with just a few clicks or swipes, and for free? If you have found a moment from a YouTube video that you think would be perfect for a GIF, just head to the GIF generator at makeagif.com and insert the link of the YouTube video you are watching, specify the output quality of your choice, the length of the GIF, adjust the playback speed, and that is it; you now have a GIF you can share in the group chat with your friends.

Playback Speed

A handy reminder, especially if a YouTuber is taking too long to get to the point, or a tutorial is too fast or the like, is that you can speed up or slow down the video playback. Just click or tap on the playback options, and the gear icon, and choose from the options. You can go up to twice the normal speed of the video or down to four times slower.

YouTube is the king of internet videos for a reason, and with the plethora of options and little tips and features you can take advantage of, you can make your viewing experience even simpler and more enjoyable.

Make the most of your YouTube experience with these essential tricks, and for more insightful tips, visit MashMagazine today!