---
title: Picture-in-Picture
description: Watch videos in a separate window
---

With **Picture-in-Picture (PiP)** in **Zen**, you can pop videos out of webpages into a clean, always-on-top floating window. Whether you're working, browsing, or just casually scrolling, PiP keeps your video visible without disrupting your flow.


## How to Use Picture-in-Picture
**Stay in flow while watching.**

### 1. On-Screen Video Toggle

When you hover over a supported video, a **Zen PiP toggle** will appear.  
Click it to launch the video in a floating window.  
![PIP toggle](/assets/user-manual/pip/open-toggle.png)

- Right-click the toggle to move it to the left or right side.  
- The toggle is hidden when the video is in full-screen mode.

### 2. Address Bar Icon

On pages with a single video, Zen displays a PiP icon in the **address bar**.  
![Toolbar Toggle](/assets/user-manual/pip/toolbar-toggle.png)

- If there are multiple videos or none, the icon remains hidden.

### 3. Right-Click Menu

You can also launch PiP by **right-clicking** on the video.

- Some platforms like YouTube use custom menus.  
  In that case, use **Shift + Right-Click** or **double right-click** to access Zen’s native menu.

![PIP context menu](/assets/user-manual/pip/pip-context-menu.png)

### 4. **Auto-Play in Mini Player**  
  When you switch tabs while a video is playing, Zen quietly tucks the video into a floating player at the bottom right.
Enable it by setting the property below in about:config to TRUE
`media.videocontrols.picture-in-picture.enable-when-switching-tabs.enabled`

### 5. **Resize**
  Hover over any corner of the mini player and drag to adjust its size—just how you like it.


## Keyboard Shortcuts

| Action                        | Shortcut                    |
|------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| Launch/Close PiP             | `Ctrl + Shift + ]`          |
| Mute / Unmute                | `Ctrl + ↓ / Ctrl + ↑`       |
| Volume Control               | `↑ / ↓`                     |
| Seek 5s Back / Forward       | `← / →`                     |
| Seek 10% Back / Forward      | `Ctrl + ← / Ctrl + →`       |
| Jump to Start / End          | `Home / End`                |
| Pause / Play                 | `Space`                     |
| Fullscreen Toggle            | `Double-click` or `F`       |
| Close PiP Window             | `Ctrl + W`                  |


## How to Disable Picture-in-Picture

### Option 1: From the Player

- Hover over the Picture-in-Picture Player 
- Click on the [x] button

![Close pip](/assets/user-manual/pip/close.png)

### Option 2: From Zen Settings

- Go to **Settings → General → Browsing**  
- Uncheck **"Enable picture-in-picture video controls"**  
  You can always re-enable it later.

![Disable pip](/assets/user-manual/pip/disable.png)

### Option 3: From the Toggle

- Hover over a video and right-click the PiP toggle.
    
- Select **"Hide Picture-in-Picture Toggle"**.
    

### Option 4: From Configuration Page

If you’d like to disable Picture-in-Picture functionality entirely, you can do so via Zen’s advanced configuration page:

1. In the address bar, type `about:config` and press Enter.  
2. Accept any warning that appears.  
3. Search for the setting: `media.videocontrols.picture-in-picture.enabled`.  
4. Set it to **false** to disable Picture-in-Picture across Zen.

You can always re-enable it by returning to this setting and switching it back to **true**.


<Callout title="Why You Might Not See the Toggle"> 
- The video is shorter than 45 seconds or has no audio.  
- It’s in full-screen mode.  
- The site may restrict PiP, but Zen gives you the option to override this via **"Enable Anyway"** when available.
</Callout>


## Subtitles & Captions

Turn on captions **before** activating PiP to see them in the floating window.  
Zen supports captions on major platforms including:

- YouTube  
- Netflix  
- Disney+  
- Amazon Prime Video  
- Funimation  
- Dailymotion  
- Khan Academy  
- BBC  
- Washington Post  
- Nebula  
- Tubi  
- Hotstar  
- SonyLIV  
- Any site using **WebVTT** (e.g. Coursera, Twitter)

More platforms are being added.


## Media Player

**Audio, always within reach.**

![Media Player](/assets/user-manual/pip/media-player.png)

- **Automatic Playback Controls**  
  When audio is playing in a background tab, Zen adds a subtle media controller to the bottom of your sidebar.

{/* TODO: enter video */}

- **Simple Dismissal**  
  To hide the Media Player, just click the “X” on the controller. Zen will take the hint.

{/* TODO: enter video */}