It's incredibly frustrating when you're deeply engrossed in a YouTube video on your iPad, but then poof! you need to check an email, reply to a message, or simply browse another app, and your video comes to a screeching halt. Good news! Your iPad is a multitasking marvel, and with a few simple steps, you can keep your YouTube content playing while you do other things. Let's dive in and learn how to minimize YouTube on your iPad like a pro!
The Magic of Picture-in-Picture (PiP)
The primary way to minimize YouTube on your iPad and keep it playing is through a feature called Picture-in-Picture (PiP). This allows a video to shrink into a small, movable window that floats over other apps on your screen.
However, there's a crucial detail to remember: for most YouTube content, especially music videos and if you're outside the US, YouTube Premium is often required to enable PiP directly within the YouTube app. Don't worry, even if you don't have Premium, there are still workarounds!
Step 1: Are You Ready for Seamless Multitasking? Let's Check Your iPad Settings!
Before we even touch the YouTube app, we need to ensure your iPad is set up to allow Picture-in-Picture. Think of this as laying the groundwork for your YouTube multitasking adventures.
Sub-heading: Enabling System-wide PiP on your iPad
This is a fundamental setting that allows any supported video app to utilize PiP.
- Open the Settings App: Locate and tap the grey cog icon on your iPad's home screen. This is your gateway to customizing your device.
- Navigate to General: In the left-hand menu, scroll down and tap on "General."
- Find Picture in Picture: Within the General settings, look for and tap on "Picture in Picture."
- Toggle "Start PiP Automatically" On: You'll see a toggle switch next to "Start PiP Automatically." Make sure this is green (enabled). If it's grey, tap it to turn it on. This tells your iPad that you want videos to automatically go into PiP mode when you leave the app.
Step 2: Now, Let's Tell YouTube You're a Multitasker!
Even after enabling PiP system-wide, the YouTube app itself also has a setting for it. This is where the YouTube Premium requirement often comes into play, especially for certain content.
Sub-heading: Enabling PiP within the YouTube App
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Open the YouTube App: Find the familiar red YouTube icon on your home screen and tap it to launch the app.
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Tap Your Profile Picture: In the top-right corner of the YouTube app, tap on your profile picture icon. This will open a menu.
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Go to Settings: From the menu, tap on "Settings."
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Select General: In the Settings menu, tap on "General."
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Toggle "Picture-in-picture" On: Look for the "Picture-in-picture" option and ensure its toggle is green (enabled). If it's off, tap it to turn it on.
- Important Note: If you are not a YouTube Premium subscriber and are outside the US, you might find this option greyed out or experience limited functionality, especially with music videos. This is where the "web browser trick" (covered in Step 4) becomes your best friend!
Step 3: It's Showtime! Minimizing Your YouTube Video
With both your iPad and the YouTube app (if applicable) configured, you're ready to minimize.
Sub-heading: How to Activate Picture-in-Picture from the YouTube App
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Start Playing a Video: Find any video you want to watch on YouTube and start playing it. It's often best to let it play for a few seconds.
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Exit the YouTube App:
- For iPads with a Home Button: Simply press the Home button once.
- For iPads without a Home Button (Face ID models): Swipe up from the very bottom of the screen to return to your Home screen.
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Voila! Your Video is Minimized: The video should automatically shrink into a small, floating window, typically in one of the corners of your screen.
Sub-heading: Controlling and Managing the PiP Window
- Move the Window: Tap and drag the small video window to any corner of your screen that's most convenient for you.
- Resize the Window: Use a pinch-to-zoom gesture (two fingers) on the PiP window to make it larger or smaller.
- Return to Full Screen: Tap the PiP window once, then tap the icon with a small square inside a larger square (or sometimes a diagonal arrow pointing outwards) to return to the full YouTube app.
- Close the PiP Window: Tap the PiP window once, then tap the "X" icon in the top-left corner of the window to close it completely. The video will stop playing.
Step 4: The Savvy User's Workaround: Using Safari for PiP (No Premium Needed!)
If you don't have YouTube Premium, or if PiP isn't working for a specific video in the YouTube app, the web browser is your secret weapon! Safari, Apple's native browser, is excellent for this.
Sub-heading: Enabling YouTube PiP via Safari (The Free Method!)
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Open Safari: Tap the blue compass icon to open Safari.
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Go to YouTube.com: In the address bar, type
youtube.comand hit Go. -
Request Desktop Website: This is a critical step.
- Tap the "Aa" icon in the top-left corner of the Safari address bar.
- From the dropdown menu, select "Request Desktop Website." This will load the full desktop version of YouTube, which behaves differently from the mobile site.
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Find and Play Your Video: Search for the video you want to watch and start playing it.
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Enter Full Screen: Tap the full-screen icon (usually a square with four arrows pointing outwards) on the video player in Safari. The video will now fill your iPad's screen.
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Activate PiP:
- For iPads with a Home Button: Press the Home button once.
- For iPads without a Home Button: Swipe up from the very bottom of the screen to go back to your Home screen.
The video should now minimize into a PiP window, allowing you to browse other apps while it continues to play! This method generally bypasses the YouTube Premium requirement for PiP.
Step 5: Background Audio Playback (Primarily Premium, with a Safari Trick)
Sometimes, you don't even need to see the video; you just want to listen to the audio while your screen is off or you're deep in another app. This is known as background playback.
Sub-heading: YouTube Premium and Background Play
- The Easiest Way: If you have YouTube Premium, background playback is a core benefit. When you exit the YouTube app while a video is playing (and PiP is enabled), the audio will continue to play even if the PiP window isn't visible or if your screen is locked. This is incredibly convenient for podcasts, music, or long interviews.
Sub-heading: Safari Trick for Background Audio (No Premium)
This method isn't always 100% reliable as YouTube constantly tries to block it, but it's worth a try if you don't have Premium.
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Follow Steps 1-5 of "Enabling YouTube PiP via Safari" (i.e., open Safari, go to youtube.com, request desktop site, start playing video, go full screen).
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Exit Safari: Swipe up from the bottom or press the Home button to go to your home screen. The video will likely pause.
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Open Control Center:
- For iPads with a Home Button: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
- For iPads without a Home Button: Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen
(where the battery icon is).
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Tap the Play Button: In the Control Center, you'll see a music playback widget. Tap the play button on this widget. The YouTube audio should resume playing in the background, even with your screen off or while using other apps. You might need to tap play a couple of times.
- Caveat: This method might not automatically play the next video in a playlist. You often have to go back to Safari to select the next video.
Step 6: Troubleshooting & Tips
Sometimes, things don't work perfectly the first time. Here are some common issues and solutions:
Sub-heading: What if PiP isn't working?
- Double-Check Settings: Revisit Step 1 and Step 2 to ensure both the iPad's system-wide PiP and the YouTube app's PiP settings are enabled.
- Restart Your iPad: A classic tech solution, but often effective. A quick reboot can clear minor software glitches.
- Update iOS/iPadOS: Ensure your iPad is running the latest version of iPadOS. Apple frequently releases updates that improve performance and fix bugs. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Update YouTube App: Make sure your YouTube app is up to date. Go to the App Store, search for "YouTube," and see if there's an "Update" button.
- Clear YouTube App Cache (Reinstall): For persistent issues, deleting and reinstalling the YouTube app can sometimes help. This clears its cache and data. Be aware this will remove any downloaded videos. To do this, press and hold the YouTube app icon on your home screen until it jiggles, then tap the "X" or "Remove App" button. Then redownload from the App Store.
- Consider YouTube Premium: As mentioned, if you're consistently running into issues with PiP for all content, especially music videos or outside the US, YouTube Premium is designed to provide this functionality seamlessly.
10 Related FAQ Questions
How to move the minimized YouTube window on iPad?
Simply tap and drag the small Picture-in-Picture window to any of the four corners of your iPad screen.
How to resize the minimized YouTube window on iPad?
Use a pinch-to-zoom gesture (placing two fingers on the window and moving them together or apart) to make the PiP window smaller or larger.
How to close the minimized YouTube window on iPad?
Tap the PiP window once to reveal controls, then tap the "X" icon in the top-left corner of the window.
How to go back to full-screen YouTube from minimized mode on iPad?
Tap the PiP window once, then tap the icon with a small square inside a larger square (or a diagonal arrow pointing outwards) to return to the full YouTube app.
How to get YouTube PiP without YouTube Premium?
Use the Safari web browser method: go to youtube.com, request the desktop site, start playing the video in full screen, then exit Safari to activate PiP.
How to play YouTube in the background with the screen off on iPad?
This is a core feature of YouTube Premium. Without Premium, you can try the Safari desktop site trick, play the video, exit Safari, then resume playback from the iPad's Control Center music widget.
How to enable Picture-in-Picture for all apps on iPad?
Go to Settings > General > Picture in Picture and ensure "Start PiP Automatically" is toggled on.
How to fix YouTube PiP not working on iPad?
Check your iPad's PiP settings (Settings > General > Picture in Picture) and the YouTube app's PiP settings (YouTube app > Profile > Settings > General > Picture-in-picture). Restart your iPad, update iPadOS and the YouTube app, or try reinstalling the YouTube app. Consider YouTube Premium for guaranteed functionality.
How to get ad-free YouTube while minimized on iPad?
The most reliable way to get an ad-free experience, including while minimized, is by subscribing to YouTube Premium.
How to use other apps while watching YouTube on iPad?
Once YouTube is minimized into a PiP window, you are free to open and interact with any other app on your iPad while the video continues to play in the floating window.
