YouTube Mini Player Gone! What to Do When Picture-in-Picture Disappears

If your YouTube mini player suddenly disappeared, you’re not alone. Many users across Chrome, Firefox, and Brave browsers are reporting that the mini player (PiP) button has vanished from the video controls — leaving only the Theater Mode and Fullscreen options.

This small yet useful feature allows you to keep a floating video in the corner of your screen while browsing through other videos or playlists. Its sudden disappearance has left viewers confused. Here’s what’s going on and how to fix it.

The mini player is missing from iPhone, iPad, Android and PC users as well. So the question is – “Did YouTube remove the Picture in Picture button on desktop?“

While some user are looking for youtube mini player extension, but we recommend trying below simple steps to fix the issue .

Why the YouTube Mini Player Is Missing

In most cases, this isn’t a full removal by YouTube — it’s a temporary glitch or account-specific configuration change. However, a few users believe YouTube might be testing changes to how Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode works or limiting it to YouTube Premium subscribers in certain regions.

Here are the most common reasons for the missing mini player:

Account or profile-specific bug.
Disabled Picture-in-Picture setting.
YouTube experimenting with interface changes.
Browser cache or cookie corruption.
Region-based PiP restrictions.

What to do if YouTube Mini Player is not showing up :

Fix 1: Use the Keyboard Shortcut

Even if the icon has vanished, the mini player can still be toggled with a keyboard shortcut.

Simply press “i” while playing a video.
This activates the mini player instantly, even if the button is not visible.

Users on Reddit and YouTube forums confirmed that pressing “i” still works when logged in, even though the visual button is gone.

Fix 2: Use Right-Click Menu

You can also access the mini player manually:

Right-click twice on the YouTube video.
From the YouTube-style context menu, select “Mini Player.”
This is an easy workaround until the button returns.

Fix 3: Check YouTube Settings

YouTube may have changed your playback settings.

Click on your profile icon in the top right.
Go to Settings → Playback and performance.
Make sure “Picture in Picture (PiP)” is turned ON.

On mobile:

Open the YouTube app → Settings → Reproduction → Picture-in-Picture → Toggle the feature ON.
This ensures that the video remains on your screen when you minimize the app.

Fix 4: Try Incognito or Another Browser

Some users found that the mini player appears normally when using incognito mode or a different browser profile.
If that works for you, clear your browser cache or cookies in your main account and sign back in.

Steps:

Go to browser settings → Clear browsing data → Select cookies and cached files.
Restart the browser and log in again.

Fix 5: Region or Subscription Restriction

On some iOS devices or in certain countries, YouTube’s PiP mode may only be available for Premium users.
If you’re on an iPhone and can’t access the feature, check your YouTube Premium subscription status or switch regions via VPN to confirm if the issue is related to regional availability.

What Users Are Saying

“The miniplayer button was there yesterday, and now it’s just gone. Works in private mode, though.”

“Thanks for the shortcut! Pressing i works perfectly even without the icon.”

“Weirdly, it disappeared from Chrome but is visible in my second account.”

These reports suggest that YouTube is likely testing a backend configuration change that temporarily affects some logged-in accounts.

Final Thoughts

The YouTube Mini Player disappearing seems to be a temporary bug rather than a permanent removal. You can still activate it using the keyboard shortcut “i” or the right-click menu, while ensuring your PiP settings are enabled.

If nothing works, try clearing browser cache or switching profiles — and keep an eye out for YouTube’s next update, as they often restore such features quietly after testing.

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