TLDR: No compromise Mac setup with Orion browser and Youtube extensions Old thread but here for future reference. I consume a lot of Youtube and for long I have been on a quest to have a dedicated app for Youtube watching; started with Chrome, then Chromium, Chromium degoogled, Opera, Firefox, Edge, LibreWolf, Arc and abunch of others. While there is many separate applications that do exactly this, Youtube videos, none of them was perfect as 1) did not allow extensions and 2) did not allow to have multiple open tabs, which was a must for me. Mac's DuckDuckGo browser was pretty cool, and I did use it for a while, as it recognized Youtube videos and opened them in a dedicated page that was very lightweight, ADfree and more optimized; it was an empty page with the video only - no distractions. But this experience was definitely not perfect. What I did end up doing though, and I am SO extremely happy with this setup, was using the Orion browser by Kagi. It is basically the same browser as Safari, super fast and lightweight, and with some modifications made to it. Number one is absolutely zero telemetry and number two is compatibility for BOTH Chrome and Firefox extensions; there is obviously other differences but these two were the most important for my purpose. Great as it was as-is, to improve the experience I optimized the settings for Youtube, and installed a bunch of extensions. This is all I needed and now I have an amazing Youtube setup and no comprise whatsoever (for me). Browser: Orion by Kagi Extensions: SponsorBlock, Tweaks for Youtube, Youtube Full Video Title 2, Rounded Tube, Decentraleyes. NB: when possible, use Firefox extensions as they work slightly better. Answer from AlbiDR on reddit.com
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YouTube
youtube.com › supported_browsers
Youtube
Your browser is up to date · You can use YouTube's latest features · Mozilla Firefox · Opera · Microsoft Edge · Google Chrome · Browse YouTube · About · Contact us · Terms
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YouTube
youtube.com › googlechrome
Google Chrome - YouTube
The official YouTube channel for the Chrome browser, OS, Web Store, and Chromebooks.
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YouTube
youtube.com › user › ChromeDevelopers
Chrome for Developers - YouTube
The official Chrome for Developers YouTube account from Google. We want to help you build beautiful, accessible, fast, & secure websites that work for everyone, everywhere.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/browsers › which browser is good for only youtube?
r/browsers on Reddit: which browser is good for ONLY YOUTUBE?
October 1, 2022 -

i need a super duper light weight browser only to watch yt vids (and which supports ublock damn it)

don't ask why lol, just a browser to watch vids thats it

Top answer
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Of you are on windows, Edge is the most lightweighted browser. It is chromium so perfect for youtube. And supports ublock.
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TLDR: No compromise Mac setup with Orion browser and Youtube extensions Old thread but here for future reference. I consume a lot of Youtube and for long I have been on a quest to have a dedicated app for Youtube watching; started with Chrome, then Chromium, Chromium degoogled, Opera, Firefox, Edge, LibreWolf, Arc and abunch of others. While there is many separate applications that do exactly this, Youtube videos, none of them was perfect as 1) did not allow extensions and 2) did not allow to have multiple open tabs, which was a must for me. Mac's DuckDuckGo browser was pretty cool, and I did use it for a while, as it recognized Youtube videos and opened them in a dedicated page that was very lightweight, ADfree and more optimized; it was an empty page with the video only - no distractions. But this experience was definitely not perfect. What I did end up doing though, and I am SO extremely happy with this setup, was using the Orion browser by Kagi. It is basically the same browser as Safari, super fast and lightweight, and with some modifications made to it. Number one is absolutely zero telemetry and number two is compatibility for BOTH Chrome and Firefox extensions; there is obviously other differences but these two were the most important for my purpose. Great as it was as-is, to improve the experience I optimized the settings for Youtube, and installed a bunch of extensions. This is all I needed and now I have an amazing Youtube setup and no comprise whatsoever (for me). Browser: Orion by Kagi Extensions: SponsorBlock, Tweaks for Youtube, Youtube Full Video Title 2, Rounded Tube, Decentraleyes. NB: when possible, use Firefox extensions as they work slightly better.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/chrome › [deleted by user]
Youtube not working on Chrome
June 24, 2024 - My google drive, YouTube, everything was creating a problem. I disable "VIMEO" extension and boom, it started to work back. ... Works again! Thanks to all the comments! I do not know how I resolved the issue but suddenly after updating/ restarting my browser profile everything seems to work fine again even in the latest chrome version.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
What's new in Chrome - YouTube
Discover the cutting edge of web development and learn where Chrome is taking the browser in 2025. Learn how advancements in performance, UI, and identity ar...
Published   May 22, 2025
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Chrome Web Store
chromewebstore.google.com › detail › enhancer-for-youtube › ponfpcnoihfmfllpaingbgckeeldkhle
Enhancer for YouTube™ - Chrome Web Store
Replaces thumbnails and modifies titles of videos on youtube.com ... Average rating 4.0 out of 5 stars. Learn more about results and reviews. Group Youtube playlist Sort and filter Youtube playlists Bulk move and delete YouTube Playlist Duration Multiselect for YouTube ... Average rating 4.4 out of 5 stars. Learn more about results and reviews. Clears the chrome browser history automatically on browser start.
Find elsewhere
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Google Support
support.google.com › chrome › thread › 214076504 › issue-with-youtube-urls-in-chrome
Issue with YouTube URLs in Chrome - Google Chrome Community
Google Chrome Help · Sign in · Google Help · Help Center · Community · Google Chrome · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Submit feedback · Send feedback on... This help content & information · General Help Center experience · Next · Help Center ·
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Stack Exchange
webapps.stackexchange.com › questions › 162809 › how-can-i-log-into-youtube-on-a-chrome-browser-without-logging-into-chrome
How can I log into youtube on a chrome browser without logging into Chrome? - Web Applications Stack Exchange
I have a google account and use chrome at home and at work. At home I log into chrome and it automatically logs me in to youtube.com. At work, I use chrome as a guest, but am able to log into
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Google Support
support.google.com › youtube › answer › 3008060
Use YouTube on mobile browsers - YouTube Help
To get the most out of YouTube, sign in to view your favorite videos, playlists, and more. ... In the upper-right hand corner of the screen, tap the profile picture . Tap Sign in . Sign in with your Google Account. If you can't sign in to your account, you can recover your Google Account. For more help, visit the Google Accounts forum. Editing and uploading aren’t possible on mobile browsers.
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vidIQ
vidiq.com › home › extension
vidIQ's Extension for YouTube Chrome, Firefox and Edge
VidIQ is a browser extension that enhances your YouTube experience by providing advanced analytics, SEO tools, tag suggestions, and insights to help grow your channel. It's designed for creators who want to optimize content and better understand their audience. To install vidIQ, go to the Chrome Web Store, search for 'VidIQ Vision', and click 'Add to Chrome'. Follow the instructions to complete the setup.
Top answer
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The problem might be related to a Google Chrome extension.

Extensions are synced across computers through the Google Accounts settings. Some extensions save the extension settings on the cloud, so they are synced across computers, too.

The above is because the keyboard shortcuts mentioned in your answer, Ctrl + Shift + 1 and Ctrl + Shift + 2, should be listed in the help articles about keyboard shortcuts for Chrome and YouTube.

To view the YouTube keyboard shortcuts, go to https://youtube.com and press Shift + ?

To view the Chrome keyboard shortcuts, go to the help article Chrome keyboard shortcuts.

Next time, you can just reset Chrome instead of reinstalling Chrome when troubleshooting a problem like this. For details, see Reset Chrome settings to default. Still, before doing this, you might want to try using Chrome in incognito mode with all the extensions disabled.

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Ok -- I finally figured this out after a bit of experimmentation.

Make sure the Chrome browser has focus (click somewhere in the browser window), then press Ctrl+Shift+1 (that's the number one), or Ctrl+Shift+2. That will cause Chrome to zoom in and out in a weird way that doesn't show up on the Zoom control in the three-dots menu in the upper-right corner. It will still show 100% Zoom, even though you're zoomed in (or out).

I have no idea what purpose this serves. And it's tied to your Google account somehow, so it affects all your Chrome browsers on all your devices. It will zoom in and out of ANY web-page, not just YouTube, but it has weird effects on YouTube that mess up video playback as I described.

Anyway, if your YouTube player in your Chrome browser is zoomed-in in a weird way, or ANY web=page you frequent is not fitting right, try Ctrl+Shift+1 and Ctrl+Shift+2 to zoom in and out to make it fit properly again.

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Wondershare
repairit.wondershare.com › video-repair › chrome-youtube-not-working.html
9 Best Ways to Fix YouTube not Playing on Chrome
Further Reading: 4 Tested Guides to Solve YouTube Won't Play on Your Computer Troubleshoot for Youtube Video No Sound-Buffering-Green-black Screen 10 Best Fixes to YouTube Lagging on Chrome Issue · Sometimes, Chrome has old settings or extra things (like extensions) that cause video problems. Making Chrome up-to-date, clearing out some stored stuff, or turning off things that might cause trouble helps. Trying the same videos on different browsers can tell whether it's a Chrome problem.
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Wondershare Recoverit
recoverit.wondershare.com › wondershare recoverit › video repair › fix youtube not working or videos not playing on chrome!
Fix YouTube Not Working or Videos Not Playing on Chrome!
YouTube may not work on your Chrome browser for several reasons –but browser data issues and disabled JavaScript are usually the chief causes. Sometimes, Chrome persistently accesses browser data (cookies and cache) for certain websites; When ...
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YouTube
studio.youtube.com › reauth
YouTube Studio
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