in

How to Loop a YouTube Video: The Complete Guide to Repeating Videos with Ease

default image

Do you ever find yourself endlessly replaying a favorite YouTube video? Want to master a technique from a tutorial or perfect your dance moves with an instructional clip? What about avoiding awkward pauses at a party by looping a music playlist?

With over 2 billion monthly active users, YouTube is the internet‘s top destination for video. And luckily for obsessive viewers everywhere, YouTube offers robust built-in looping controls to repeat videos as many times as you want.

In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn multiple methods to loop videos on both desktop and mobile. From basic repetition to advanced bookmarking, you‘ll be repeating clips like a pro when you‘re done here.

Let‘s dig in to the various looping options and techniques!

Why Loop YouTube Videos?

Before we get technical, let‘s look at some of the most common reasons you might want to loop a YouTube video:

  • Master a skill – Looping instructional videos lets you practice techniques repeatedly. Go from novice to pro by studying every detail.

  • Memorize lyrics – Can‘t get that catchy chorus out of your head? Loop the song to internalize the words.

  • Enjoy background music – Looping provides seamless, uninterrupted audio. Game, read or work to your favorite playlist or album.

  • Spot imperfections – Video creators can pinpoint issues by looping playback during editing. The more you watch, the more you‘ll notice.

  • Meditate – Calm your mind with endless ambient nature scenes and sounds. Looping avoids disruptions.

  • Avoid party boredom – Keep the music pumping by looping a ready-made playlist all night long. No need to play DJ.

  • Obsess over details – Movie buffs can analyze scenes for hidden clues and meaning. Loop away!

So whether it‘s mastering a skill, finding Zen, or just rocking out, looping gives you complete replay control. Now let‘s see how to do it!

How to Loop on Desktop

Let‘s start with the basics – how to loop a standard video on desktop. This works on Windows, Mac, Chromebooks, and any computer with a web browser.

Here‘s how to loop videos on desktop:

  1. Go to YouTube.com in your browser of choice.

  2. Find the video you want to loop. You can search or browse the home page.

  3. Click to play the video. Let it begin playing.

  4. Right click directly on the video player itself.

  5. From the menu that pops up, click "Loop."

That‘s it! The video will now repeat continuously until you stop it by clicking pause.

Troubleshooting YouTube Looping on Desktop

If looping isn‘t working, here are some troubleshooting tips:

  • Refresh the page. This clears any cached settings.

  • Try a different browser. Looping works across Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.

  • Ensure you right click the actual video player, not empty space around it.

  • Check for browser extensions that may interfere with embedded content.

  • Update your browser and Flash player. Old versions can cause issues.

YouTube video looping is seamless when working correctly. A quick refresh or browser swap should get you repeating videos in no time.

Custom Loops with Bookmarks

Beyond basic back-to-back replay, you can also loop just a portion of a YouTube video using bookmarks. Here‘s how:

  1. Play the video. Pause where you want the loop to start.

  2. Press M to add a bookmark. A small tag will appear on the timeline.

  3. Resume playback until you reach the end of the segment to loop.

  4. Press M again to drop a second bookmark.

  5. Click the looping icon between the two bookmarks.

Now only the bookmarked portion will repeat! You can repeat 10 second segments, 1 minute sections, or just your favorite chorus.

Bookmarking works on both desktop and mobile for customized loops anywhere. Let‘s look at mobile next.

How to Loop YouTube Videos on iPhone and Android

You can loop videos directly in the YouTube mobile app on both iOS and Android devices. Here are the steps:

Looping on iPhone

  1. Open the YouTube app on your iPhone or iPad.

  2. Find the video you want to loop using search or browsing.

  3. Tap the video to start playback.

  4. Tap the 3 dots "more" icon in the top right.

  5. Select "Loop" from the menu.

The video will now continuously repeat until manually stopped!

Looping on Android

  1. Open the YouTube app on your Android device.

  2. Find and select the desired video.

  3. Tap the 3 vertical dots menu icon while the video plays.

  4. Choose "Loop" from the menu.

  5. The video will now loop endlessly.

That‘s all it takes on mobile! Tap pause to stop the looping when desired.

If the loop option ever disappears from mobile, make sure you‘re using the latest version of the YouTube app. Looping requires iOS 11+ or Android 5+.

Bookmark Looping on Mobile

You can also loop segments by bookmarking on mobile:

  1. Play the video. Tap the bookmark icon when your segment starts.

  2. Tap bookmark again when the segment ends.

  3. Tap the looping icon between the two bookmarks.

  4. Only that portion will now repeat!

Bookmark looping works the same way on iPhone, Android, tablets, and all mobile devices.

YouTube Playlist Looping

In addition to looping individual videos, you can also loop entire YouTube playlists. Here‘s how:

  1. Create a new playlist and add the videos you want to loop.

  2. Open the playlist and press play to start it.

  3. Tap the repeat icon (two looping arrows) beside the next video icon.

  4. The entire playlist will now loop endlessly!

Playlist looping is great for music listening. You can add hours of songs or albums and enjoy uninterrupted playback all day.

To use playlists, you‘ll need to be signed into YouTube or Google. But once created, they are accessible anywhere – desktop, mobile, smart TVs, and more.

Alternate YouTube Looping Sites

Before native looping, many users relied on third-party websites to repeat YouTube videos. These still work today as an alternate option.

Some popular YouTube loopers include:

  • YouTube Loop – Loops videos or playlists from YouTube URLs.

  • ListenOnRepeat – Repurposes YouTube videos as streaming music.

  • InfiniteTube – Simple loop tool requiring no signup.

To use these sites:

  1. Copy the URL of the YouTube video or playlist you want to loop.

  2. Paste the URL into the looping site‘s search field.

  3. The video will play on repeat automatically!

Most of these tools use the YouTube API, meaning views still count for creators. But beware of any additional permissions requested.

Expert Tips for Looping YouTube Videos

Now that you know the methods, let‘s look at some expert tips for getting the most from YouTube looping:

  • Use looping to learn choreography from dance tutorials one move at a time. Slow it down for a real challenge!

  • Loop trailers and teasers to catch every frame and dissect hidden details.

  • Coaches and vocal instructors use looping to give students detailed feedback on performances.

  • Let a nature soundscape like ocean waves or a crackling fireplace loop for hours of ambient relaxation.

  • Looping instructional sewing, crafting, cooking and DIY videos lets you master techniques hands-free.

  • Struggling with a tough level in a game? Let a gamer‘s YouTube walkthrough loop until you pass it.

  • Loop music videos for impromptu dance parties or to nail down tricky choreography.

  • Yoga and home workout buffs can flow through routines seamlessly with looped instructional videos.

  • Keep spirits high at events and parties by looping crowd-pleasing playlists all night long.

Take your YouTube obsession to the next level by incorporating video looping into your hobbies, learning, and entertainment!

YouTube Looping FAQ

Let‘s wrap up with answers to some frequently asked questions about looping YouTube videos:

How do I loop a YouTube video on my phone?

Open the YouTube app, play a video, tap the 3 dot menu, and select "Loop." This repeats the video until manually stopped.

Can you loop YouTube videos on smart TVs?

Yes! Open the YouTube app on your smart TV, play a video, and choose "Loop" from the menu to enable endless repetition.

How long can you loop a YouTube video?

There‘s no limit – you can loop videos indefinitely with no maximum time. Party all night with perfect background tracks!

Why did my YouTube video stop looping?

This is likely a technical glitch. Try refreshing the page or app, force closing and reopening, or watching on a different device.

Can you put a YouTube live stream on repeat?

Unfortunately no – the looping feature only works on pre-recorded, uploaded videos. Live streams can‘t be replayed or looped.

Is it OK to loop copyrighted YouTube videos?

You generally can‘t reupload looping videos, but passively looping to watch is usually permitted – just don‘t publicly stream them!

Start Looping for Endless YouTube Possibilities!

As you can see, YouTube offers tons of easy options for looping videos to your heart‘s content.

Whether you want to finally master that guitar solo, meditate to soothing ambiance, spice up your next party, or obsess endlessly over every filmmaking detail, video looping has you covered.

So next time you cue up YouTube, don‘t be afraid to hit repeat for a limitless stream of your favorite content!

AlexisKestler

Written by Alexis Kestler

A female web designer and programmer - Now is a 36-year IT professional with over 15 years of experience living in NorCal. I enjoy keeping my feet wet in the world of technology through reading, working, and researching topics that pique my interest.