Have you ever felt frustrated needing to manually restart a YouTube video over and over? Wish you could enjoy endless ambient sounds for sleeping, studying or relaxing? Well I‘ve got great news!
YouTube offers a handy "Loop Video" option that replays clips continuously…and I‘m going to show you how it works!
Across this in-depth guide, you‘ll discover:
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Simple step-by-step instructions to loop videos on both desktop and phones
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Pro tips to level up your looping game
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Fun history facts behind the iconic looping feature
Let‘s get looping!
A Quick Primer: What is Looping?
Before we dive in, looping might sound unfamiliar so let‘s clarify this real quick…
The "Loop Video" setting plays your YouTube clip normally once through, then starts it automatically from the beginning again in an endless repeat cycle.
So whether you‘re playing:
- Thunderstorm sounds to help you sleep đ´
- Ambient coding music to improve workflow đ¨âđģ
- Bodyweight workouts for beach season prep đī¸
You won‘t need to constantly restart each time!
Instead just tap that Loop toggle, lean back and enjoy endless playback thanks to YouTube‘s magic repeat button đ
Why Looping is a Game Changer
Beyond the convenience factor, looping unlocks some powerful advantages:
Maximizes Binge Watching Potential
Looping allows you to marathon episodes or movies for HOURS without interruption. Now it‘s easier to stay immersed in that clingy storyline!
Boosts Focus and Productivity
With continuous ambient soundscapes, you can ease into fluid concentration zones while studying or working. No more distracting stops and starts interrupting your flow.
Opens Up New Revenue Opportunities
YouTube allows monetization on loop-friendly categories like ambient/ASMR through their Partner Program. This lets creators earn income passively from recurring plays.
As you can see, looping levels up the experience for users AND video publishers!
Now let‘s dig into exactly how to loop both individual videos AND curated playlists. I‘ll be with you every step of the way to guide you through this.
A Quick History Lesson First!
Before we get to the instructions, let‘s take a fun detour to explore loopings‘ origins…
YouTube launched way back in 2005 as a simple video sharing platform. But it lacked many of the interactive options we now take for granted.
Over the early years, YouTube‘s engineering team prioritized additions like higher quality streaming, basic playlists and mobile capability.
But one commonly requested feature was STILL missing…
The ability to effortlessly loop content!
Users were forced to rely on makeshift workarounds like running duplicate tabs or installing third-party browser extensions.
Finally in January 2017, YouTube integrated official native support for looping. No more frustrating hacks required!
Content creators rejoiced at this new capability. Ambient genres could now more easily captivate viewers in meditative trances for hours at a time.
YouTube analytics also revealed that looped videos enjoyed nearly 3X higher average view duration compared to non-looping content.
Clearly this resonated strongly with consumer behavior trends favoring long-form, passive watching.
Today, YouTube looping remains an indispensable asset for creators and viewers across these popular niches:
- Music streaming đ§
- ASMR/Meditation đ§ââī¸
- Ambience/Atmosphere đĢī¸
- Learning đ
- Fitness Routines đĒ
Let‘s discover exactly how to activate this powerful functionality across desktop and mobile!
Looping YouTube Videos on Desktop
Enabling looping magic on your laptop or PC takes just seconds.
I‘ll demonstrate on Firefox browser but this works similarly across Chrome, Edge, Safari and others.
Step 1: Navigate to Your Video
Hop over to YouTube.com and use the search bar to find a video you want to loop. This will be your ambient coding soundtrack, thunderstorm white noise sleep aid or whatever clips you wish to repeat.
For example, search for "1 hour coding music" or "thunderstorm sleep sounds". Open your desired video.
Pro Tip: Bookmark YouTube as a browser shortcut for fast 1-click access!
Step 2: Right Click Video Player
This opens the context menu. Important note: hover over the actual video window THEN right click. If you just right click around the player nothing happens!
Make sure to wait until any ads finish before attempting this step. You won‘t get access to the menu until ads conclude.
Step 3: Click Loop Video
Just click "Loop" from context menu to toggle ON continuous playback. A checkmark icon indicates it‘s now activated and endlessly repeating!
And that‘s all there is to it my friend! Just 3 quick steps to enable seamless looping goodness on desktop đ
Now your chosen YouTube video will keep playing on an infinite repeat cycle rather than stopping.
You‘ll no longer need to continually click that tiny restart icon every few minutes. Talk about annoying!
Anyway, let‘s shift gears and explore activating loops within YouTube‘s mobile app next…
Activating Loops on Mobile Devices
Looping functionality also comes pre-baked into YouTube‘s iOS and Android apps.
The process looks slightly different but achieves that same sweet endless replay effect.
I‘ll demonstrate on iPhone but looping works identically on any mobile device.
Step 1: Locate Your Video
Launch the YouTube app then use search bar to find your desired ambient track, ASMR sounds or other video to loop.
Tap to open the clip you found.
For example search "sleep meditation music" or "ASMR haircut".
Pro Tip: Subscribe to channels publishing lots of looping potential content. This way your home feed automatically surfaces fresh options!
Step 2: Open Video Settings
While video plays, tap directly on the player to reveal controls. Next select the Settings gear icon.
Note: You MUST tap the actual video screen itself not just around the borders.
This opens advanced options for your clip.
Step 3: Toggle On Video Looping
Under Settings, tap the "Loop Video" switch to slide it ON. This enables endless repeat playback functionality!
You‘ll see a "Video looped" confirmation on screen and can now enjoy seamless ambient listening sans interruptions.
And there you have it…looping activated on mobile too with only a few quick taps! đ
You‘ll now gain all the bait-like addictive stickiness of unending autoplay without burning out your eardrums manually restarting every few minutes!
Next up, let‘s unlock pro-level looping by repeating entire PLAYLISTS…đšī¸
Level Up: Looping Entire YouTube Playlists
Beyond single videos, you can also loop full playlists for MAXIMUM marathon viewing potential!
This allows you to tap into the psychological appeal of bingeing episodic shows for hours straight.
Or have a diverse mix of songs, sounds and ambience continuously shuffled without the annoyance of interruptions between each video.
Let‘s examine how playlist looping works:
Access Playlist Collection
Open the "Library" tab on mobile or "Playlists" page on desktop to view your full collection of created playlists.
These can be either Smart Playlists (algorithmically generated) or Standard Playlists you arrange manually.
You‘ll also see options to browse Playlists made publicly by other YouTube creators.
For example, search "chill beats" under the Playlists filter to discover what the community has already curated.
Tap Play All
Select whichever playlist you want to loop either from your collection or publicly.
Hit the "Play All" button to queue up the entire video series in order.
This begins sequentially playing through each track just like a music album.
Activate Looping
As the playlist cycle continues, you‘ll notice a Loop icon displayed either along the left side or bottom progressbar depending on device.
Tap this Loop icon to toggle ON continuous repetition functionality.
The icon will shift bold white indicating looping is now activated.
Youtube will play through the full playlist once then automatically start over again from the beginning video…and keep repeating this sequence forever!
I don‘t know about you but I find looping playlists PERFECT for:
- Overnight ambience to combat insomnia đ¤
- Zone out programming sessions đ¨âđģ
- Daytime relaxation when stressed đŽâđ¨
- Passive entertainment for kids đĻ
Pretty cool right? Let‘s wrap up with some advanced power tips…
Pro Looping Tips from a YouTube Addict!
Over the years, I‘ve accumulated some handy expert advice for next-level looping:
Match Video Length to Activity Duration
Choose longer videos closer to 1-2 hours when applying looping. This prevents having to restart too frequently during long sessions.
Mix Up Content Types Through Themed Playlists
Group clips into categories like Chill Beats, Coding Soundtracks, Yoga Flows and so on. Loop the entire playlist for diversity.
Automate Looping Based on Schedules
Browser extensions like Auto Replay for YouTube allow you to customize exactly when to enable/disable looping. Pretty slick!
No more unnecessary overnight data usage from forgotten rain sounds. Just set and forget!
Cast to Multiple Devices Simultaneously
Tap into Google Cast to beam ambient videos from your laptop or phone over to TVs, speakers and smart displays throughout your home.
Now you can blanket every environment in endless surround sound!
And there you have it friends…everything you could possibly need to know about looping YouTube videos and playlists!
Let me know if any part still feels confusing. I‘m always happy to clarify and help troubleshoot!
Now get out there and start looping awesome content! Just don‘t blame me if you binge watch an entire 10 season show because of this handy new skill đ
Open to any other tech questions too! đģ
