Skip ‘Hey Guys!’ YouTube Video Intros With These Two Handy Hotkeys

You’ve subscribed to their YouTube channel, you’ve smashed that like button countless times, and maybe you’ve even donated some cash to their Patreon. Still, you have to listen to the same exact video intro all YouTubers use for some reason every single time. Behold, two hotkeys that will save you from having to hear “Hey, what’s up guys?” ever again.

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/05/how-to-go-incognito-in-youtube-right-now/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/gyfm954o4yls6al3ufva.jpg” title=”How To Go ‘Incognito’ In YouTube Right Now ” excerpt=”Google knows a lot about you, and a decent amount of that info comes from YouTube. By default, the video site tracks everything you watch and search for (including that time I played the same Taylor Swift video on a loop for 2 hours) so it can suggest better videos — and target you with more relevant ads, of course.”]

Which hotkeys you use will depend on how long a YouTube channel’s intros usually are. You probably have an idea if you’ve watched a few videos on their channel.

If intros are usually long…

Hit the (1) key on your keyboard. This will take you a full 10 per cent into the video, bypassing all that stuff you’ve heard time and time again, says Redditor u/IssphitiKOzS.

In fact, each number key (0) through (9) correlates to a percentage in the video, 0 per cent to 90 per cent. So, if intros are insanely long, hit the (2) key to go to the 20 per cent mark.

If intros are quick, but still grating…

Hit the (right arrow) key or the (l) key on your keyboard. This will send you forward 5 seconds and 10 seconds, respectively. If you prefer, you can simply smash the right arrow key over and over until it looks like the video has actually started.

If you want to learn more helpful YouTube hotkeys — like changing volume, moving a video frame by frame, or quick, mouse-free muting and unmuting — you can check them all out here.