Frequently asked questions

What is Watchkin?

Watchkin gives you more control over your YouTube viewing experience. Open a video in a focused player without a surrounding comment feed or sidebar. Watch your video and move on with your day, or choose to search when you want to find more.

How does it work?

Copy a YouTube URL into the homepage search box and press Watch. You can also paste a video ID. Standard video links, Shorts, live video URLs and supported public playlists use the same player. Availability depends on YouTube and the individual video.

How do I share a video or a segment?

Use Share & Trim beneath the player to choose a start and optional end time, then copy the generated Watchkin link. Ordinary sharing needs no account. Existing Watchkin links keep their original addresses.

How does keyword filtering work?

Discovery checks search words, suggestions, video titles and channel names against the local keyword policy. Matching results are omitted before their thumbnails are loaded. Static thumbnails remain visible for accepted results. The policy may also block legitimate educational searches.

This does not inspect images, audio or video, and cannot guarantee suitable content. Direct video links and existing shared links are not blocked by discovery keywords. Review videos before showing them to children or a class.

Are the old account and Smart Mode features available?

The new launch does not include the old Google sign-in, private Watch Later playlists or community video-flagging system. Ordinary viewing is free without an account. Theme and viewing preferences are saved locally in this browser.

Can I view more information or transcripts?

Use the description and transcript controls on the watch page. Captions, translation and video details depend on external services and are not available for every video. SponsorBlock can use community reports to skip selected segments; its coverage is incomplete.

What about adverts, background play and playlists?

Watchkin provides a quieter page around the player. It cannot promise that every video is available or that YouTube will never show adverts or its own controls. Background playback, picture-in-picture and playlist playback vary by device, browser and upstream service.

Can Watchkin open YouTube links automatically?

Use the Watchkin Auto-Redirect userscript or Watchkinize bookmarklet. These are separate from the website and may require browser setup.