Here’s a YouTube tip I came across and now use all the time: when you’re trying to learn how to do something and you get lost in the steps, open the video transcript.
Tap the three dots or the plus option under the video title, then choose Transcript from the drop-down menu. You can copy, save and print it. It was easy, huh? Just be careful when downloading the video. Tap or click for a list of ways you could be breaking the law online without knowing it.
Little pro tips like these make your life easier and your gadgets more useful. Tap or click for five more helpful tricks you wish someone had taught you sooner.
Before you fall down a YouTube rabbit hole, check out these tips for hiding what you’re looking for and finding what you want. Speaking of which, be sure to subscribe to my channel at YouTube.com/KimKomando.
1. Watch live events
Many concerts and events are streamed live on YouTube. You can watch them in real time with a global audience. There are several ways to do this:
• Simply type the word “live” after your search phrase.
• You can also browse upcoming and ongoing live events. Go to youtube.com on your computer and select inhabit of the left column.
• Open the YouTube app, tap To explorethen touch Living on a smartphone.
Slow Wi-Fi makes watching videos tedious. Tap or click for a simple swap that could improve your speeds.
2. Keep your search history clean
Incognito mode lets you browse freely without worrying about your search and viewing history reflecting it. Note: This doesn’t hide your search history from YouTube and its parent company, Google.
To turn it on, tap your profile photo or icon and select Enable Private Browsing. Do the same to turn it off.
Incognito mode doesn’t prevent your ISP or search engine provider from knowing what you’re looking for, but it can be useful in other ways. Tap or click for 6 practical reasons to use Incognito mode.
3. Refine your search
YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users, with over 500 hours of content posted every minute. Finding what you want can be a matter of narrowing your search to the date a video was posted.
Type in the search term(s) for your video, followed by this week or month. You can also use YouTube’s filters to narrow things down:
• Go to youtube.com on your computer and do your research.
• Once the results are loaded, click on the Filters drop-down list and select a deposit dateranging from Last Hour to This Year.
• On mobile, tap the three dots iconthen touch Search filters.
Smarter search: 10 Google Search Tips to Help You Find What You’re Looking For
4. Find the real music video, not just the parodies
YouTube is the second largest search site in the world, surpassed only by Google. People all over the world are posting parodies, fan videos and reactions to the most popular topics.
Lady Gaga is one of the biggest names out there, so when looking for a track from a singer of her stature, you may need to weed out fan-made content. You can do this by typing the name of the song, adding a comma and putting the word partner. For example, try this search: “poker face, partner”.
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5. Share in the right place
When you want to share a long video at a specific time, try this.
• On your computer, find the video you want and scroll to the time you want to share.
• Right-click and select Copy video url to current time.
• You can also click on the Share button and check the start to box. Enter the desired time, then click Copy.
You can also do this on your phone, although it’s more of a pain.
• Scroll to the time you want to share and pause the video. Tap Share > Copy link. Paste the link wherever you want and append it to the URL: ?t=00m00s. The zeros represent minutes and seconds, so change them if necessary. For URLs that already have a question mark, add an ampersand like this: &t=00m00s.
Speaking of sharing, some files are too large to email. Try these methods instead.
6. Create a Playlist of Songs
Create a playlist of your favorite songs using the search phrase playlist. We will stay on the same example. Type in “Lady Gaga Playlist” and your results will include fan-made compilations that bundle songs into one long download. You will also get an official playlist called YouTube Mix.
You can also create a custom playlist of exactly what you want.
Here’s how to do it from your computer:
• Find a video you want to add to a playlist. Click on To safeguard.
• Select a playlist like Watch Later or a playlist you’ve already created, or click Create a new playlist. Click on To create.
To create a playlist on mobile:
• Find a video you want to add to a playlist.
• Faucet To safeguard below the video to automatically save it to the last playlist or to your watch later playlist.
• To change where your video is saved, tap Change on the pop-up window. Select from the list of your playlists.
Prefer to listen to music on Spotify? These tips will make you a Spotify expert in no time.
7. Find a movie to watch
You can watch feature films on YouTube, but searching the movie title like anything else on the platform may not be enough.
It’s quite simple. Just type the word movie in your search query. Try the movie “A Star is Born”. You will have the option of buying or renting a movie if it is not available for free.
Try one of these 13 sites to watch movies for free if you’re getting into YouTube.
8. More quick search tips
Finally, here are some easy ways to narrow down your searches.
• Use the + or – keys to include or omit keywords from your search results.
• Use quotes to find the exact phrase you are looking for.
• Add the word “long” to your search to find videos longer than 20 minutes. Use “short” to find videos under 4 minutes.
Bonus Tip: Dark Web 101: What It Is and Why the Government Can’t Shut It Down
Scour the waters of the Dark Web and you’ll find drugs, killers, and all kinds of disturbing imagery. But it’s also a haven for privacy advocates. In this episode, I speak with Victor Benjamin, a professor at Arizona State University, who reveals why it’s so hard to regulate — and why people from all walks of life can’t help but keep coming back.
Check out my “Kim Komando Explains” podcast on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.
Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, “Komando”.
Discover all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For his daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit his website at Komando.com.
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.
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