Streaming video tutorials, webinars, podcasts, or online courses while simultaneously taking notes in Word, reviewing spreadsheets in Excel, or writing code can quickly lead to cramped window splitting. When you minimise or obscure your browser window, video playback is hidden. Microsoft Edge includes a native Picture in Picture (PiP) mode that detaches web videos into a resizable, floating window that stays permanently on top of all your open desktop applications.
What Is Picture in Picture in Microsoft Edge?
Picture in Picture is a hardware-accelerated playback mode that extracts the video stream from any HTML5 web player into an always-on-top overlay. The detached video continues playing smoothly even when you minimise Microsoft Edge, switch virtual desktops, or work across full-screen software.
Features of Edge’s Picture in Picture tool include:
- Global Always-on-Top: Floats above text editors, presentation decks, video games, and system panels.
- Free-Form Resizing: Drag any corner or edge to enlarge the preview or shrink it into a compact corner widget.
- Integrated Media Controls: Pause, play, seek backward/forward 10 seconds, toggle captions, or return the video to its parent tab.
- Smart Hover Overlay Button: Hovering your mouse over compatible video streams displays an immediate one-click detachment button.
Enabling the Picture in Picture Control Button
Microsoft Edge includes a dedicated setting that places a convenient floating icon on top of online videos:
- Launch Microsoft Edge.
- Click the three dots (Settings and more) icon in the upper-right corner and select Settings.
- Select Cookies and site permissions from the left-hand navigation pane.
- Scroll down to the All permissions section and click Picture in picture control.
- Toggle the switch next to Show Picture in picture control inside video frame to On.
How to Trigger Picture in Picture in Edge
Depending on the website and video player, there are several methods to pop out videos:
Method 1: Using the Edge Hover Control
- Navigate to any video streaming site (such as YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, or educational course platforms).
- Start playback and hover your mouse cursor over the video canvas.
- A small rectangular Picture in picture icon will appear at the top-centre or top-right of the video.
- Click this icon. The video immediately pops out into an independent floating window.
Method 2: Right-Clicking the Video Canvas (Double Right-Click for YouTube)
On websites that implement custom context menus (such as YouTube’s custom right-click menu):
- Right-click once on the playing video to reveal the website’s custom player menu.
- Without moving your cursor, right-click a second time to summon Microsoft Edge’s native browser context menu.
- Click Picture in picture from the list.
Method 3: Native Web Player Controls
Many modern video players (including Netflix and standard HTML5 players) embed a dedicated PiP button directly inside the player seek bar beside the fullscreen toggle.
Controlling and Resizing the Floating Window
Once detached, you can interact with the floating frame across your desktop:
- Repositioning: Click and hold anywhere inside the video frame to drag it to any monitor or screen corner.
- Resizing: Hover over any outer edge or corner until a double-sided arrow appears, then drag to scale the video dimensions smoothly.
- Returning to Browser Tab: Click the Back to tab icon (a small square with an inward arrow) to re-dock the stream into its original webpage.
- Dismissing: Click the X button to close the floating frame while keeping the webpage open in the background.
Using PiP Across Multiple Monitors and Virtual Desktops
Because Microsoft Edge renders the PiP frame at the operating system compositor level, you can drag the floating window across multi-monitor setups or pin it above Windows 11 Virtual Desktops, ensuring tutorials remain visible regardless of workspace switching.