Read the comments without losing the video.
Glowpane puts the video on the left and everything else on the right. Scroll the comments, browse what's next, and the video never leaves the screen, with a soft glow of its own colors around it.
On a phone? Glowpane runs in Chrome on a computer.
See it in 37 seconds.
A quick tour, with sound.
Light that follows the video.
Glowpane takes the colors on screen and spreads them softly behind the page, so the video feels bigger than its frame.
- Dark and light theme. YouTube's own Ambient mode only works in dark theme.
- On Shorts too. The glow follows each Short as you scroll, and the comments panel turns see-through so the light shows behind it.
- Just the video, when you want it. Drag the divider to the edge and the side pane closes. Click the edge to bring it back.
Everything beside the video, nothing in front of it.
The video stays put
It has its own column, so scrolling through comments or recommendations never pushes it off screen.
Resize anything
Drag any divider to resize, and double-click it to reset. Collapse any section with one click on its title, or drag the main divider to the window edge for the video alone.
Ambient light
The video's colors glow softly behind the whole page, on videos and Shorts. It works in light theme too, which YouTube itself doesn't offer.
Two windows
Flip one switch in the toolbar to keep the video in your window and open the comments in a second one. Click a video or timestamp in either and both stay in sync.
Adapts to the video
Vertical videos get an even split, and when the side pane is wide, recommendations and comments sit side by side.
Live streams welcome
While a stream is live, the Recommended pane becomes the live chat, right beside the video.
Or give the comments a window of their own.
Switch on Two windows from the toolbar. The video fills your window, everything else opens beside it, and the two stay in sync.
Set it up your way.
One click on the extension's toolbar icon. Changes apply straight away.
- Ambient light
- On or off, with its own strength for light and dark themes.
- Show only what you want
- Hide the description, recommendations or comments, keep one pane open at a time, and pick the side pane's width and transparency.
- Your layout
- Remember pane sizes between videos, or put the video on the right.
- Shortcuts
- Alt Shift S for the split, Alt Shift W for Two windows, Alt Shift V for just the video.
Install in a click.
Glowpane is on the Chrome Web Store, free. Updates arrive on their own.
Add to Chrome- Open Glowpane on the Chrome Web Store.
- Click Add to Chrome, then Add extension.
- Optional: click the puzzle icon in the toolbar and pin Glowpane, for quick access to its settings.
- Open any YouTube video.
The split turns on in a large, landscape window. In smaller windows, YouTube keeps its normal layout. Works in Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers.
On a phone? Install it from a computer.
Questions, answered.
Is it free? Is my data safe?
Yes, it's completely free. It runs entirely in your browser, collects nothing and sends nothing anywhere. See the privacy policy.
Which browsers does it work in?
Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium-based browsers, on a computer. In Edge, choose Allow extensions from other stores when the store asks. Firefox, Safari and phones aren't supported.
Why don't I see the split layout?
If the YouTube tab was already open when you installed Glowpane, reload it once. The split also needs a large, landscape window, so make the window bigger or go full screen. It steps aside in theater mode too; press t to switch back.
What about vertical videos and live streams?
Vertical videos get an even split, with Recommended and Comments side by side. During a live stream, the Recommended pane shows the live chat instead.
How do I turn on ambient light?
Use the Ambient light switch behind the extension's toolbar icon, where you can also set its strength. In dark theme it follows YouTube's own Ambient mode too, in the player's settings (the gear icon).
How do I watch just the video, or hide a pane?
For just the video, drag the divider to the window edge and let go; click the thin strip at that edge to bring the side pane back. To hide the description, recommendations or comments for good, switch them off behind the extension's toolbar icon.
Found a bug or have an idea?
Please open an issue on GitHub. There's a short form for bug reports and one for feature ideas.