macOS Sierra: Picture in Picture Mode for Safari and iTunes Videos - MacRumors
Skip to Content

macOS Sierra: Picture in Picture Mode for Safari and iTunes Videos

by

With macOS Sierra, users can can float a video window from Safari or iTunes over the desktop or an app thanks to a new picture-in-picture mode. The feature enables Mac users to play a video in any one of the four corners of the desktop and resize it to see more or less of the window behind it.

youtube-picture-in-picture
The video remains pinned above the desktop and apps, including in full-screen mode and split view, so long as the Safari tab or iTunes window where the video originates remains open. The picture-in-picture window has buttons to close or unpin the video, and play and pause controls, but no rewind, fast forward, or scrubbing options.

cnn-picture-in-picture-safari-annotated
In Safari, picture-in-picture mode currently only works on certain websites, such as YouTube, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal, but the feature should become more widely available as other websites implement it. In the meantime, it does not work on websites like Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, AMC, or The New York Times.

youtube-picture-in-picture-safari
Even on YouTube, enabling picture-in-picture mode currently requires somewhat of a workaround. Since there is no picture-in-picture mode button in the video player itself, like in the CNN screenshot above, enabling the feature on YouTube requires right-clicking the video player twice until a contextual menu pops up with the option.

macOS Sierra was released today as a free download on the Mac App Store.

Tags: iTunes, Safari
Related Forums: macOS Sierra, Mac Apps

Top Rated Comments

126 months ago
You have to right-click twice.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shanson27 Avatar
126 months ago
where did you get that wallpaper from? can you share the link? :)
Wallpaper

https://cl.ly/3o2g2n432d2Q/23932828839_fc0f1868d2_o.jpg
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wlossw Avatar
126 months ago
Does not work with plex, or Netflix...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shanson27 Avatar
126 months ago
Picture in Picture

Attachment Image
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

MacBook Pro Low Angle Wide Lens

macOS 27: Two More Changes Leaked Ahead of WWDC Next Month

Sunday May 10, 2026 9:45 am PDT by
macOS 27 will have a "slight redesign" compared to macOS Tahoe, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the design changes will help to improve the readability of macOS Tahoe's Liquid Glass interface:If you've used Tahoe, you're likely familiar with some of the quirks — particularly the transparency effects and shadows that...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...