ReplayGlows extension
Use the ReplayGlows extension
This guide describes the current extension controls. Publication on the Chrome Web Store is in progress; if you already have a test version installed, open it from the browser toolbar while a media page is active.
Publication on the Chrome Web Store is in progress: there is no public download link yet. Filters, notes and player tools need no account; study cards require a ReplayGlows account.
1. Set your usual pace
Open a supported page with video or audio, then open ReplayGlows. Use the bottom playback card to select a preset or move the slider. With Global scope, the rate becomes your shared base for supported unpinned tabs. You can set your favorite rate and shortcut increment in Options.
2. Slow down just one tab
Pin the current tab in the playback card, then choose its speed. Other unpinned tabs keep following the shared rate. Unpin to join the latest global rate. Pins survive page navigation within the session; closing the tab or restarting the browser clears them. Your base speed and preferences remain saved locally.
3. Repeat a passage
Expand “Repeat a passage · A–B loop” in the playback card. On finite-duration media, use “Start A” at the start and “End B” at a later position. On the current YouTube video, select the two bookmarks that mark the beginning and the end, then click “Repeat between these bookmarks”. The extension interface can be shown in English or French; choose the language under Language in Options. Playback repeats between A and B. Clear the loop to stop repeating. Seeking outside the segment, changing the media or navigating away clears it too. The loop itself is not saved in your notes.
4. Keep useful moments
YouTube bookmarks retain timestamps and notes so you can return later. JSON export downloads a file; Markdown export copies text to the clipboard. JSON import validates the file, then asks for confirmation before replacing all current bookmarks. Export a backup first if you need to keep the current records. A temporary loop or pinned-tab speed is not part of that export.
5. Make shortcuts comfortable
Open Options to change playback shortcuts and the speed increment. Avoid combinations already assigned to bookmark actions: conflicts are rejected. Playback shortcuts ignore editable fields. Hold the boost key to accelerate temporarily; releasing it or leaving the page focus restores the effective rate.
6. Watch comfortably on YouTube
Under the player, the seek buttons jump back or forward 3 s or 15 s (Ctrl halves the step, Shift doubles it, Ctrl+Shift multiplies it by five). You can turn them off or change the steps in Options, under “Display”. Videos resume where you stopped; a link with a timestamp opens at that moment instead. Big screen mode stretches the video across the window, and the mini player keeps it visible when you scroll to the comments or notes. Both are toggled from the ReplayGlows bar or in Options. Subtitle size, position and background are set in Options.
7. Sort playlists and Watch later
On a playlist page, click “Multi-select” at the bottom right. Click a video to tick it; Shift+click selects a range and Ctrl+A selects all. Copy or move the selection to another playlist or to Watch later, or remove it after a second click to confirm. Filter by title (accents are ignored) and remove duplicates, keeping the first copy of each video. A change is shown only once YouTube confirms it; if you are signed out of YouTube, a message explains why. The Watch later button on thumbnails adds a video on one click and removes it on a second.
8. Block channels, Shorts and comments
Open the ⋮ menu of a video and choose “Block the channel” or “Block this video”; in a comment’s ⋮ menu, choose “Hide comments from…”. The card disappears at once and a message offers to undo. To go further, open Options, “YouTube filters”: list channels (name, @handle, id or link), words to hide from titles or comments, and videos, one per line. A keyword matches a whole word, ignoring case and accents; write /pattern/i for a regular expression, and add a note after “#”. Toggles hide Shorts (a Short link opens in the regular player), generated mixes, movies, Explore, videos outside a duration range and videos already watched past a percentage, and stop “Continue watching?” pauses. A blocked video you open directly is covered with a “Watch anyway” button. Your history and playlists are never filtered. See what filters can hide.
9. Create a study card
Sign in to ReplayGlows first: study cards are stored in your account and are not available without it. Click the Card button in the ReplayGlows bar under a YouTube player to open the form at the current moment, or create a card from the Watch page. Write a question and an answer; the passage is set around the moment. With your own OpenRouter or Cerebras key, you can ask for an AI draft and edit it before saving. AI drafts are part of the Pro plan. The free plan allows 50 cards, with 10 per video.
10. Review due cards
Open the Review page to see your due cards. Press Space to reveal the answer, then replay the passage or open it in Watch. Grade the card Again, Hard, Good or Easy, or press keys 1 to 4. Again brings the card back later in the same session, and each button shows when the card will come back.
When controls are unavailable
Start the media, check that you are on a supported web page and reopen the popup. After updating the extension, refresh existing tabs. If controls are suspended, re-enable them. A restricted browser page or inaccessible player cannot be controlled. If a site forces its own rate, the displayed media state may differ from your requested rate.
Default playback shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Slower / faster | Alt + Shift + S / D |
| Reset to 1× | Alt + Shift + R |
| Favorite speed | Alt + Shift + F |
| Seek backward / forward | Alt + Shift + Z / X |
| Hold to boost | Alt + Shift + G |
| Set A / set B | Alt + Shift + A / B |
| Clear loop | Alt + Shift + C |
| Suspend / resume controls | Alt + Shift + V |
Put it into practice
Follow a worked example using a difficult YouTube passage, two bookmarks and a slower pinned tab.
Try a review workflow →