YouTube Leanback: What Happened and How to Watch YouTube Full Screen on TV

YouTube Leanback was a TV-style way to watch YouTube full screen in HD, launched in 2010 for big screens and controlled entirely with the keyboard or a remote. It was retired in 2019. Here is what Leanback did and how to watch YouTube full screen on your TV or computer today.

Quick answer: YouTube Leanback lived at youtube.com/leanback and later youtube.com/tv, offering a lean-back, full-screen feed for large screens. YouTube switched the web version off on October 2, 2019 and pointed users to supported devices. Today use the YouTube app on a smart TV, streaming stick or game console, cast from your phone, or press F for full screen on a computer.

What was YouTube Leanback?

Leanback promised to make watching YouTube as easy as watching TV. You could sit back as your feed played instantly, based on your YouTube settings and preferences, including videos from your subscriptions and videos friends shared on Facebook. It offered popular comedy, entertainment, news and many other channels in full-screen HD.

All controls worked from a few keyboard keys, so you did not need a mouse. The right arrow skipped to the next video, and the up and down arrows let you search, open player controls and browse channels.

Here is YouTube’s original Leanback introduction video:

What happened to YouTube Leanback

Leanback became the basis of YouTube’s TV interface on Google TV devices and later moved to youtube.com/tv, which was popular with home theatre PC owners. YouTube shut down that browser version on October 2, 2019, telling users to watch on a supported device instead. The same TV-style interface lives on in the YouTube apps for TVs.

How to watch YouTube full screen on a TV today

• Smart TV app: most smart TVs, including Google TV, Android TV, Samsung, LG and Fire TV models, have a YouTube app with the familiar lean-back layout.
• Streaming device or console: plug in a streaming media player such as a Google TV Streamer, Fire TV Stick or Roku, or use a games console.
• Cast from your phone: tap the Cast icon in the YouTube (external site) app to send a video to a Chromecast or smart TV, then use your phone as the remote.
• Link with a TV code: in the TV app’s settings, choose to link a phone with a TV code so you can queue videos from your phone.

Watch YouTube full screen on a computer

On a laptop or a PC connected to a TV, open any video and use YouTube’s built-in keyboard shortcuts:

• F: enter full screen (press F again or Esc to exit).
• K or Space: play and pause.
• Shift+N: next video in a playlist.
• C: turn captions on or off.

To keep a full-screen session family-friendly, see how to block adult content on YouTube. And if you need videos offline, here is how to download YouTube videos legally.

FAQ

Does youtube.com/leanback still work?

No. The web version of the TV interface was turned off on October 2, 2019.

What replaced YouTube Leanback?

The YouTube apps for smart TVs, streaming devices and game consoles, which use the same lean-back style.

How do I make YouTube full screen with the keyboard?

Press F while a video is selected. Press F again or Esc to exit.

Can I control YouTube on my TV with my phone?

Yes. Cast from the YouTube app, or link your phone to the TV app with a TV code.

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