In the Chrome Web StoreYouTube Sleep Timer help and support
This page covers the most common YouTube Sleep Timer problems, from a missing player button to a timer that doesn't pause. If your problem isn't listed, email support with the details below.
First things to try
- Reload the YouTube tab, then look for the clock button in the player's lower-right controls.
- Start the timer in the same tab that plays the video, because each tab has its own timer.
- Keep the tab and Chrome open until the timer ends, because closing either cancels the timer.
- On YouTube Music or m.youtube.com, click the extension icon and choose Activate in Player or Use only popup.
Common problems and fixes
Sleep timer button doesn't show in the YouTube player
Reload the YouTube tab and the clock button appears in the player's right-side controls. When you install or update the extension it adds the button to open youtube.com tabs automatically, but a tab that was busy loading can miss it. You can also use the same timer from the extension icon in the toolbar.
Sleep timer doesn't pause the video
The timer pauses the video only in the tab where you started it, so start it in the tab that is playing. Closing that tab or quitting Chrome cancels the timer. While a timer runs, the clock button in the player turns red; if it isn't red, start the timer again.
Next video still plays after the end-of-video timer
Choose Video mode before you press Start: it turns off YouTube autoplay and Loop and pauses at the end of the current video. If you turn autoplay or Loop back on after starting, the timer can't stop at the end. Ads don't count, so the timer waits for the video itself to end.
Clock-time timer is set for tomorrow
If the time you pick is already past today, the timer is set for that time tomorrow. Check AM and PM, or switch 12-hour format in Settings if the clock shows the wrong format.
How do I set a sleep timer longer than 60 minutes?
Tap the minutes value in Timer mode and pick any duration up to 180 minutes. To change the six quick buttons (10, 15, 20, 30, 45 and 60 minutes), open Settings and edit Preset values (min).
Sleep timer doesn't work on YouTube Music
Access to music.youtube.com and m.youtube.com is optional, so turn it on first. Open the site, click the extension icon and choose Activate in Player; Chrome asks for permission and the tab reloads with the button in the player bar. Choose Use only popup to keep the timer in the toolbar popup without the extra permission.
Playback speed or loop doesn't apply
Speed and Loop are not applied while an ad plays; they apply again when the video resumes. If you change speed in YouTube's own menu, the extension picks up that value. Use the reset button next to the speed to go back to 1x.
Dim screen option is missing
Dim screen is in the Settings of the panel inside the YouTube player, not in the toolbar popup. It darkens the video and fades the player controls, which come back when you move the mouse over the player.
Extension says Open YouTube to use this extension
The extension works only on YouTube pages, so this message appears on other sites. Click Teleport to YouTube or open youtube.com in the tab.
Your data
Your settings (presets, dim level, 12-hour format, language, loop and speed) are saved in Chrome's sync storage, so they follow your Chrome profile if Chrome sync is on. Running timers are kept in Chrome's local storage per tab and removed when the tab closes. There is no export; removing the extension clears all of it.
When you write to us
- The timer mode (Timer, Time or Video) and the duration or clock time you set.
- The site (www.youtube.com, music.youtube.com or m.youtube.com) and what was playing: a single video, a playlist, a live stream or a Short.
- Whether you used the clock button in the player or the toolbar popup.
- Whether an ad played, or you switched videos or tabs, before the timer ended.
- The extension name and its version from
chrome://extensions. - Your Chrome version from
chrome://settings/helpand your operating system. - What you did, what you expected and what happened instead.
- A screenshot, if the problem is visible on the screen.