I regularly watch videos on YouTube. I use it to learn things that require more immediate instruction than one would find in the written word and to be entertained. But I’ve always found the web browser interface with YouTube to be lacking.Also: How to download YouTube videos for free, plus two other waysThat’s why, when I need to view a YouTube video on my desktop, I turn to a little tool called Minitube. Essentially, Minitube is all about making YouTube look and feel a bit more like a traditional television experience. Instead of viewing videos in your browser, you view them in their own app that includes some pretty cool features, such as: Easy channel subscription.Built-in share tool.Related videos search.Floating, compact, and full-screen modes.Find video parts (if available within the video).Easy resolution switching.
I’ve always been a fan of not throwing every single thing I use into a web browser. Any time I can opt to use an app over a browser tab. Minitube is free for Linux but for MacOS and Windows, there’s an associated cost (roughly $11). Is it worth the cost? You can download, install, and try it out before you decide to pay. You can use Minitube on both MacOS and Windows for free as well, but the free versions don’t include forever updates and email support.Installing Minitube on Linux
What you’ll need: To install Minitube on Linux, you’ll need a Ubuntu/Debian distribution (as the developer only ships a .deb installer) and a user with sudo privileges.Also: Too many Google Chrome tabs open? Here’s how to take back controlIf you find a channel you want to subscribe to, simply play a video from the channel, click the three-dot menu button near the upper right corner of the video, and click Subscribe to X (Where X is the channel name). My only gripe with Minitube
I have only two problems with Minitube. The first is Linux-specific in that it can be (at times) a bit slow to load videos. Once videos start playing, they’re fine — so just have a bit of patience. The other problem I have pertains to all three platforms: The app doesn’t allow you to get back to the main page once you’ve started watching a video. That’s fine because you can still search for new videos from the playing screen. However, to get back to your subscriptions, you have to close the app and re-open it. It would be nice if there was a Subscription entry in the View menu but that’s not the case.Also: The top 6 new YouTube features and design updatesEven with those two gripes, Minitube is a fine way of interacting with YouTube videos when you’d rather not have to open yet another tab or leave the tab you are currently working with. It’s not perfect but it’s served me well over the years.
Transform Your PC into a TV with This YouTube Viewing App
