How to Control YouTube on Your PC From Your Phone

Disclosure: we make SofaDeck, which is one of the options below. The built-in Windows methods come first and need no extra software. Facts about other products were checked on 11 October 2026 and can change.

Watching YouTube on a PC plugged into the TV is great until you need to pause, skip or turn it up. The YouTube app on your phone can't cast to a Windows PC, so here's how to control YouTube in the PC's browser from your phone.

Know the keys YouTube listens to

Every method below works by sending these keys to the browser tab that's playing:

K or Space: play and pause
J / L: back and forward 10 seconds
F: fullscreen on and off
M: mute
Shift + N: next video in a playlist

Windows' media keys (play/pause, next, previous) also reach YouTube in Chrome and Edge, because the browser reports what's playing to Windows.

Free, built in: a wireless keyboard

A small wireless keyboard with a touchpad is the no-software answer, and it doubles for typing searches. It's one more thing on the coffee table.

From your phone: SofaDeck

SofaDeck puts buttons on your phone's screen, in the browser: Play / Pause, Next, Fullscreen, volume and a YouTube button that opens it. Single keys like F, J and L work in the free version, so you can make "Back 10s" and "Forward 10s" buttons. Or talk: say lofi beats on YouTube to open a search, pause, or volume 30.

SofaDeck on a phone: a 3 by 4 grid of buttons (Play/Pause, Previous, Next, Vol −, Mute, Vol +, YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, Fullscreen, Enter, Lock PC) with a say-or-type bar and a microphone button — Screenshot: the default SofaDeck page on a phone, connected to a PC called Living Room PC.

Direct installer .exe · 3.7 MB Store version signed by Microsoft No account Local network only Signed updates SofaDeck installs on your Windows PC. Your phone is the remote — it works in the phone’s browser. Or email me the link to open on my PCOne email from support@dixonappstudio.com. No list unless you tick the box. PrivacyOr on your PC, go to sofadeck.com/get

Make it couch-proof

Make YouTube the only tab in a browser window, so keys always reach it.
Turn on autoplay or use a playlist, so you rarely need to pick the next video.
Use the TV's remote for TV volume and the phone for Windows volume, not both.

More: the best remote for a living-room PC and use your phone as a PC media remote.

Frequently asked questions

Can I cast YouTube from my phone to my Windows PC?

Not with the YouTube app's cast button: it casts to Chromecast, smart TVs, consoles and streaming devices, and a Windows PC isn't one of them. Control the PC's browser with a phone remote instead.

What are YouTube's keyboard shortcuts?

K or Space plays and pauses, J and L jump back and forward 10 seconds, F toggles fullscreen, M mutes, and Shift+N plays the next video in a playlist.

Can I search YouTube on my PC by voice from my phone?

With SofaDeck, say something like 'lofi beats on YouTube' and it opens that YouTube search in your PC's default browser.