Alex Ruben
How To Activate Picture-in-Picture Mode in VLC Media Player 2025
Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode in VLC Media Player lets you keep watching videos while still doing other stuff on your desktop. It’s pretty useful if you don’t want to switch constantly between windows or tabs. But figuring out how to actually turn it on isn’t always straightforward, especially since VLC’s settings aren’t always super intuitive for this feature.
Prerequisites
Before diving into the steps, make sure you’ve got VLC Media Player installed. Grab the latest version from the official VLC website. This process works on both Windows 10/11 and macOS, but the steps have some little differences.
Step 1: Open VLC Media Player
Start VLC by clicking its icon or finding it in your applications or start menu. Not sure if it’s running the latest? Might be worth checking that if PiP not working.
Step 2: Open Preferences
Once VLC is open, go to the top menu Tools and click on Preferences. Yep, that’s where all the magic begins. On Windows, it’s pretty straightforward; on Mac, you’ll see it in the menu bar.
Step 3: Show Advanced Settings
At the bottom of the Preferences window, you’ll see Show settings. Switch it from Simple to All. This unlocks deep options that aren’t visible at first glance — kind of annoying, but hey, VLC likes to keep some features hidden behind the curtain.
Step 4: Head to Video Settings
In the left sidebar, find and click on Video. Be aware, some options are under submenus, so you might need to scroll a little. Now, look for Window decorations. It’s often checked by default, but for PiP, you might want to untick it (if applicable). However, the real secret lies elsewhere—see below.
Step 5: Turn on Always on Top
This is the big trick. Still in Video, find the Always on top checkbox. Check it. This makes VLC’s window stay in front of everything else—kind of like a persistent overlay. Believe it or not, this is the core of PiP for VLC; it’s not a dedicated PiP mode, but it does the trick.
Step 6: Save Changes
Hit the Save button at the bottom. Your settings should stick around unless you close VLC without saving, so double-check before closing.
Step 7: Restart VLC
Close VLC entirely and reopen. Sometimes, the setting doesn’t kick in until you restart, especially on Windows. On some setups, you might have to manually resize or position the window to get that PiP look—small, floating, always on top.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
If PiP isn’t working after these steps, check if you’ve got the latest version of VLC. Outdated versions sometimes have bugs or missing features. Also, ensure your OS is up to date—on Windows, that means the latest updates, and on Mac, the current OS version.
Note: On some setups, the Always on top toggle doesn’t work right away or only after multiple restarts. Weird, but that’s VLC sometimes—because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary.
If it still doesn’t hold on top, try this little command in PowerShell (on Windows):
PowerShell
Get-Process vlc | Set-ProcessProperty -Name MainWindowHandle -Value 'some value here' # Not always reliable, but sometimes tweaking window focus helpsHonestly, that’s probably overkill; most times, just enabling Always on top is enough. If that doesn’t work, it might be interference from other window management apps or OS settings.
And hey, if you want to disable PiP later, just uncheck Always on top and save again. Easy.
Conclusion
Enabling PiP kinda hinges on this simple toggle—Always on top. No official PiP mode from VLC yet, but this workaround works well enough. Keep in mind, resizing the window smaller manually helps, and sometimes repositioning it on your screen makes it feel more like a true PiP.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enable PiP mode on macOS similarly?
More or less, yeah. The steps are identical because VLC just replicates the same options. Just remember to check Always on top after you enable advanced prefs.
What if VLC doesn’t stay on top after you set it?
This can happen. Check your system’s window management settings—on Windows, maybe a conflict with a third-party app like DisplayFusion or similar. Sometimes, a restart or closing other apps that interfere does the trick.
Are there alternative players that do this better?
Definitely. Players like MPC-HC or PotPlayer have true PiP modes built-in, no messing around with always on top. But VLC tends to be more versatile for all kinds of formats.
Summary
- Turn on advanced settings in VLC preferences
- Find the Always on top checkbox in Video settings
- Save and restart VLC, then resize/position window as needed
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Working with VLC’s quirks is kinda weird, but it’s doable. Fingers crossed this helps.