YouTube redesigns its video player for the first time in a decade — and users aren’t thrilled

On the 20th anniversary of its first-ever video upload, YouTube quietly rolled out a redesigned web player — the platform’s first major update in ten years. But the response hasn’t been all celebratory: users are already voicing frustrations with the new interface.

Reports of the redesign first surfaced on Reddit. It’s currently being tested on select accounts, with some users only seeing the new layout on secondary profiles, while their main accounts still show the old player.

Key changes include reworked control buttons — like play, pause, next, chapters, and timestamps — now housed in separate background containers. Volume and settings controls have been relocated and bundled into a new section.

The volume slider in particular has drawn backlash. Users say it’s no longer possible to adjust sound quickly using the mouse wheel or keyboard shortcuts. Others describe the new design as cluttered and less intuitive. Google has yet to officially announce the redesign, and there’s no word on when it will be rolled out platform-wide.