How to change video playback speed on Windows, from 0.1x to 16x
Skim a long lecture at double speed, or slow a fast moment right down. The speed picker is one click away.
LAAGU··2 min readTimeline
Why change the speed
Faster playback saves time on talks, tutorials, meetings and recorded streams. Slower playback helps you catch a move in a game recording, follow a fast instruction, or study a gesture. Timeline has a speed picker built into the player so you never need a separate tool.
How to set the playback speed
- Play a video, then press CtrlS to open the player settings.
- Open the Playback speed row.
- Click a preset: 0.5x, 0.75x, Normal, 1.25x, 1.5x or 2x.
- Or use the Custom speed slider for anything in between.
The setting is remembered, so the next video starts at the speed you chose. Set it back to Normal when you want it reset.
Try it in Timeline
Free for Windows 10 and 11. One installer, nothing else to set up.
The custom speed slider
The slider covers a very wide range, 0.1x up to 16x. At the slow end you can crawl through a clip frame by frame in effect; at the fast end you can skim a very long recording to find the part you need. Drag it and the video follows immediately.
| Speed | Good for |
|---|---|
| 0.1x to 0.5x | Studying a fast action, checking a detail in a recording |
| 0.75x | Following a quick speaker or a tricky tutorial |
| 1.25x to 1.5x | Lectures and talks you want to get through faster |
| 2x | Skimming long videos you mostly know |
| Above 2x | Scanning very long recordings to find a moment |
What about the sound
When you change the speed, the audio plays at the new speed too, so very high or very low speeds sound very different. For listening, the range around 1.25x to 2x is the comfortable one.
Slow motion versus frame stepping
If you want to look at one exact moment, a slow speed is not as precise as stepping through the video one frame at a time. See frame-by-frame stepping for that.
Speed in a watch together session
In a watch together session the speed belongs to the session: when someone who is allowed to control playback changes it, everyone follows. The speed row shows the session's speed, and if the host has turned off shared control, guests cannot change it.
Questions
What is the highest speed Timeline can play at?
The custom speed slider goes from 0.1x up to 16x.
Is there a keyboard shortcut for speed?
The speed is set from the player settings (Ctrl+S). The keys for seeking, frame stepping, volume and the rest are listed in the keyboard shortcuts guide.
Does Timeline remember my speed?
Yes. The speed you set is kept for the next video until you change it.
