Enable Picture-in-Picture Mode in GNOME Shell

Updated 7 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Yes, GNOME Shell supports Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode, but it is not enabled by default in the standard X11 session; you need to enable it manually via a hidden setting or use the built-in support in the Wayland session. This article explains exactly how to turn it on, what the differences are between display servers, and how to manage the floating video window once it is active.

What Picture-in-Picture Means in GNOME

Picture-in-Picture is a window mode where a video plays in a small, always-on-top window that floats above other applications. In GNOME Shell, this is handled by the Mutter compositor. When a web browser or media player supports the HTML5 video PiP API, the video can be detached from its original page and placed into this special window. The window stays visible even when you switch to another workspace or open a full-screen application, which makes it useful for watching a lecture, a live stream, or a video call while working in another window.

GNOME does not provide a visible toggle in the Settings application for this feature. Instead, it is controlled by a boolean key in the dconf configuration system. The setting is named enable-picture-in-picture and lives under the org.gnome.mutter schema. When set to true, the compositor allows applications to create PiP windows. When false (the default on X11), the request is ignored, and the video stays embedded in the page.

How to Enable It on X11 (Most Linux Distributions)

If you are running a standard GNOME session on X11 (which is still the default on many distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora Workstation), you need to change the Mutter setting manually. The easiest way is to use the gsettings command-line tool. Open a terminal and run:

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter enable-picture-in-picture true

This change takes effect immediately for new PiP requests. Existing browser tabs may need to be reloaded, and some applications may need to be restarted. To verify that the setting was applied, run:

gsettings get org.gnome.mutter enable-picture-in-picture

It should output true. To revert to the default behavior, replace true with false in the first command.

An alternative is to use the graphical dconf-editor tool. Install it from your distribution’s package manager, navigate to org → gnome → mutter, and toggle the enable-picture-in-picture switch. This is useful if you prefer not to use the terminal.

What About Wayland? (It Is Already Enabled)

If you are using a GNOME session on Wayland, the PiP feature is enabled by default. The Mutter compositor on Wayland supports the picture-in-picture window type natively, and no configuration change is required. You can check which session you are running by looking at the gear icon on the login screen before you enter your password, or by running echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE in a terminal. If it prints wayland, you are on Wayland; if it prints x11, you are on X11.

One practical difference: on Wayland, the PiP window is always placed in the top-right corner of the screen by default, and it cannot be moved by dragging the title bar in the same way as a normal window. You can, however, drag it from the video area itself. On X11, the PiP window behaves like a regular window and can be moved and resized freely.

How to Actually Use PiP in a Browser

Once the Mutter setting is enabled, the next step is to trigger PiP from the application. In Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome (and Chromium-based browsers like Brave or Edge), the mechanism is the same:

Right-click on the video twice. The first right-click opens the browser’s context menu; the second right-click opens the video-specific menu.
Select the “Picture-in-Picture” option from that menu.
The video will pop out into a small floating window. You can drag it to any corner of the screen.
To close PiP, click the close button (an X) on the floating window, or click the PiP icon that appears in the browser’s tab bar.

Firefox also has a keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+] toggles PiP for the current video. Chrome does not have a default keyboard shortcut, but you can assign one via an extension. Note that the video must be playing (or at least paused) for the menu option to appear; it will not show up for purely audio elements or for videos that use a non-standard player.

Common Problems and Fixes

The most common issue is that the PiP option does not appear in the right-click menu, even after enabling the setting. This usually happens for one of three reasons:

You are on X11 and the setting did not apply. Double-check with gsettings get and make sure you are not running a different compositor (like KWin or a standalone window manager).
The browser is not using the HTML5 video API. Some sites use Flash or a custom player that does not support PiP. Try a different site, such as YouTube or Vimeo, to confirm the feature works.
The extension or user script is blocking it. Some privacy extensions can interfere with the video element. Test in a private window with extensions disabled.

Another common problem is that the PiP window disappears when you switch workspaces. This is expected behavior on X11 unless you have the “Always on Top” window property set. You can right-click the PiP window’s title bar and select “Always on Top” to keep it visible across workspaces. On Wayland, the PiP window is always on top by design.

If the PiP window is too large or too small, you can resize it by dragging its edges, just like any other window. Some applications may reset the size when the video resolution changes; this is a limitation of the application, not of GNOME.

Alternatives and Extensions

If the built-in PiP does not meet your needs, there are a few alternatives. For browsers, the “Picture-in-Picture” extension for Firefox and Chrome adds a toolbar button that toggles PiP with one click, which is more convenient than the right-click menu. For system-wide PiP, you can use a window manager rule to force any window to be always-on-top and small. On X11, tools like devilspie2 or gdevilspie can automatically resize and pin a specific window. On Wayland, this is not possible because the compositor controls window placement, and third-party tools do not have the same level of access.

Another option is to use a dedicated media player that supports PiP natively, such as VLC or MPV. VLC has a “Always on Top” toggle and a “Minimize to Tray” feature, but it does not have a true PiP mode. MPV can be configured with a script to create a small always-on-top window, but this requires manual setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the PiP option greyed out in my browser?
This usually means the browser does not detect a valid HTML5 video element. Some sites embed videos in iframes or use a custom player that does not expose the video to the PiP API. Try a different site, or check if the video is playing in a separate tab.

Does enabling PiP affect performance?
No. The PiP window is just a normal window handled by the compositor. The video decoding continues in the browser, so CPU and GPU usage are the same as when the video is embedded. The only difference is that the video is rendered in a separate window, which has a negligible overhead.

Can I have multiple PiP windows at the same time?
Yes, you can. Each video that you pop out becomes its own PiP window. There is no built-in limit in GNOME, but having too many may clutter your screen. The browser itself may limit the number of PiP windows per tab, but you can open multiple tabs and pop out one video from each.

Will this setting break anything else?
No. The enable-picture-in-picture key only controls whether applications are allowed to create PiP windows. It does not affect any other window behavior. If you never use PiP, leaving it enabled is harmless.

Does GNOME PiP work with video calls (Zoom, Meet, Teams)?
It depends on the application. Web-based video calls that use the HTML5 video element can be popped out, but the PiP window will only show the remote video, not the controls. Desktop applications like Zoom or Teams have their own PiP implementation, which is separate from GNOME’s feature. For those, look for a “minimize to floating window” option inside the app.

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