How to pin the media-play control button assembly on a Chromebook Shelf

If you have or have ever used a Chromebook, you probably already know that Chrome OS doesn't run traditional music apps for PCs.

However, instead, users can completely pin a 'mini media player' to the Chromebook's taskbar (also known as 'Shelf') for instant control of all playback activities. audio or video in progress in the Chrome browser. Here's how to do it.

( Note: To use this feature, your Chromebook must be running on Chrome OS 89 or later. You can check for new updates by navigating to Settings > About Chrome).

To pin the media-play control key assembly to the Chromebook Shelf's bottom row of apps, you'll first need to play any media files in the Chrome browser. This could be anything from a YouTube video to a song on Spotify.

When music or video is playing on Chrome, you click the status area in the bottom right corner of your Chromebook screen, as shown below.

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In the Quick Settings quick settings menu that pops up, you'll find an extension that lets you control media playback over the audio or video you're playing on Chrome.

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Click on this utility to access the 'Media Controls' settings panel. Next, click the pin icon in the top right corner of this panel to bring the Media Controls utility to the Chromebook Shelf.

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Once pinned, you'll see a new media player icon (music note) displayed on your Chromebook's taskbar.

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Click this button to access media playback controls for any or all of the music and videos currently playing on Chrome. This option will disappear when you close the tab playing audio in Chrome and will automatically reappear when you play new content.

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You can of course unpin the Media Controls utility from your Chromebook Shelf by clicking on it and tapping the pin button in the top right corner.

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