Prevent YouTube Fullscreen from Jumping to a New Desktop Space on macOS (Firefox)

Questions & Suggestions
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1

Hi everyone,

I’m using a Mac and browsing YouTube in Firefox on Desktop 1 (Mission Control space).
Whenever I click the fullscreen button on a YouTube video, macOS jumps the video into a new fullscreen space (like Desktop 3).
I want the fullscreen video to stay in Desktop 1, without switching to a new space.

Is there a way to force YouTube videos to go fullscreen within the current desktop, without creating a separate full-screen space?

I’ve already tried:

  • Using Control + Command + F to full-screen the browser first — this works, but it’s not ideal since it not really show the video in full screen, it just full screen the entire browser .
  • I heard disabling "Displays have separate Spaces" in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Mission Control can help — but I’m concerned this might affect my ability to use multiple desktops (I usually use around 10 Spaces).

Any clean workaround or Terminal command to force fullscreen to stay on the current desktop?

Thanks!

2

You could try disabling the native fullscreen mode in Firefox. Go to about:config (in the search/url bar) and change full-screen-api.macos-native-full-screen to false. I think this might be what you're after.

3

I feel your pain. this is a peeve of mine. But to clarify something - whenever any window on macOS goes fullscreen, a new desktop is created, right? If I understand your request, the behavior you're talking about is system-wide.
( Try that right now - first do [whatever gesture] to see your current desktops. Then zoom any window to full screen. then survey all the desktops again. notice that a new desktop is created for the zoomed window.)

Anyway, by definition a full screen window is its own desktop. So whether it's called "Desktop 1" or something else, I don't quite see the behavior you're trying to create.

the way this interferes for me is:

  • go to video
  • go full screen
  • decide to look at something else in safari, so I type ⌘+N or ⌘+T to open a new safari window/tab.
  • then safari slides what I'm watching away, and creates another fullscreen browser window.
  • Me: :imp:

For me, the goal is to keep the video visible and also start a new, not-fullscreen browser window.

if I'm on a single screen, I'd like it to unzoom the video and open a new browser in front.

on multi screen, leave the video alone and open a new browser window on the other monitor.

ok. guess I'll get to work on that.