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PlayFrom
Start every video on your sites at the exact time you choose.
By Virgil DeanUpdated Version 1.0.0
Free · No account required · Available for Chrome
Overview#
PlayFrom starts videos at a time you choose, on the sites you choose. A rule
is simply a URL prefix and a time — https://www.youtube.com/ at 03:55, a
course path at the minute the lecture actually begins — and from then on,
every matching video you open lands at that point instead of replaying the
intro for the tenth time.
The rule it never breaks: your real progress wins. If the site has already restored a later position — you watched half the episode yesterday — that position is kept. PlayFrom only moves a video forward to the time you set, never backward. It also refuses to fight the page: it waits for the main video and its progress to settle, waits out ads rather than blocking them, and each video is handled at most once per page load, so your own scrubbing is never overridden. Nothing happens in secret, either — just before a jump, a small tip appears near the progress bar with the target time and a Cancel button.
It runs entirely in the browser. Rules live in Chrome's sync storage, access is requested site by site, and the extension makes no network requests of its own. The trade-offs come from that restraint: some heavily customized players (closed Shadow DOM, canvas rendering, DRM) can't be reached, live streams can't be seeked, and it will not skip ads for you.
What it does
The capabilities PlayFrom ships with today, as implemented — not a roadmap.
Per-site start-time rules
Each rule pairs a URL prefix with a time like 03:55. Every matching video you open starts there — and when several rules match, the most specific prefix wins.
Never loses your real progress
If a site has already restored a position later than your target — say you watched half the episode yesterday — that position stays. Videos are never dragged backward.
Waits for the right moment
The extension finds the page's main video and waits for its progress to settle before seeking, so it doesn't fight the player. When a pre-roll or mid-roll ad is playing, it waits the ad out instead of acting.
Announces before it jumps
No silent jumps. Just before seeking, a small tip appears near the progress bar showing the target time and a 3-second countdown — one click on Cancel stops that jump, and the rule stays for next time.
Handles modern players
Works on single-page apps like YouTube, where clicking around swaps videos without a page load, and reaches players inside iframes and open Shadow DOM — as long as you've granted access to that site.
Site-by-site permissions
It requests access only to the sites you add rules for. An optional all-sites mode exists for players buried in third-party iframes, and you can revoke everything from the rules page.
Eight languages, zero accounts
The interface follows your browser language — English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Simplified or Traditional Chinese. Rules sync through your Chrome account; the extension makes no network requests of its own.
Who it is for
Common situations this extension handles well, and what people typically use it for.
Skip recurring intros and recaps
Daily news shows, variety episodes and serialized drama often open with the same few minutes. Set one rule per site and every new episode starts after them.
Get to the point of long tutorials
Course videos and conference talks where the useful part starts minutes in — jump straight there on every page load instead of scrubbing each time.
Re-watch matches and streams
Rebroadcasts and VODs where the action starts late. Open the page and land at the timestamp you chose, once, without touching the progress bar.
Replay a segment for practice
Studying a language or a piece of music from a recording: pin the start to the section you're working on and every visit resumes there.
How to use PlayFrom
From install to first result in four steps.
Add a rule from the popup
Open a video page, click the PlayFrom icon and the site's address is prefilled. Type a time — 03:55, 1:02:03 or plain seconds — and save.
Grant access to that site
Chrome asks whether PlayFrom may read and change data on this one site. Allow it — nothing is requested for other sites.
Refresh and play
Reload the page. Once the video and its progress are ready, a tip near the progress bar announces the jump with a countdown — cancel it, or let it run and the video starts at your time. A small toast in the corner confirms what happened.
Adjust or pause anytime
Toggle the rule off for a session from the popup, or open the rules manager to edit times, re-check permissions and release access you no longer need.
How it compares
An honest look at where this tool fits — and where other options fit better.
| Criterion | PlayFrom | YouTube's built-in resume | Dragging the progress bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts at a time you choose | Yes — a fixed time set per site | No — only resumes where you stopped | Yes, but by hand every time |
| Works beyond one platform | Any HTML5 video site you grant access to | YouTube only, while signed in | Everywhere |
| Keeps a later resumed position | Yes — later positions always win | Yes — that is its whole job | Up to you |
| Persistent across visits | Yes — the rule remembers for you | Yes, per video, while signed in | No |
| Waits out ads without blocking them | Yes | N/A | N/A |
Our take: YouTube's resume is excellent at continuing where you stopped; PlayFrom does a different job — pinning a starting point you choose per site, and yielding whenever your real progress is further along. Dragging the bar works everywhere, but you repeat it on every single visit.
Limitations & known boundaries
What this extension does not do, and the cases where results may be imperfect. Stated plainly so you can decide before installing.
- Only standard HTML5 <video> elements are supported. Some custom players hide their video inside a closed Shadow DOM or draw to a canvas — those can't be found, and DRM-protected players may refuse to seek.
- Live streams can't be seeked, so they are skipped silently. Players whose duration reports as unknown are given time to load before being judged.
- If your target time is at or past the video's duration, nothing happens — the extension won't compress the jump to the last second.
- It is not an ad blocker. It recognizes ad states on major players and waits them out; it will not skip, mute or remove ads.
- Players inside cross-origin iframes need access to the iframe's site as well, which the default per-site mode doesn't cover — the all-sites toggle does.
- Rules live in Chrome's sync storage, which caps them at roughly 50. A page that was already open before you granted permission needs one refresh.
- If a site's own scripts force the video back to a later position after the jump, the site wins — the extension doesn't get into a tug-of-war.
Frequently asked questions
Questions people ask before and after installing.
Does PlayFrom collect or upload my viewing history?
No. Rules are stored in your browser's Chrome sync storage and travel only through Chrome's own sync. The extension reads playback state on the pages you configured and makes no network requests of its own — no analytics, no logging, no account.
What happens if I'm already further along than the set time?
Nothing — that's deliberate. If the site restored a position later than your target (with a 1.5-second tolerance), the later position is kept. PlayFrom only moves a video forward to your time, never backward.
Can I cancel an automatic jump?
Yes. Just before PlayFrom seeks, a small tip appears near the progress bar with the target time, a 3-second countdown and a Cancel button. Cancelling stops that one jump only — the rule stays active for your next visit. And if you drag the video to the target yourself before the countdown ends, the tip quietly withdraws.
Does it skip ads?
No. It detects when a pre-roll or mid-roll ad is playing — including players that reuse the same video element for ads — and simply waits for the main content before seeking. It does not block, skip or shorten ads.
Which sites does it work on?
Any site whose player is a standard HTML5 <video> element you can grant access to — YouTube, Bilibili, Udemy and similar. Custom players that encapsulate the video in a closed Shadow DOM, render to a canvas, or wrap DRM streams are out of reach.
How do URL prefix rules match?
A rule like https://www.example.com/course/ matches every page under that path. When multiple rules match one URL, the longest (most specific) prefix wins, so you can set a general site time and a finer one for a section.
Is it free, and where do I get it?
PlayFrom is free and works without an account — install it from the Chrome Web Store.
Changelog
What changed in PlayFrom, newest first.
v1.0.0LatestFirst release. Interface ships in eight languages.
- AddedPer-site rules that start videos at the time you choose whenever a matching page opens or refreshes.
- AddedProgress protection — if a site has already restored a later position, it is kept; videos are never jumped back to an earlier point.
- AddedAd patience — pre-roll and mid-roll ads are recognized and waited out; the seek happens once the main video is ready. Ads are never blocked or skipped.
- AddedA tip near the progress bar announces every jump before it happens — target time, a 3-second countdown and a Cancel button, so an automatic seek is never a surprise.
- AddedSupport for single-page apps, iframes and open Shadow DOM players, including videos that reuse the same player element across episodes.
- AddedA popup showing the current page's match with quick enable/disable and quick rule creation, plus a full rules manager with per-site permission status.
- AddedInterface in English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, following your browser language.
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Editorial disclosure
We are the developers of the extensions documented on this site. This page describes the shipped version as we built and tested it — including its limitations — and was fact-checked on . Claims are based on our own testing of released builds; where third-party tools are named, their capabilities are described as documented by their publishers.
Try PlayFrom in your browser
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