How to Watch 360° Videos

For the full interactive experience, open the video on YouTube

360° video records the scene around the camera instead of locking you to one forward-facing frame. The embedded player on 360tour.tv is useful for previewing a tour, but interactive look-around controls can be limited depending on the browser, device and player state. Every immersive video page therefore includes a Watch on YouTube button.

For the most reliable 360° controls, open the original video on YouTube.

On a computer

Open the video on YouTube and drag inside the picture with your mouse or trackpad to look left, right, up or down.

On a phone or tablet

Open the video in YouTube. Swipe across the picture to change direction. On supported devices and apps, moving the device may also change the view.

In a VR headset

Open the video in a compatible YouTube or browser experience. A VR headset gives the most immersive view because turning your head changes the viewing direction naturally.

Increase the playback quality

YouTube may begin playback at a lower resolution than the video actually supports, especially when it is adapting to connection speed. If the image looks soft or blocky, open Settings → Quality in YouTube and select a higher resolution.

For 360° footage, 1440p is a practical minimum when available, while 2160p or higher is preferable if the video supports it and your connection can stream it smoothly. Higher resolution matters more in 360° video because the available pixels are spread across the entire sphere around the viewer, not just the part currently visible on screen.

Look around deliberately

Traditional video editing decides what you see. In 360° footage, interesting details may be beside or behind the direction of travel. Use the recording notes, related-tour links and same-outing links on individual pages as a guide, then look around freely inside the original video.