How to Enable Picture-in-Picture Mode for Netflix on macOS Sierra

With macOS Sierra Apple included a new feature: Picture-in-Picture. With this feature you can “pin” or “float” a video window over all your other windows, making it permanently visible. If you like to watch videos while you work, this can be a great feature. There are only two problems: it only works in Safari, and, by default, it doesn’t work with Netflix.

With the help of a Safari browser extension, we can get the genuine Picture-in-Picture mode to operate smoothly with Netflix. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with Safari. While it’s possible to imitate Picture-in-Picture’s functionality with a Chrome extension, it’s not the same. The pop-up window’s appearance is not nearly as sleek, since you’re actually just running a very small Chrome window, and some of the functionality is abridged.

Also read: How to Download Netflix Content to Watch Offline

Download the PiPifier Extension for Safari

First, we’ll download an app called PiPifier. PiPifier is essentially a Safari extension that enables Picture-in-Picture mode for “nearly every” HTML5 video on the Web.

1. PiPifer isn’t available in the Safari Extension Gallery, but you can download it from the Mac App Store.

2. After you’ve installed PiPifier, find the application in the Applications folder and launch it.

3. You’ll see a pop-up window with some steps to follow which are also duplicated here. You can actually go ahead and close this window – PiPifier will continue running in the background. You shouldn’t need to launch the application again until you reboot your computer.

4. Open Safari, then open Safari’s “Preferences…” menu.

5. Under the Extensions tab, locate the “PiPifier Button” icon in the sidebar.

6. Tick the checkbox next to the PiPifier’s icon. This will enable the application and allow it to function with the browser.

Use PiPifier for Picture-in-Picture with Netflix

Once the PiPifier extension is installed, we should be able to “pop out” some Netflix videos. This will “float” a window containing our video above all other windows, making it permanently visible (until dismissed, anyway). You will need to to keep the original window open, but you can minimize that into your Dock to keep the screen from getting too cluttered.

1. Navigate to Netflix.com in Safari.

2. Start playing a video.

3. In the Netflix control bar, click on the PiPifier button. You can find the button between the title of the video you’re watching and the volume icon.

4. The video will automatically pop out into Picture-in-Picture mode. By default, the video will be pinned to the upper-right corner of the screen, but you can drag it anywhere on your monitor. You can also resize the window by dragging its edges around.

5. To return the video to its parent window, hover over the Picture-in-Picture window, and click the PiPifier icon at the bottom of the window next to the pause button.

Conclusion

You can use the PiPifier application to extend the native functionality of macOS Sierra’s Picture-in-Picture feature to also handle Netflix videos. The application should also work with any other source of HTML5 video, like Plex or Hulu, but it’s not completely reliable on those fronts. However, the extension does seem to work flawlessly with Netflix, and it’s a great way to improve your multitasking experience.