A Chrome extension to give you back control over short-form videos
Hi HN! I built this little extension to prevent, in my opinion, the most offensive anti-pattern used by tech companies. That is removing the seek bar in short-form videos. The "seek bar" is the bar at the bottom of a video that progresses as you play the video, and that you can click on or drag to skip around. Why companies ever thought it was a good idea to get rid of this I don't know, but I find it infuriating, so I decided to add it back for myself and thought others might like it too. ReelControl adds a progress bar and seeking capabilities to videos on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and…
A Chrome extension to give you back control over short-form videos launched on April 1, 2025 with 128 votes, #355 of 7,818 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 1 year on.
In plain words
ReelControl is a Chrome extension that restores seek bar functionality to short-form videos on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels. These platforms removed the progress bars that let users skip around videos, so this extension adds them back. It is for viewers who want more control over video playback and a less automatic viewing experience. The extension is open source and aims to help users be more intentional about their short-form video consumption.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hi HN! I built this little extension to prevent, in my opinion, the most offensive anti-pattern used by tech companies. That is removing the seek bar in short-form videos. The "seek bar" is the bar at the bottom of a video that progresses as you play the video, and that you can click on or drag to skip around. Why…
Does a similar job
all alternatives →
Stop Reels2025 · chromewebstore.google.com · ▲163Hey HN, I just launched a free Chrome extension called Stop Reels — it blocks Reels/short videos on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, without breaking other features like messaging or the regular feed. Why I built it Like many people, I found myself endlessly scrolling Reels even when I only opened the apps for something specific. The algorithms are too good at hijacking attention. There are tools to block entire sites, but none I found that just surgically block Reels and Shorts — and leave the rest of the platform functional (DMs, posts, marketplace, etc). So I built…
- WCWatchlimits – Chrome extension to solve excessive video watching2022 · watchlimits.com · ▲29
Hi all, I'm an indie hacker and I've been working on watchlimits.com over last couple months. It's a chrome extension that helps you set limits (greatly customizable) and provides you stats and various accountability features. It only runs on the video streaming platforms (not everywhere) and it's privacy centric. Almost all functionality is available for free, but some advanced features only available in the paid version (password protection, allowed youtube channels). It's a pretty niche tool that originated from my own occasional struggles (lost sleep anyone?), even though many people…
Youtube Shorts Blocker2025 · chromewebstore.google.com · ▲7Youtube Shorts are pure evil. It just distract me whenever I open Youtube, I'll always waste my time in it and forget why I opened it. So I made a extension for myself and it works well, Still there is no improvement in my productivity but I'm not distracted. I made it for myself and personally using it, if you like you can use it too. I made it open-source, if you like it give a star -Vick
- BABaitblock – A free Chrome extension like Adblock but for distractions2020 · baitblock.app · ▲34
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