How to use the Reaction Timeline on YouTube videos
The Reaction Timeline overlays community reaction data directly on the video progress bar — spikes show the moments viewers rewound, replayed, or screenshotted most. It is a fast way to find the highlight of any video without scrubbing.
- 1Step 1
Install VidBar
Add the VidBar extension from the Chrome Web Store. The Reaction Timeline is available on YouTube.
- 2Step 2
Open any YouTube video
Play a video. The VidBar toolbar appears at the bottom of the player automatically.
- 3Step 3
Enable Reaction Timeline in the toolbar
Click the timeline icon in the VidBar toolbar to turn on the Reaction Timeline overlay.
- 4Step 4
Read the reaction spikes
Yellow or coloured spikes on the progress bar mark moments of high viewer engagement — replays, pauses, and rewinds.
- 5Step 5
Click a spike to jump to that moment
Clicking directly on a reaction spike scrubs the video to that timestamp instantly.
- 6Step 6
Turn it off for a clean timeline
Toggle the Reaction Timeline off any time to restore the standard progress bar.
FAQ
- Does the Reaction Timeline work on Netflix?
Currently the Reaction Timeline is available on YouTube. Support for additional sites is planned.
- Where does the reaction data come from?
VidBar aggregates anonymous playback behaviour — rewinds, pauses, and replays — to generate the heatmap.
Try VidBar on a live video
Open the interactive demo to test karaoke, speed, filters, audio tools, and export before installing.
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