A tiny control panel that sits on your desktop and acts as a virtual remote for iTunes, the MiniPlayer lets you play and skip songs, search your music, queue up new tracks, and more, all without having to switch to the main iTunes window.
Of course, the MiniPlayer won’t do much good if its buried under an avalanche of desktop windows. Luckily, there’s a way to keep the MiniPlayer floating above the fray.Want to give the MiniPlayer a try? Here’s how…
On a Mac:
- Click the Window menu, then select MiniPlayer (to show both the main iTunes interface and the MiniPlayer at once) or “Switch to MiniPlayer” (to turn the iTunes interface into the MiniPlayer remote).
- You can also click the rectangular MiniPlayer icon in the top-right corner of the iTunes interface, or press the COMMAND + OPTION + M keyboard shortcut.
On a Windows PC:
- Click the menu icon in the top-left corner of the iTunes interface, then select “Switch to MiniPlayer,” or use the CONTROL + SHIFT + M keyboard shortcut.
- To use both the main iTunes window and the MiniPlayer at once, click View from the menu bar (which you may need to reveal by pressing CONTROL + B) and then select Show MiniPlayer.
Now that you’ve got the MiniPlayer on your desktop, how do you keep it visible above your other desktop windows?
Here’s the trick:
- Click iTunes, Preferences (on a Mac) or Edit, Preferences (for Windows), then click the Advanced tab.
- Check the box labeled “Keep MiniPlayer on top of all other windows.”
Like the song that’s playing? Hover your mouse over the album cover in the MiniPlayer, click the little arrow immediately to the right, then select “Add to” from the pop-up menu to add the track to a playlist.
Note: You’ll need to upgrade to the just-released iTunes 11 to add a song to a playlist from the MiniPlayer.
Got more iTunes questions? Post ‘em in the comments below.