QuackTile manual

QuackTile is an extension for Chrome and Opera. The store links are coming once the extension is approved; then a single click on “Add” installs it. After installation, the QuackTile icon (the duck logo) appears at the top right of the browser toolbar, next to the address bar.

A click on the QuackTile icon opens the Aurora Deck - the small command center where every action comes together. From here you tile, bring windows back, control the audio, pick the layout and much more. Alternatively, open the deck with the shortcut Alt + Shift + D.

At the top of the deck is the header with small icons: Settings (opens the detailed options page), Commands (the command palette, also via Ctrl + K), switch language, Float above everything and Close. Right below, a status line shows how many videos are detected and how many are already tiled.

• Open as many video tabs as you want to watch side by side (for example several YouTube or Twitch tabs).
• Click the QuackTile icon to open the deck.
• Click “Tile”. Every detected video gets its own borderless window, neatly arranged as a grid on the screen.
• To tidy up, click “Restore” - the windows move back into normal tabs.

Tile

Brings all detected videos into the grid. Already minimized tiles are returned to their place by this button.

Restore

Brings the tiled windows back as normal tabs in the browser. As a safeguard, the button asks once (“Sure? Back as tabs”) - only the second click carries it out.

Tile the last ones again

Appears after restoring. One click arranges exactly the videos you just brought back as windows again - handy if you tidied up too early.

Close all tiles

Closes all tiled windows, and therefore their tabs. Here too a confirmation (“Sure? Close all”) protects against an accidental click.

A separate button row controls the playback of all tiles at once:

To the start / To the end

Jumps to the start or end in every video. For live streams, “to the start” goes to the start of the buffer and “to the end” back to the live edge.

-10 s / +10 s

Skips all videos ten seconds back or forward.

Play all / Pause all

Starts or pauses all videos at once.

Speed

Sets the speed for all videos (1x to 4x). Live streams always run in real time, so speed has no effect there.

Reload all tiles

Reloads all tile windows - helps when a stream has frozen.

Four actions work without opening the deck. Hold Alt + Shift and press the relevant key:

The Alt + Shift combo does not clash with common website or Chrome shortcuts. All shortcuts can be changed freely at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.

In the “Layouts” area (in the options and the deck) you pick your active grid. “Auto” works out a fitting grid from the number of videos automatically, from a two-way split to a dense wall. “Auto” is always available and cannot be hidden.

Alongside it are fixed templates for recurring arrangements:

2 columns

Arranges the windows in two columns.

3 columns

Arranges the windows in three columns.

Main video

One large window plus several small ones beside it - good for a main video with secondary sources.

Vertical

Windows are stacked on top of each other.

Horizontal

Windows are placed side by side in a single row.

A fixed template you never use can be hidden with the ×. This is reversible any time: a note “… hidden · show again” appears below the list.

If the templates are not enough, you build your own arrangement under “Build your own layout”. On the editor canvas you drag rectangular fields into place: move a field from its center, resize it from the bottom-right corner. Field 1 is the first video, field 2 the second, and so on.

Landscape / Portrait

Switches the editor canvas between landscape and portrait. This lets you build separate layouts for landscape and portrait monitors; QuackTile later picks the right one per monitor.

From current grid

Takes the currently open tile windows as a starting point for the editor. Handy if you found a nice arrangement by hand and want to save it as a layout. (Tile some videos first, otherwise there is nothing to take over.)

+ Field

Adds a new field to the canvas. Up to 36 fields are possible.

Duplicate field

Copies the currently selected field. Click a field first, then the button. Also works with Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V.

Remove field

Deletes the selected field. Here too: click a field first, then the button.

Clear fields

Resets the editor and deletes all fields. As a safeguard you confirm with a second click.

At the bottom of the editor you give the layout a name (for example “Stream + Chat”) and save it. After that it is available to pick everywhere, just like the fixed templates.

Save as new layout

Creates a fresh layout under the name you entered.

Save as copy

Appears when you edit an existing layout. “Save changes” overwrites the existing layout, “Save as copy” creates a new one beside it instead.

Start a new layout

Leaves edit mode and starts with an empty canvas for a brand-new layout.

Saved custom layouts appear under “Your layouts”. Through the menu on each layout you remove it in two ways: “Hide” only hides it (restorable any time via “show again”), “Delete permanently” removes the record for good. For the fixed templates the permanent variant is also called delete, but it can be undone via “Reset to defaults”.

Target monitor

Sets which screen the grid is built on. “Automatic” uses the primary monitor; otherwise you pick a specific screen from the list.

All monitors (Pro)

Spreads the grid across all connected screens instead of just the selected one. This option overrides the target-monitor choice. With a single screen it has no effect. “All monitors” is a Pro feature.

Order ▲▼

With the small arrows next to each monitor you set the order in which the screens are filled under “All monitors” - which comes first and which after.

Fill mode: Evenly

Distributes the videos evenly across all screens.

Fill mode: In order

Fills the first monitor completely, then the next, and so on.

Max tiles per monitor

Applies in “In order” mode: at most this many tiles per monitor, then the next one is up. The last monitor takes any extras so nothing is lost. “Auto” means fill completely.

Gap between windows

The space between tiles in pixels. A negative value lets them overlap slightly and so compensates for the window shadows. Default: 6 px.

Outer margin

The distance of the whole grid to the screen edge in pixels. A negative value pushes the grid slightly past the edge. Default: 0 px.

Smallest window width

Auto grid only: when the tiles get narrower than this value, Auto uses fewer columns. Custom layouts ignore this. Default: 240 px.

Smallest window height

Auto grid only: when the tiles get shorter than this value, Auto uses fewer rows. Custom layouts ignore this. Default: 160 px.

Maximum tiles

The upper limit of windows open at once. More streams mean more memory and more bandwidth. The maximum is 36. Free is limited to 6.

Frame offset X

Horizontal compensation for the invisible borders Windows draws around windows. Usually 0; only increase it if windows overlap at the edge.

Frame offset Y

Vertical compensation for the same window borders. Usually 0.

Only the focused window has audio (solo)

Only the tile you just clicked plays audio. If you click away - browse normally in Chrome or switch apps - the last focused tile keeps the audio. It only changes once you click a different tile. Cannot be combined with “Mute all”.

Mute all

Turns off the audio of all windows at once.

Per-window volume mixer

In the tile list at the bottom of the deck, every window has its own volume slider and a mute button. This lets you mix the individual videos instead of only muting globally.

Solo per tile

The small audio icon on a tile lights up when you are currently hearing that tile. A click switches to “only this tile audible”.

Ten example collections are already included (such as news wall, lofi or webcams). They show the idea; you create your own for the rounds you watch again and again. With “Open” on a collection you open and tile its channels.

If videos are already open, QuackTile asks whether the new ones should be added or should replace the open ones:

+ Add

Tiles the collection in addition to the already open videos.

Replace

Closes the open videos and opens only those of the collection.

Count picker

For larger collections you can choose how many to open - all channels or just the hottest. A hint warns if not everything fits on the screen.

Under “Create your own collection” you make a new list. You give it a name, an optional short description and enter the video links - one per line, “https://” not required. In the deck you can also do this straight from the currently tiled videos via “+ Save the currently tiled videos as a collection”.

Optionally you make a collection an event profile: then QuackTile applies a layout and an audio setting automatically on open (for example “only first tile audible” or “all muted”).

Edit

Changes the name, description and links of a collection.

Hide

Hides a collection without deleting it. It can be brought back any time via “show hidden collections again”.

Delete permanently

For your own collections, deleting is permanent and not restorable. For the example collections, even permanent deletion can be undone via “Reset to defaults”.

Reset to original

Restores an edited example collection to its shipped state.

Every collection can be shared as a text code (it starts with QTC1:). Via the share icon you copy either the code for importing into QuackTile or a plain link list with one link per line. A code you receive goes under “Import a shared collection”.

The deck is made of individual blocks you can show or hide one by one. In the options you find the buttons “All into deck” (shows every block) and “Reset to default” (resets the selection to the balanced default) at the top. Every section and slider in the options also has an eye icon next to it that adds exactly that block to the deck or removes it again.

With “Float above everything” in the deck header you detach the deck into its own small window that always stays on top. That keeps the controls permanently in view. The original window becomes a placeholder; a click on it brings the deck back. “Stop floating” returns to the normal window.

Status / load

Shows how many videos are detected and tiled, plus the real live load of tiles, RAM and CPU. (GPU and bandwidth cannot be measured by extensions.)

Playback

The transport row for all windows: start, -10 s, +10 s, end, play, pause, speed and reload.

Switch row

Mute all, Only focus has audio, Keep screen awake, Chat off, Video only, Autoplay, Exit fullscreen and Auto mode.

Gap / outer margin

Fine-tune the geometry directly in the deck, with plus and minus.

Target monitor

Monitor choice including “All monitors”, order and fill mode.

Layout

Quick pick of the active layout.

Collections

List of collections to open, plus “Save the currently tiled as a collection”.

Design

Quick pick of the color theme. Hidden by default.

Share

A button that copies the whole setup as a code. Hidden by default.

Tiles (list)

Every tile individually: bring to the front, reorder, solo, +/-10 s, pause/play, mute and volume.

Video only

Shows only the player in each tile - header, recommendations and chat disappear. Works on all sites. On by default. Also toggled with Alt + Shift + F.

Hide chat

Hides the YouTube or Twitch live chat in the tiles so there is more room for the video. Takes effect on running tiles immediately; works better on some platforms and window sizes than others. On by default.

Autoplay

Plays freshly tiled videos automatically. Off: they stay paused until you press play. On by default.

Exit fullscreen before tiling

If a video is running in fullscreen, it is exited cleanly before moving it into a window - this prevents black tiles. On by default.

Keep screen awake

Prevents the screen from going to sleep while you are watching.

Delay for “Video only” / “Chat off”

Wait time after tiling until the player cleanup kicks in. Increase it if a switch “misses” and you have to toggle it again. In seconds, default: 1.

Auto mode adds new videos to the grid automatically and removes closed ones again. Switching the video within the same tab does nothing. With “Auto mode: delay” you set the wait time after a change before re-tiling - higher means calmer (in milliseconds, default: 700). Auto mode is a Pro feature.

Detection only controls which videos are picked up at all - against tiny background videos and preview clips. It has nothing to do with the later window size.

Minimum video width

Smaller players are ignored. Default: 320 px.

Minimum video height

Shorter players are ignored. Default: 180 px.

Minimum duration

Ignores very short clips like hover previews. Live streams always count. Default: 5 seconds.

Never tile (blocked sites)

These sites are never tiled, not even in auto mode. Without a path (e.g. twitch.tv) you block the whole domain including subdomains; with a path (e.g. twitch.tv/channel) only that one page. Via right-click on a page and “Never tile” you choose between domain and page directly.

Light or dark

Choose System (follows the operating system), Light or Dark.

Accent color (themes)

Six color worlds are available: Aurora (cyan, dark), GX-Neon (pink, bold), Carbon (gray, plain), Duck (yellow, sunny), Sunset (coral, warm) and Matrix (green, neon).

Language

System (follows the browser), German or English. The language can also be switched directly in the deck header.

• Up to 36 tiles instead of 6.
• Use all monitors instead of just one.
• Auto mode (new videos into the grid automatically).
• Share and import collections.
• Unlimited custom collections and custom layouts (instead of 3 each).
• Edit and share the example collections.

Buy Pro

Leads to the purchase via Lemon Squeezy, our license and payment provider. A one-time purchase, no subscription.

Activate

You paste your license key and click “Activate”. For verification, the key and a randomly generated device identifier go to Lemon Squeezy. After that all Pro features are unlocked.

Deactivate

Releases Pro on this device again. This is useful when you have reached your license's device limit and want to use another computer.

Reactivate

Unlocks a license that was previously deactivated on this device.

“Share setup” turns your settings plus the currently open video links into a single text code. Whoever pastes and imports it gets exactly the same thing opened. With “Export” you create the code, with “Copy” you put it on the clipboard, with “Import” you read in a code you received. Individual collections, by contrast, you share directly in the “Collections” area.

In the “About” area, “Copy diagnostics” copies technical info for support: version, browser, detected monitors and your settings. This diagnostics report deliberately contains no links, license keys or private data. There you also find the quick-start tour, the version number and links to the website, support, privacy, terms of use and Discord.

“Reset to defaults” resets all settings (behavior, grid, design, language, layout choice) to factory defaults. As a safeguard you confirm with a second click. Your own collections, custom layouts and your Pro status stay intact. Previously permanently deleted example collections and templates also come back this way.

Windows draws invisible borders around windows. As a result, the tiles can overlap slightly or show gaps. In the grid fine-tuning, increase Frame offset X (and Y if needed) until the tiles sit flush. A small value is usually enough.

• Make sure a video is actually playing or ready in the tabs - QuackTile only detects real players.
• Very small or very short videos are ignored on purpose. If needed, lower the minimum video width, height or duration in video detection.
• Check whether the site is under “Never tile”. Blocked sites are never tiled.

If a tile does not look or play the way you want, a small thing often helps. The problem often sits with a player that loads late.

• Turn “Video only” off and on again.
• Toggle “Hide chat”.
• Reload the page in the affected tile.

If more videos would fit than the “Maximum tiles” limit or the screen allows, the extras stay open as normal tabs instead of tiles. A message points this out. Then increase “Maximum tiles”, use “All monitors” (Pro), or reduce the minimum window size so more tiles fit.

QuackTile runs in Opera just like in Chrome. If individual windows sit differently there, a small correction via the frame offset helps - just as on Windows in general. The design deliberately avoids heavy blur so it stays smooth in Opera too.

The tile windows are real browser windows. They cannot float above other programs or above fullscreen games - this is a deliberate limit, not a malfunction. They arrange themselves neatly on the monitor and look best on a second screen. (Only the Aurora Deck itself can stay on top via “Float above everything”.)

Please do report bugs or other problems, that helps us a lot. The most useful things are a short description, the diagnostics code and the way the bug occurs.

• Briefly describe what happens and what you expected.
• Include the diagnostics code: in the extension options under “About” via “Copy diagnostics”. It deliberately contains no private data.
• Note how the bug occurs or how it can be reliably reproduced.