---
title: "Watch an animation without panels"
description: "Play and scrub your animation in a full-screen preview with the editor’s controls put away."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/how-to/watch-without-panels/"
last_updated: 2026-10-29
---

# Watch an animation without panels

Play and scrub your animation in a full-screen preview with the editor’s controls put away.

1. Open an animated document. Its stage (the canvas in Figma or Rive, the Composition panel
   in After Effects) shows the current frame.
2. Press `0` to return to the first frame. The time reads zero.
3. Press backtick (`` ` ``). Preview opens and the animation loops.
4. Press `space` to pause. The time and preview controls appear beneath the picture.
5. Drag across the picture to scrub. Its width covers the whole score (the timeline).
6. Press `←` or `→` to inspect a frame. The time changes one frame at a time.
7. Press `esc` to return to editing. The panels and score return.

![The animation alone in Preview, paused at the start, with playback and scrub hints beneath it.](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/assets/shots/start-preview.png)

Watch: [Play, scrub and preview](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/play-scrub/).
Next, [export the animation](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/export.md), or run `creator-tui play animation.json` to open a
file directly in Preview.