Save an mpv stopping point through the intended exit method

The useful distinctions

• Shift+Q saves a position while quitting by default.
• save-position-on-quit also covers other normal exit methods.
• Abrupt termination may prevent saving.

Define the interruption

A long lecture often needs a temporary stopping point rather than a permanent index of every useful passage. Decide whether saving should be an explicit end-of-session action or the usual behavior whenever you close the player normally. That choice matters when you sometimes reopen a clip from the beginning and do not want a previous exploratory session to dictate the next starting point.

Use a recognizable position

For an initial check, stop near a clearly identifiable slide or sentence and note its approximate location. Reopen the same file after the chosen exit action and compare the visible content with that note. This gives the test a human-readable reference without depending on a particular state-file location or a guessed hashed filename. Keep the source path stable during this small check so it remains a comparison of exit behavior.

Preserve the scope of the feature

A resume position is a convenience for continuing a session, not a replacement for structured lecture notes or an exported chapter list. If a sudden shutdown loses the stop, record how the process ended before treating the result as a persistent saving defect. If ordinary exits also fail, provide the launch command and relevant environment details. Avoid editing internal state files before establishing whether the intended save action actually completed.

A focused way to proceed

1. Choose a deliberate stop in a local file.
2. Use Shift+Q, or launch with save-position-on-quit for normal exits.
3. Open the same file again and inspect the resumed position.

Worked example · synthetic

mpv --save-position-on-quit workshop-lecture.mkv

Read the comparison

A lost stop after abrupt termination has a different explanation from failure after a deliberate save-and-quit.

When to stop or ask for help

For repeated normal-exit failures, report the exact command, file identity and installed version.