diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/canvas.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/canvas.rs
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/canvas.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/canvas.rs
@@ -2196,3 +2196,7 @@ mod ruler_tests;
 #[cfg(test)]
 #[path = "guides_tests.rs"]
 mod guides_tests;
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+#[path = "media_bar_tests.rs"]
+mod media_bar_tests;
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/media.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/media.rs
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/media.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/media.rs
@@ -472,6 +472,9 @@ pub enum BarAction {
 pub fn control_bar(ui: &mut Ui, rect: Rect, status: Option<&VoiceStatus>, clip: &MediaClip) -> Option<BarAction> {
     let painter = ui.painter_at(rect.expand(2.0));
     painter.rect_filled(rect, CornerRadius::same(4), Color32::from_rgba_unmultiplied(28, 28, 32, 230));
+    // Sensing drags too keeps a press on the bar from reaching the editor canvas: there it would
+    // start a selection marquee, which hides the bar before the click lands.
+    ui.interact(rect, ui.scope_id().with("media_bar_back"), Sense::click_and_drag());
     let playing = status.is_some_and(|s| matches!(s.state, PlayState::Playing | PlayState::Loading));
     let duration = status.map(|s| s.duration).filter(|d| *d > 0.0).unwrap_or(clip.duration_ms as f64 / 1000.0);
     let pos = status.map(|s| s.position).unwrap_or(clip.trim_start_ms as f64 / 1000.0);
@@ -481,7 +484,7 @@ pub fn control_bar(ui: &mut Ui, rect: Rect, status: Option<&VoiceStatus>, clip:
     let button = |ui: &mut Ui, x: &mut f32, id: &str, paint: &dyn Fn(&egui::Painter, Rect)| -> bool {
         let r = Rect::from_min_size(pos2(*x, rect.min.y + 2.0), vec2(h - 4.0, h - 4.0));
         *x += h - 2.0;
-        let resp = ui.interact(r, ui.scope_id().with(("media_bar", id)), Sense::click());
+        let resp = ui.interact(r, ui.scope_id().with(("media_bar", id)), Sense::click_and_drag());
         let name = match id {
             "play" => "Play or pause media",
             "back" => "Back 0.25 seconds",
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/media_bar_tests.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/media_bar_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/media_bar_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+//! The play/pause and timeline bar under a selected audio or video in the editor, clicked with the
+//! mouse: a press on it used to reach the canvas, start a selection marquee there and hide the bar
+//! before the click landed, so Play only worked in the slide show.
+
+use deckcraft_engine::Session;
+use deckcraft_model::ShapeId;
+use egui::{Modifiers, PointerButton, Pos2, pos2, vec2};
+use egui_kittest::Harness;
+use serde_json::json;
+
+use crate::{Services, SlideApp};
+
+/// 16-bit mono WAV of silence, `secs` long at 8 kHz.
+fn wav(secs: f64) -> Vec<u8> {
+    let data = vec![0u8; (8_000.0 * secs) as usize * 2];
+    let mut b = Vec::new();
+    b.extend_from_slice(b"RIFF");
+    b.extend_from_slice(&(36 + data.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
+    b.extend_from_slice(b"WAVEfmt ");
+    for v in [16u32.to_le_bytes(), [1, 0, 1, 0], 8_000u32.to_le_bytes(), 16_000u32.to_le_bytes(), [2, 0, 16, 0]] {
+        b.extend_from_slice(&v);
+    }
+    b.extend_from_slice(b"data");
+    b.extend_from_slice(&(data.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
+    b.extend_from_slice(&data);
+    b
+}
+
+fn click(h: &mut Harness<'_, SlideApp>, p: Pos2) {
+    h.hover_at(p);
+    h.run_steps(1);
+    h.event(egui::Event::PointerButton { pos: p, button: PointerButton::Primary, pressed: true, modifiers: Modifiers::NONE });
+    h.run_steps(1);
+    h.event(egui::Event::PointerButton { pos: p, button: PointerButton::Primary, pressed: false, modifiers: Modifiers::NONE });
+    h.run_steps(2);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn play_on_the_editor_media_bar_plays_the_selected_clip() {
+    let mut s = Session::with_new();
+    s.execute("slide.new", &json!({"layout": "blank"})).unwrap();
+    let r = s.execute("insert.audio", &json!({"name": "tone.wav", "data": deckcraft_engine::cmd::base64_encode(&wav(2.0))})).unwrap();
+    let id = ShapeId(r["id"].as_u64().unwrap() as u32);
+    let app = SlideApp::new(s, Services::default());
+    let mut h = Harness::builder().with_size(vec2(1400.0, 900.0)).with_step_dt(1.0 / 60.0).build_ui_state(
+        |ui, app: &mut SlideApp| {
+            app.logic(ui.ctx());
+            app.ui(ui);
+        },
+        app,
+    );
+    h.run_steps(3);
+    let d = h.state().session.active().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(d.selection.shapes, vec![id], "the inserted clip is selected");
+    let x = d.doc.slides[d.selection.slide].shape(id).unwrap().xfrm.unwrap();
+    let (slide, k) = (h.state().slide_rect.unwrap(), h.state().canvas_scale);
+    // The bar sits 6 points under the clip, centred, at least 230 wide; Play is its first button.
+    let (left, right, bottom) = (slide.min.x + x.x as f32 * k, slide.min.x + (x.x + x.w) as f32 * k, slide.min.y + (x.y + x.h) as f32 * k);
+    let w = (right - left).max(230.0);
+    let bar = pos2((left + right) / 2.0 - w / 2.0, bottom + 6.0);
+    assert!(h.state().media.status(id).is_none());
+
+    click(&mut h, bar + vec2(15.0, 13.0));
+    assert!(h.state().media.status(id).is_some(), "Play starts the clip");
+    let d = h.state().session.active().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(d.selection.shapes, vec![id], "the click did not reach the slide behind the bar");
+    assert!(!h.state().session.tool.dragging());
+
+    // Between the buttons and the timeline the bar still keeps the press from the slide.
+    click(&mut h, bar + vec2(w - 30.0, 13.0));
+    assert_eq!(h.state().session.active().unwrap().selection.shapes, vec![id]);
+}