A 360-degree panoramic video playing method, wherein the method comprises: receiving, by a video player, a search instruction, wherein the search instruction is used to instruct the video player to display locating information of a 360-degree panoramic video that is being played, and the locating information comprises descriptive information of playing content in multiple angle ranges of the 360-degree panoramic video, and is used by a user to determine the playing content in the multiple angle ranges according to the descriptive information of the playing content in the multiple angle ranges; wherein the descriptive information of the playing content in the multiple angle ranges comprises image information of playing content in each of the multiple angle ranges; displaying, by the video player, the locating information according to the search instruction; receiving, by the video player, a switching instruction, wherein the switching instruction is used to instruct the video player to switch a playing angle range of the 360-degree panoramic video directly from an angle range of current playing content to a first angle range, and the first angle range is an angle range selected by the user from the multiple angle ranges; and switching, by the video player, the playing angle range of the 360-degree panoramic video directly from the angle range of the current playing content to the first angle range according to the switching instruction; wherein, when multiple users are viewing the 360-degree panoramic video, the descriptive information of the playing content in the multiple angle ranges comprises a total quantity of viewers of the playing content in each angle range. receiving, by a video player, a search instruction, wherein the search instruction is used to instruct the video player to display locating information of a 360-degree panoramic video that is being played, and the locating information comprises descriptive information of playing content in multiple angle ranges of the 360-degree panoramic video, and is used by a user to determine the playing content in the multiple angle ranges according to the descriptive information of the playing content in the multiple angle ranges; wherein the descriptive information of the playing content in the multiple angle ranges comprises image information of playing content in each of the multiple angle ranges; displaying, by the video player, the locating information according to the search instruction; receiving, by the video player, a switching instruction, wherein the switching instruction is used to instruct the video player to switch a playing angle range of the 360-degree panoramic video directly from an angle range of current playing content to a first angle range, and the first angle range is an angle range selected by the user from the multiple angle ranges; and switching, by the video player, the playing angle range of the 360-degree panoramic video directly from the angle range of the current playing content to the first angle range according to the switching instruction; wherein, when multiple users are viewing the 360-degree panoramic video, the descriptive information of the playing content in the multiple angle ranges comprises a total quantity of viewers of the playing content in each angle range.