How to Stop Autoplay Videos on Social Media, Browsers, and Apps

Autoplay videos can be annoying. They start playing without asking and often use mobile data very fast. They also drain battery life and can create awkward moments when sound suddenly plays in public.

Some videos appear unexpectedly and may show content you don’t want to see. Many people prefer quiet, controlled scrolling. Turning off autoplay helps you browse calmly and stay in control of what plays on your screen.

Also read: How to Edit and Annotate PDFs on a Mac Without Installing Extra Software

Disable Autoplay Videos in Web Browsers

Most browsers allow you to limit or block autoplay. While some stop sound only, others can fully block video playback. Below are easy ways to manage autoplay in popular browsers.

Google Chrome Autoplay Settings

Chrome does not fully block video autoplay, but it can stop videos from playing sound automatically.

Steps to mute autoplay sound:

1. Open Google Chrome
2. Click the three dots in the top-right corner
3. Go to Settings
4. Open Privacy and security
5. Tap Site settings
6. Scroll and select Sound
7. Choose Don’t allow sites to play sound

Videos will still play, but silently. You can allow sound for trusted sites by right-clicking the tab and selecting Unmute site.

Mozilla Firefox Autoplay Settings

Firefox gives strong control and can block both video and sound.

Steps to block autoplay completely:

1. Open Firefox
2. Click the menu icon (three lines)
3. Select Settings
4. Open Privacy & Security
5. Scroll to Permissions
6. Find Autoplay and click Settings
7. Select Block audio and video

Firefox will stop autoplay on all websites. You can allow specific sites if needed.

Microsoft Edge Autoplay Settings

Edge lets you limit autoplay behavior easily.

Steps to reduce autoplay:

1. Open Microsoft Edge
2. Click the three dots
3. Go to Settings
4. Select Cookies and site permissions
5. Scroll and choose Media autoplay
6. Set it to Limit

This reduces unwanted video interruptions.

Safari Autoplay Settings

Safari allows full autoplay blocking on all websites.

Steps to turn off autoplay:

1. Open Safari settings
2. Go to the Websites tab
3. Select Auto-Play
4. Under “When visiting other websites,” choose Never auto-play

All videos will stop playing automatically.

Turn Off Autoplay in Social Media Apps

Social media apps use autoplay to increase engagement, but most of them still offer some control.

Facebook Autoplay Video Settings

Facebook allows users to disable autoplay on both web and mobile.

On the website:

1. Click your profile picture
2. Go to Settings & Privacy
3. Open Settings
4. Select Media
5. Turn off autoplay animations

On the mobile app:

1. Open Settings & Privacy
2. Tap Settings
3. Go to Media
4. Under autoplay options, choose Never

This stops videos from playing automatically in feeds and stories.

Instagram Autoplay Video Control

Instagram does not allow full autoplay blocking. Videos play automatically without sound. Sound only plays if you tap the video.

To reduce data usage:

1. Open Instagram
2. Go to your profile
3. Tap the menu icon
4. Open Settings and activity
5. Select Your app and media
6. Tap Media quality
7. Enable Use less cellular data

This lowers data usage during autoplay.

X (Twitter) Autoplay Video Settings

X offers full autoplay control on desktop and mobile.

On the website:

1. Click More
2. Open Settings and privacy
3. Select Accessibility, display, and languages
4. Go to Data usage
5. Set autoplay to Never

On the mobile app:

1. Tap your profile icon
2. Open Settings and privacy
3. Select Accessibility, display, and languages
4. Open Display and sound
5. Turn off Media previews

This blocks video and GIF autoplay.

Bluesky Autoplay Settings

Bluesky provides a simple autoplay switch.

On mobile:

1. Tap the menu icon
2. Open Settings
3. Go to Content and media
4. Turn off autoplay for videos and GIFs

On desktop:

1. Open Settings
2. Select Content and media
3. Disable autoplay options

Threads Autoplay Limitation

Threads currently does not offer an option to disable autoplay. This may change in future updates.

Stop Autoplay on Streaming Platforms

Streaming apps also use autoplay to keep content playing. Thankfully, most allow you to turn it off.

YouTube Autoplay Settings

On desktop:

1. Open any video
2. Find the autoplay toggle near the video
3. Turn it off

On mobile:

1. Tap the playing video
2. Locate the autoplay switch
3. Disable it

Disney Plus Autoplay Settings

Disney Plus lets you control autoplay per profile.

Steps:

1. Open the app
2. Tap your profile icon
3. Select Edit profiles
4. Turn off Autoplay
5. Save changes

Hulu Autoplay Settings

On web:

1. Play any content
2. Click the settings icon
3. Turn autoplay off

On mobile:

1. Open Settings
2. Disable Autoplay next video
3. Disable Autoplay previews

On streaming devices:

1. Open Settings
2. Find autoplay options
3. Turn them off

Netflix Autoplay Settings

Netflix has two autoplay options: next episode and previews.

Steps to disable both:

1. Open Netflix in a browser
2. Go to Account
3. Select a profile
4. Open Playback settings
5. Uncheck both autoplay options
6. Save changes

Settings apply to each profile separately.

Also read: How Developers Can Use GPT-OSS-120B for Free: A Clear and Practical Guide

Final Thoughts

Turning off autoplay gives you full control over your screen. It helps save mobile data, protects battery life, and prevents sudden sounds or unwanted videos.

Browsers offer strong autoplay controls. Social media apps provide partial options. Streaming platforms give full control. Adjusting these settings creates a quieter, smoother, and more comfortable digital experience.