Autoplaying videos on websites can be a real nuisance, eating up valuable data and slowing down your internet connection. It is an even bigger problem when videos play in the background, especially on sites that autoplay one video after another without permission. If you are tired of websites following this practice, today we will show you how to disable autoplay videos on your web browser (Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge). This guide will help you get rid of one of the biggest annoyances on the Internet.
This tutorial will show you how to disable autoplay videos on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge on desktops and mobile. So without further ado, let’s get going.
- Disable Autoplay Videos on Google Chrome
- Stop Autoplaying Media on Mozilla Firefox
- Disable Autoplay Videos on Microsoft Edge
Stop Autoplay Videos on Google Chrome
Google Chrome does not offer a built-in method to disable autoplay videos. You can only mute autoplay videos by going to Settings -> Site Settings -> Additional Content Settings -> Sound, but that option mutes all videos globally (on all websites), which breaks media functionality on all websites, including YouTube and Twitch. So to disable autoplay videos on Chrome on desktop, you need to use a third-party extension.
Windows and Mac
There are several third-party extensions that can block autoplay videos on Chrome with varying degrees of success. The best Chrome extension to disable autoplaying videos in 2021 is Autoplay Stopper, which works as advertised on all sites I checked, including YouTube, CNN, and CNET. It also enables you to improve your privacy and security by disabling ‘Flash detection for websites’ now that Flash has reached its end-of-life and HTML5 has taken its place for good. While you’re at it, you should also check out how to uninstall Flash from your computer.
Unlike many other similar extensions, Autoplay Stopper is updated regularly, with the latest version released in March 2021. In fact, the extension has already seen at least four updates this year, so you can rest assured that any server-side changes by websites to get around autoplay blockers will be tackled quickly by the developer.
Android and iOS
Like on desktops, Google Chrome on mobile also no longer blocks autoplay videos. You could once block autoplay media in Chrome for Android, but the feature has since been deprecated. You can still mute videos on Google Chrome for Android (Settings -> Site Settings -> Sound), but again, it will mute all videos on all websites every time.
Unlike Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox offers you built-in options to disable autoplay media on both desktops and mobile.
- Windows 10
Here’s how you can disable autoplay videos on Firefox in Windows 10:
Windows 10
- On the popup window, click on the drop-down menu next to ‘Default for all websites’ and select ‘Block Audio and Video’. Make sure to save your changes using the blue ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom.
Android
Like its desktop counterpart, Firefox on mobile also offers a built-in option to disable autoplay videos on websites. Here’s how you can access the feature:
- Open Firefox on your Android phone and tap on the three-dots menu at the top-right corner. From the popup menu, select Settings.
Microsoft has ended support for Edge Legacy. The latest version of Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium, just like Google Chrome. However, unlike the latter, it offers a built-in option to disable autoplay media on both desktops and mobile. Here, we will show you how to disable autoplay videos in Microsoft Edge both on Windows 10 and Android.
By default, Microsoft Edge only allows you to ‘Limit’ autoplay on websites. However, you can use a Microsoft Edge flag to ‘Block’ all autoplay videos. Here’s how:
- Now type in edge://settings/content/mediaAutoplay in the address bar and hit Enter. Here, you will find the “Control if audio and video play automatically on sites” option. Use the drop-down menu to change the setting to ‘Block’. The change will be auto-saved, and videos no longer autoplay on websites.
Here’s how to disable autoplay videos in Microsoft Edge on Android:
That’s it. Now no media (audio or video) will autoplay on any website while surfing the internet on Microsoft Edge for Android.
Autoplay video and audio can be a real pain while surfing the web, so we hope that our tutorial will help you get rid of that annoyance for good. Now that you know how to end this nuisance while surfing the internet, you should also check out how you can get rid of other annoyances. On your Windows 10 computer, learn how to disable notifications and remove all ads from the OS. Meanwhile, if you are concerned by the lack of power-user options and privacy-related complaints, check out Chrome alternatives on desktop and the best browsers for privacy on Android and iOS.
