YouTube’s scrolling autoplay feature can be useful when you want to keep discovering new videos, but it can also be distracting or even annoying when you’re browsing content at your own pace. If you want to disable this feature and take control of your YouTube viewing experience, you’re in the right place.
What Is YouTube’s Scrolling Autoplay?
Scrolling autoplay is a feature on YouTube that automatically plays a preview of a video when you scroll through your home page, recommendations, or search results. This can be helpful if you want to get a quick look at a video without clicking on it, but it also has some downsides:
- Videos play without sound but with captions, which can be distracting.
- It can use extra data if you’re on a limited internet plan.
- Some users find it overwhelming when browsing quickly.
Fortunately, YouTube allows you to disable this feature both on mobile and desktop.
How to Stop YouTube’s Scrolling Autoplay
The process of turning off scrolling autoplay differs slightly depending on whether you’re using a mobile device or a desktop browser.
Disabling Scrolling Autoplay on Mobile (Android and iOS)
If you’re using the YouTube app on your smartphone or tablet, follow these steps:
- Open the YouTube app on your device.
- Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings from the menu.
- Go to General.
- Find the option labeled Muted playback in feeds.
- Tap it and choose Off to disable scrolling autoplay.
Now, videos will no longer play automatically as you browse your feed.
Disabling Scrolling Autoplay on Desktop
If you’re using YouTube on a desktop or laptop through a web browser, you can disable scrolling autoplay by doing the following:
- Go to YouTube and log into your account.
- Click your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
- In the left-hand menu, click Playback and performance.
- Under the Browsing section, find Inline preview with sound.
- Turn it Off.
Once disabled, videos in your feed will no longer start playing automatically as you scroll.
Additional Ways to Improve Your YouTube Experience
While turning off scrolling autoplay is a great start, there are other YouTube settings you can adjust to make your experience even better.
Disable Regular Autoplay
If YouTube automatically plays the next video when you’re finished watching one, you may also want to disable the standard autoplay feature:
- Start playing a video.
- Look for the Autoplay toggle (a small switch) on the video player.
- Click or tap it to turn autoplay Off.
Use YouTube’s Data Saving Mode
Scrolling autoplay can use extra mobile data, which is a concern for people with limited data plans. You can enable YouTube’s data-saving mode to reduce usage:
- Go to Settings in the YouTube app.
- Select Data Saving.
- Enable the options that reduce data usage, such as lower video quality and disabled autoplay.
Install Browser Extensions
If you’re using a web browser, there are various browser extensions that can further enhance your YouTube experience. Some of them allow you to:
- Disable all autoplay features.
- Block ads for an uninterrupted experience.
- Enhance video controls with keyboard shortcuts.
Conclusion
Controlling autoplay features on YouTube can help create a more enjoyable and distraction-free browsing experience. Whether you’re tired of videos playing automatically while scrolling or want to save mobile data, the steps outlined above can help you take control of how content is presented to you.
By making these adjustments, you can browse YouTube at your own pace without videos automatically grabbing your attention every time you scroll. Give these methods a try today and enjoy a more seamless YouTube experience!
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