To boost engagement, YouTube autoplays videos in its feed. It can be distracting and even problematic if you have a limited data plan. But it’s pretty easy to stop this YouTube behavior. Read on to get the exact instructions to disable video autoplay in the YouTube feed.
It’s important to note that this setting is tied to the device and not your Google account. So you’ll have to do the following steps on each of the devices you use YouTube on.
How to stop YouTube feed autoplay on mobile
- Open the YouTube app on your Android or iPhone.
- Tap on your profile photo icon in the right top corner.
- Click on Settings.
- Tap on General.
- Now tap on the “Playback in feeds” option.
- Select Off, and YouTube videos will stop playing automatically in the feed.
How to stop YouTube feed inline playback on desktop
- Open YouTube.com on your computer.
- Tap on your profile photo icon in the right top corner.
- Click on Settings.
- Tap on Playback and performance.
- Now toggle Inline playback option to off. This will stop YouTube videos from auto-playing when you hover over them on the Home screen.
How to stop YouTube home-screen previews on Android TV
- Open the YouTube app on your Android TV device.
- Navigate to the options panel on the left.
- Navigate to Settings > Previews with sound.
- Select Off to disable previews on YouTube home-screen.
Apart from auto-playing thumbnails on YouTube, you can also stop the service from auto-playing the next video.
How to stop YouTube from auto-playing next video on mobile
- Open the YouTube app on your Android or iPhone.
- Tap on your profile photo icon in the right top corner.
- Click on Settings.
- Tap on Auto-play.
- Now toggle Autoplay next video to off.
How to stop YouTube from auto-playing next video on desktop
When playing a video on YouTube.com, look for the Autoplay toggle on the video player. It’s usually next to the closed caption icon on the right bottom of the video player. Switch this toggle off to stop YouTube from auto playing the next video. Unfortunately, this option is also tied to your device, not the Google account. So you’ll have to change the setting on each device.
Hopefully, this tutorial helped you stop the autoplay in the YouTube feed and on the YouTube home screen. If you want to buy a new television, I have handpicked the best TV you can buy in 2022. I also have recommendations for the best streaming devices on the market.