How to Put an End to Those Irritating Autoplay Videos on Any Browser

Autoplay videos, I have a bone to pick with you. You drop in unexpectedly, blasting audio without warning, and interrupting my browsing experience. It’s high time I put an end to this annoyance, once and for all. Lucky for you, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.

Now, let’s embark on this mission together. I’ll guide you step by step on how to stop these pesky autoplay videos in any browser you use. Get ready to take back control of your internet experience!

First things first: let’s start with the trusty Chrome browser. As we all know, Chrome is the king of browsers, but even it can’t escape the autoplay madness. Don’t fret, though, for I have a simple solution for you.

To begin, I want you to open Chrome and type “chrome://flags” in the address bar. This hidden land of Chrome settings may seem intimidating, but fear not, brave warrior. Just keep scrolling until you find the “Autoplay policy” option, and select “Document user activation is required.”

Now, close and relaunch Chrome. Ta-da! No more surprise audio assaults from autoplay videos. You’re in full command now.

Next, let’s tackle Firefox, the browser that values our privacy and freedom. Autoplay videos dare not cross its path! So, grab your coat, because we’re about to embark on another brave quest.

In the Firefox address bar, type “about:config” and hit enter. A warning sign may pop up, but don’t be deterred. Embrace the adventure and click “I accept the risk!”

Now, my friend, search for “media.autoplay.default” and double-click it. By changing the value to “1,” you’re telling Firefox to block most autoplay videos. You’ve successfully regained control of your browsing kingdom!

Last but not least, let’s not forget the browser that keeps our privacy close to heart – Safari. Now, this may be the trickiest journey of all, but fear not, for I shall guide you safely through the storm.

Open Safari and click on “Safari” in the top menu. From there, select “Preferences” and navigate to the “Websites” tab. Behold! The land of autoplay settings awaits your arrival.

Scroll down and find “Auto-Play” on the left-hand side. Click on it, and behold again. You have the power to choose “Never Auto-Play” for all websites, or you can even customize the setting for specific websites. The choice is yours, dear friend!

There you have it, intrepid explorer – a guide to silencing those pesky autoplay videos in any browser you may encounter. With these tricks up your sleeve, you can browse the internet with peace of mind. No more unexpected audio assaults. Now, go forth and enjoy a smoother, quieter online experience. Safe travels!

Hey there, we’ve all been through this annoying situation – you know, when you have a bunch of tabs open in your browser, trying to get some work done or relax, and out of nowhere, your speakers start blaring music or noise. It’s frustrating, right? Well, guess what? There’s a video hidden somewhere among those tabs, and it’s set to autoplay. So now you have to go on a wild goose chase to find it and shut it down, or risk muting your speakers altogether. But hold on, it gets worse.

Imagine browsing a web page and before you even get a chance to look at it, some video starts playing. Annoying, isn’t it? It’s even more infuriating when you’re using your mobile. Not only does the video waste your precious screen space with invasive ads, but you’re also paying for the data consumed by a video you didn’t even want to watch in the first place.

Let’s face it, autoplaying videos are not just a design flaw, they’re also a matter of common decency. If users want to watch a video, trust me, they know how to hit that play button. By forcing videos to autoplay, websites not only irritate their visitors but also squander their own hosting bandwidth and the users’ precious data. It’s a lose-lose situation that drives users away from your site and into the arms of websites that treat them with respect and consideration. Some websites – and I won’t name names (*cough* CNET *cough*) – seem to think they know exactly what I want to see. But let me tell you, they don’t.

That’s precisely why I’ve taken the time to put together this tutorial. I want to show you how to disable autoplaying videos on any browser, whether they’re in Flash or HTML5 format.

How to Stop Videos from Autoplaying in Chrome

If you want to stop videos from autoplaying in Chrome, there’s an easy way to do it for Flash videos, but you’ll need to use an addon for HTML5 videos.

1. Open Chrome and click on the three-line/three-dot menu icon, then select Settings.
2. Go to Advanced settings and choose Content settings.
3. Select Flash and choose Ask First. You can also block specific websites from running Flash altogether.

Now, when you come across a Flash video on a page, it won’t play automatically without your permission. You can click to watch it or ignore it. If you keep your Chrome up to date, this feature should be enabled by default since Chrome no longer supports Flash playback.

To block HTML5 videos from autoplaying in Chrome, you’ll need to install a plugin.

1. Visit this site and download the Stop YouTube HTML5 Autoplay plugin. If the link doesn’t work, you might have to search for the plugin.
2. Alternatively, you can try the Disable HTML5 Autoplay plugin, but note that it is no longer supported by the developer.
3. Install and activate the plugin.

Now, HTML5 videos should no longer autoplay on any website, including YouTube.

How to Stop Videos from Autoplaying in Firefox

Firefox allows you to prevent HTML5 videos from loading automatically when you visit a page. Since Firefox no longer supports Flash playback, this is your only option.

1. Open Firefox and type about:config into the URL bar.
2. If a popup window appears, click “I’ll be careful, I promise”.
3. Search for ‘media.autoplay.enabled’ and double-click it to set it to false.

Now, when you visit a page, the video window will appear but won’t play automatically. However, please note that it also won’t buffer automatically in case you want to watch it later.

How to Stop Videos from Autoplaying in Opera

Since Opera is based on Chromium, the same instructions for Chrome apply.

1. Open Opera and click on the menu icon, then go to Settings.
2. Click on Show Advanced settings and select Content settings.
3. Choose Ask First for Flash in the Flash settings.

To block HTML5 videos from autoplaying in Opera, you’ll need the same plugin used for Chrome.

1. Visit this site and download the Stop YouTube HTML5 Autoplay plugin. If the link doesn’t work, you can search for it.
2. Alternatively, try the Disable HTML5 Autoplay plugin.
3. Install and enable the plugin to block HTML5 videos.

How to Stop Videos from Autoplaying in Safari

If you want to stop videos from autoplaying in Safari, you’ll need to enable debugging mode and make a quick tweak.

1. Open Terminal and make sure Safari is closed.
2. Type ‘defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeInternalDebugMenu 1’, hit Enter, and then close Terminal.
3. Open Safari and select the new Debug option in the top menu.
4. Choose Media Flags and select Disallow Inline Video.

This will prevent all videos from playing automatically in Safari.

If you don’t want to leave debugging mode on, you can turn it off using these steps:

1. Open Terminal and type ‘defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeInternalDebugMenu 0’.
2. Hit Enter and then close Terminal.

How to Stop Videos from Autoplaying in Edge

If you are one of the few people who use Edge for something other than downloading a better browser, you can still turn off Flash videos. Edge allows you to toggle Flash on or off, but it doesn’t offer the option to allow Flash videos to play if you want to.

1. Open Edge and select the Settings menu.
2. Go to View advanced settings and toggle off Use Adobe Flash Player.

Edge doesn’t have the ability to block HTML5 videos, and considering the lack of development for Edge, it’s unlikely that Microsoft will add a feature that people actually want anytime soon.

So, there you have it. That’s how you can stop annoying autoplay videos in any browser. Do you have any other methods to achieve the same goal? Let us know in the comments below!

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9 Thoughts on “Stop Annoying Autoplay Videos in Any Browser”

Lerner says:

How can I turn it off in the Epic browser? I’ve removed Chrome from my laptop, but Epic runs on Chromium. I’m not sure if it’s a recent update in Epic or on YouTube, but now the videos on the homepage of a YouTube channel start playing as soon as I land on the channel. This is new and unwanted. There’s no YouTube setting to turn it off, and Epic doesn’t have a way to contact the team.

How do I turn off autoplay with the Brave Browser?

LORAN PECK says:

When I follow your instructions for Chrome on my PC, I don’t see anything labeled as “Content” settings under Chrome settings and Advanced. I can’t make your process work for me. I can’t change the settings.

Trey says:

If you can’t find “Content” under settings, try this. Open a tab with a video from your most used site, like YouTube. In the address bar, right-click on the padlock and select “site settings” from the drop-down menu. In the new tab that opens, scroll down to the “auto play” option just below “Unsandboxed plugin access” and above “Clipboard”. On the far right side of the page, select “block” from the drop-down menu. Then simply close the settings window, reload your browser, and you’re all set. Remember, you’ll need to do this for every site that uses videos or music. Alternatively, you can reset your browser to default settings, but that will also reset your preferences. Good luck… -Trey

I also couldn’t find “Content” under settings. However, I went to YouTube site settings and blocked Flash. I relaunched the browser and made sure it was updated. There’s no padlock in the address bar. The Stop HTML5 Autoplay Blocker is also enabled. But videos still autoplay.