You may want to prevent videos and GIFs from playing automatically in your social media feed. This may be because you are trying to store cellular data, limit the addiction of these apps, or try to better control the viewing experience. Whatever the reason, here’s the steps to turn off autoplay videos and GIFs on popular social media platforms.
To turn off Autoplay on Facebook, go to the profile photo icon that appears in the top right corner of the desktop version or in the bottom navigation bar of the mobile app. Next, scroll down to Settings & Privacy and select Settings where you will find the “Media” menu option. Within that menu you have the option to toggle video playback between feed and story. Select the Never option.
Quick Pass: Settings > Settings > Media > Video Playback > never.
In the Instagram app, tap on your profile photo in the bottom right corner. When it appears on your profile page, tap the menu icon in the top right corner of the screen (the icon with three horizontal lines). Next, scroll down to Settings and Activities, go to Apps and Media and find “Media Quality”. From there, you can toggle options to “use less cellular data.”
This isn’t as uncertain as the “Do not autoplay content” setting, but if you’re off Wi-Fi, it will at least slow down. Instagram also doesn’t have autoplay sound unless you click on a post with the sound first.
Quick Pass: Profile > Settings and Activities > Apps and Media > Media Quality > Reduce Cellular Data.
X (Twitter)
x, go to the profile photo on the top left to access the sidebar (on the desktop, the sidebar is already visible). Next, select Settings & Privacy. This will be a small font at the bottom of the app’s menu, and on mobile you will need to tap on the three dots at the end of the list to see more options including “Settings and Privacy.” Next, scroll down to Accessibility, Display, Language. This allows you to open another menu with the “Use Data” option and turn off “Video Auto Play”.
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Going back to “Settings and Privacy” and select “Display and Sound” will make it extremely thorough. There you can toggle between “Media Preview.”
Quick Pass: Settings and Privacy > Accessibility, Display, Language > Data Usage > Video Autoplay, and Settings and Privacy > Display and Sound > Media Preview.
Blue skiing
Tap the three-line icon in the top-left corner of the mobile app to access the Bluesky menu and select “Settings” at the bottom of the list. On the desktop, this menu is accessible from the sidebar. Select Content and Media to display options that include Autoplay Videos and GIFs. Toggles this option.
Quick Pass: Settings > Content and Media > Autoplay Videos and GIFs.
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Unfortunately, Meta’s two-year-old microblog platform still doesn’t offer a way to turn off autoplay. Hopefully that’s on the product roadmap.
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