SkipSeenHow to turn off YouTube autoplay on every device
Updated October 5, 2026 · By Keenan Kaufman
Short answer: on a computer, click the Autoplay switch at the bottom of the video player. In the Android or iPhone app, tap your profile picture → Settings → Autoplay. On a TV, open Settings → Autoplay. The setting is saved per device, so turn it off on each one you use. Videos that start playing silently while you scroll are a different setting, covered below.
On a computer
Open any video. At the bottom of the video player, click the Autoplay switch to set it to Off (YouTube Help). It stays off in that browser until you switch it back.
On Android, iPhone and iPad
- Tap your profile picture.
- At the top right of the screen, tap Settings.
- Tap Autoplay.
- Switch autoplay off.
The steps are the same in both apps (source).
On a smart TV, game console or streaming device
Go to Settings, scroll to Autoplay, and turn it off (source).
Stop videos playing while you scroll
If videos start playing on the Home page or in search results before you click anything, that's not autoplay. YouTube calls it the inline player: as you scroll, videos “play on mute with captions auto-enabled” (YouTube Help). Turning autoplay off doesn't stop it. It has its own setting:
- Computer: profile picture → Settings → Playback and performance → turn Inline playback off.
- Android, iPhone and iPad: profile picture → Settings → General → Playback in feeds → choose Off. Wi-Fi only is the middle option if you mainly want to save mobile data.
Turn off autoplay for a child
On a supervised account, a parent can turn autoplay off so the child can't turn it back on. Signed in with the linked parent account: profile picture → Settings → Family Center → choose the child's profile or account → switch Disable autoplay on (supervised accounts, YouTube Kids).
Teens don't need this step to start with it off: YouTube turns autoplay off by default for users aged 13–17 (source).
Autoplay stops on its own sometimes
Even with autoplay on, YouTube stops it automatically after 30 minutes of inactivity on a mobile network, and after 4 hours on Wi-Fi (source). If autoplay seems to have switched itself off, that's usually why. The guide to autoplay not working covers the other causes.
At a glance
| What you want to stop | Computer | Android / iPhone / iPad | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| The next video playing by itself | Autoplay switch in the player | Settings → Autoplay | Settings → Autoplay |
| Videos playing as you scroll | Settings → Playback and performance → Inline playback | Settings → General → Playback in feeds | — |
| A child turning autoplay back on | Settings → Family Center → Disable autoplay | Settings → Family Center → Disable autoplay | — |
Or keep autoplay, and lose only the repeats
A common reason people turn autoplay off is that it keeps landing on videos they've already seen. YouTube has no setting for that: it's autoplay on, or autoplay off. The guide to why autoplay replays watched videos explains why it happens.
SkipSeen is a free extension for desktop Chrome and Firefox that fills that gap. Leave autoplay on, and when it moves to a video you've already watched, SkipSeen presses Next for you. Videos you click yourself and playlists you chose are left alone, and your history stays on your device. How it works has the exact rules. Extensions can't run in the YouTube mobile or TV apps, so there the settings above are the only options.
+ Add to Chrome — FreeGet it for Firefox