SkipSeenYouTube autoplay not working? Why, and how to fix it
Updated October 5, 2026 · By Keenan Kaufman
Short answer: usually one of four things. Autoplay is switched off on this particular device. The account belongs to someone aged 13–17, where YouTube turns it off by default. A parent has turned it off on a supervised account, which can also hide the switch. Or YouTube stopped it on purpose after a stretch of inactivity: 30 minutes on mobile data, 4 hours on Wi-Fi. Each is covered below, in the order worth checking.
1. Autoplay is off on this device
The setting is kept per device, so having it on at home doesn't turn it on on your laptop. To turn it back on (YouTube Help):
- Computer: click the Autoplay switch at the bottom of the video player.
- Android, iPhone and iPad: profile picture → Settings → Autoplay.
- TV and game consoles: Settings → Autoplay.
Can't find the switch in the app? Use the Settings route above; that's where YouTube's help puts it for both apps.
2. It's a teen account
YouTube says: “For users aged 13-17 on YouTube, Autoplay is turned off by default” (source). It can be switched on the same way as above, unless the account is also supervised.
3. A parent has turned it off, or the switch is missing
On a supervised account, a parent can switch Disable autoplay on in Family Center, and then “your child can't turn on Autoplay” (source). YouTube's autoplay page adds that on a supervised account “you may not have the option to turn on/off Autoplay” (source). That's the usual reason the switch is missing entirely. Only the parent account can change it: Settings → Family Center → the child's profile → Disable autoplay.
4. YouTube stopped it after a while
Autoplay doesn't run forever. YouTube stops it automatically if you've been inactive for 30 minutes on a mobile network, and after 4 hours on Wi-Fi (source). If autoplay worked for a while and then stopped, this is the likely cause. Starting the next video yourself gets things going again.
5. Videos play as you scroll, but autoplay doesn't (or the reverse)
These are two separate settings. Autoplay plays the next video when one ends. The inline player plays videos silently, with captions, as you scroll the Home page and search results (source). Its switch is Inline playback under Settings → Playback and performance on a computer, and Playback in feeds under Settings → General in the apps. Changing one doesn't change the other. The guide to turning off autoplay covers both.
6. Something in the browser
For playback problems on a computer, YouTube suggests: make sure your computer is up to date, close and re-open your browser, close most other tabs, update your browser, use Google Chrome, and restart your device (source).
Our suggestion, not YouTube's: browser extensions can change how YouTube plays videos, and some are built to stop autoplay. Try YouTube in a private window with extensions off. If autoplay works there, turn your extensions back on one at a time to find the one responsible.
If you use SkipSeen: it never turns autoplay off. When autoplay lands on a video you've already watched, it presses Next. After five watched videos in a row, it lets the next one play rather than skipping forever. SkipSeen support covers its own troubleshooting.
Checklist
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Never autoplays on one device | Switched off on that device | Turn on the Autoplay switch there |
| Off on a new or teen account | Off by default for ages 13–17 | Turn it on in Settings → Autoplay |
| No Autoplay switch at all | Supervised account, disabled by a parent | Parent: Family Center → Disable autoplay off |
| Worked, then stopped | Inactivity limit (30 min mobile, 4 h Wi-Fi) | Play the next video yourself |
| Videos play while scrolling, not after ending | Inline playback is a separate setting | Check both settings |
| Broken only in one browser | Browser or an extension | Update and restart; try a private window |
Once autoplay works, make it worth keeping on
Plenty of people who fix autoplay then find it keeps landing on videos they've already seen. The guide to why autoplay replays watched videos explains why. SkipSeen, a free extension for desktop Chrome and Firefox, skips those repeats automatically and keeps your history on your device.
+ Add to Chrome — FreeGet it for Firefox