There are occasions when you could need to stop movies and GIFs from mechanically enjoying in your social media feeds. This could possibly be since you’re making an attempt to preserve mobile knowledge, restrict the addictiveness of those apps, or preserve higher management over your viewing expertise, as when a video goes viral that you simply don’t want to see. Regardless of the purpose could be, listed here are the steps to show off autoplaying movies and GIFs on common social media platforms.
Fb
To show off autoplay on Fb, navigate to your profile image icon, which seems within the high proper nook of the desktop model or within the backside navigation bar of the cellular app. Then, scroll all the way down to “Settings & Privateness,” then choose “Preferences,” the place you’ll discover a menu possibility for “Media.” Inside that menu, there may be an choice to toggle video playback in your Feed and in Tales. Choose the “By no means” possibility.
The fast path: Settings > Preferences > Media > Video Playback > By no means.
On the Instagram app, faucet your profile image within the bottom-right nook. When you’re in your profile web page, faucet the menu icon within the higher proper nook of your display (it’s the icon with three horizontal traces). Then, scroll to “Settings and exercise,” then navigate to “Your app and media,” the place you’ll discover “Media high quality.” From there, you’ll be able to toggle on the choice to “Use much less mobile knowledge.”
This isn’t as foolproof as a “don’t autoplay content material” setting, however it’ll at the least sluggish issues down for those who’re off Wi-Fi. Instagram additionally received’t autoplay sounds except you click on on a put up with sound first.
The fast path: Profile > Settings and exercise > Your app and media > Media high quality > Use much less mobile knowledge.
X (Twitter)
On X, navigate to your profile image within the high left to entry the sidebar (on desktop, the sidebar is already seen). Then, choose “Settings and privateness” — this might be in smaller font on the backside of the menu on the app, and on cellular, it’s a must to faucet the three dots on the finish of the checklist to deliver up extra choices, which incorporates “Settings and privateness.” Subsequent, scroll all the way down to “Accessibility, show, and languages,” which can open one other menu with a “Knowledge utilization” possibility, the place you’ll be able to flip off “Video autoplay.”
Techcrunch occasion
San Francisco
|
October 27-29, 2025
You will be additional thorough by navigating again to “Settings and privateness” and choosing “Show and sound.” There, you’ll be able to toggle off “Media previews.”
The fast path: Settings and privateness > Accessibility, show, and languages > Knowledge utilization > Video autoplay, and Settings and privateness > Show and sound > Media previews.
Bluesky
Entry Bluesky’s menu by tapping the three-line icon within the higher left nook of the cellular app, then select “Settings” on the backside of the checklist. On desktop, this menu is accessible through the sidebar. Choose “Content material and media,” which can show choices that embrace “Autoplay movies and GIFs.” Toggle this feature off.
The fast path: Settings > Content material and media > Autoplay movies and GIFs.
Threads
Sadly, Meta’s two-year-old microblogging platform doesn’t but provide a technique to flip off autoplay. Hopefully, that’s on the product roadmap.
