How to turn off autoplay on your social media feeds

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by videos and GIFs automatically playing in your social media feeds? Whether you're looking to save on cellular data, reduce distractions, or simply take control of your viewing habits, disabling autoplay can enhance your experience. Here’s how you can easily turn off these features across various popular platforms. To stop videos from autoplaying on Facebook, begin by selecting your profile picture icon located at the top right corner on the desktop version or at the bottom of the mobile app. Next, scroll down and choose 'Settings & Privacy,' followed by 'Preferences.' In this section, look for the 'Media' option where you can find a toggle for video playback in your feed and stories. Simply select 'Never' to disable autoplay. The streamlined route is: Settings > Preferences > Media > Video Playback > Never. On Instagram, navigate to your profile by tapping your profile picture in the bottom-right corner. Once there, click the menu icon in the upper right corner, which resembles three horizontal lines. From your profile page, scroll down to 'Settings and activity' and then to 'Your app and media.' Here, you can find 'Media quality' and enable the option to 'Use less cellular data.' While this doesn’t completely stop autoplay, it does help reduce usage when not connected to Wi-Fi. Remember, Instagram will also not autoplay sounds unless you engage with a post that has audio. The quick path: Profile > Settings and activity > Your app and media > Media quality > Use less cellular data. For users on X, access your profile picture in the top left corner to reveal the sidebar. Choose 'Settings and privacy,' which you’ll find at the bottom of the menu. Scroll down to 'Accessibility, display, and languages' to locate the 'Data usage' option, allowing you to turn off 'Video autoplay.' For further control, return to 'Settings and privacy,' select 'Display and sound,' and disable 'Media previews.' Quick route: Settings and privacy > Accessibility, display, and languages > Data usage > Video autoplay, and Settings and privacy > Display and sound > Media previews. On Bluesky, tap the three-line icon in the upper left corner of the mobile app to access the menu, then select 'Settings' at the bottom. On desktop, this menu can be found in the sidebar. Choose 'Content and media' and toggle off 'Autoplay videos and GIFs.' Quick path: Settings > Content and media > Autoplay videos and GIFs. As a note, Meta’s newer microblogging platform currently lacks an option to disable autoplay. Users are hopeful that this feature will be introduced in future updates.