There may be occasions when you’d prefer to stop videos and GIFs from playing automatically in your social media timelines. This might be to save mobile data, reduce the compulsive nature of these platforms, or simply to have more say in what appears on your screen—especially if trending content is something you’d rather avoid. No matter why, here’s how you can disable autoplay for videos and GIFs on some of the most widely used social platforms.
If you wish to disable autoplay on Facebook, start by clicking your profile icon—this appears at the top right on desktop or within the bottom menu bar on mobile. Next, move down to “Settings & Privacy,” and choose “Preferences.” Here you’ll see a “Media” section; inside, you’ll have the option to manage video playback in your Feed and Stories. Set this to “Never.”
Shortcut: Settings > Preferences > Media > Video Playback > Never.
For Instagram, tap your profile picture in the lower-right corner to visit your profile. On your profile page, press the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the top right. Go to “Settings and activity,” then find “Your app and media,” and select “Media quality.” Here, you can activate “Use less cellular data.”
While this setting doesn’t provide a direct way to stop autoplay, it does help slow down loading outside of Wi-Fi. Additionally, Instagram won’t start playing audio automatically unless you tap a post with sound.
Shortcut: Profile > Settings and activity > Your app and media > Media quality > Use less cellular data.
X (Twitter)
On X, access the sidebar by clicking your profile picture in the top left (it’s always visible on desktop). Choose “Settings and privacy”—on the app, you’ll find this at the bottom of the menu in smaller text. If you’re using mobile, you may need to tap the three dots to see more options, including “Settings and privacy.” Go down to “Accessibility, display, and languages,” which will bring up a new menu. Select “Data usage,” then switch off “Video autoplay.”
For extra control, return to “Settings and privacy” and pick “Display and sound,” where you can also turn off “Media previews.”
Shortcut: Settings and privacy > Accessibility, display, and languages > Data usage > Video autoplay, and Settings and privacy > Display and sound > Media previews.
Bluesky
To open the menu in Bluesky, tap the three-line icon in the upper left of the mobile app, then scroll to the bottom and pick “Settings.” On desktop, this menu is found in the sidebar. Go to “Content and media,” where you’ll spot the “Autoplay videos and GIFs” setting. Switch this off.
Shortcut: Settings > Content and media > Autoplay videos and GIFs.
Threads
At present, Meta’s microblogging service Threads doesn’t let users disable autoplay. Hopefully, this feature will be added in the future.
