How to stop videos from autoplaying on X

You can tweak your settings in under a minute.
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
The X logo is seen on a smartphone.
Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

X (formerly Twitter) seems to be dominated by videos when you open the app or access the site — and if the news of the day happens to be something violent or disturbing, it can be easy to stumble across content that you don't want to see automatically playing.

The safest way to avoid disturbing social media content is to avoid the apps altogether, but if you do want to access X on a day when unpleasant news is trending, there's a setting you can tweak that will at least stop videos from autoplaying in your feed.

How to stop videos autoplaying on X

Total Time
  • 1 minute
What You Need
  • X on desktop or smartphone

Step 1: Navigate to "Settings and privacy"

This is under "More" if you're using desktop.

A list of options from X.
Credit: X

Step 2: Navigate to "Accessibility, display and languages"

Step 3: Click/tap on "Data Usage"

A screenshot from X shows a list of "Accessibility" options
Credit: X

Step 4: Click/tap "Autoplay", then select "Never"

This will stop all videos from autoplaying when you're using X.

A menu of Settings options is visible on the left. On the right is an "Autoplay" menu.
Credit: X

It's worth noting that while you can stop autoplaying videos, this won't remove videos from X altogether — and there's still a chance you may see disturbing images while browsing on the app.


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If you've seen violent or disturbing content online, and need to talk to somebody, here are some resources:

Crisis Text Line / 988lifeline.org / Samaritans / Find a Helpline

To report harmful content go to the Safer Internet Centre.

Topics Social Media

Mashable Image
Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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