There are occasions when you could need to forestall movies and GIFs from robotically 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 keep higher management over your viewing expertise, as when a video goes viral that you simply don’t want to see. Regardless of the cause could be, listed here are the steps to show off autoplaying movies and GIFs on well-liked social media platforms.

Fb

To show off autoplay on Fb, navigate to your profile image icon, which seems within the prime proper nook of the desktop model or within the backside navigation bar of the cellular app. Then, scroll right down to “Settings & Privateness,” then choose “Preferences,” the place you’ll discover a menu possibility for “Media.” Inside that menu, there’s an choice to toggle video playback in your Feed and in Tales. Choose the “By no means” possibility.

The short path: Settings > Preferences > Media > Video Playback > By no means.

Instagram

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 screen (it’s the icon with three horizontal strains). 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 can at the very least gradual issues down in the event you’re off Wi-Fi. Instagram additionally received’t autoplay sounds except you click on on a put up with sound first.

The short 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 prime 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, you must faucet the three dots on the finish of the checklist to convey up extra choices, which incorporates “Settings and privateness.” Subsequent, scroll right 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.”

You will be additional thorough by navigating again to “Settings and privateness” and deciding on “Show and sound.” There, you’ll be able to toggle off “Media previews.”

The short 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 short path: Settings > Content material and media > Autoplay movies and GIFs.

Threads

Sadly, Meta’s two-year-old microblogging platform doesn’t but supply a technique to flip off autoplay. Hopefully, that’s on the product roadmap.