How to Disable Autoplay in Firefox for Videos and Audio

To fully disable autoplay in Firefox on your computer, open Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Autoplay and set the default for all websites to Block Audio and Video. Firefox blocks media with sound by default, but muted videos may still start; the combined option blocks both, including muted clips.

The steps below apply to Firefox desktop on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Menu placement varies slightly: use the Firefox menu button and choose Settings, or on macOS choose Firefox → Settings from the menu bar.

Disable autoplay for every website

1. Open Firefox Settings. Select Settings from the browser menu. The Privacy & Security page contains the permission controls.

2. Find Autoplay. In the sidebar, select Privacy & Security, scroll to Permissions, and click Settings… beside Autoplay. You can also type autoplay in the Find in Settings box to jump to it.

3. Choose the full block. Open Default for all websites and choose Block Audio and Video. This is the setting that stops silent videos as well as media with sound.

4. Save and check a page. Click Save Changes. Reload pages that were already open, then visit a page that normally starts media automatically. A blocked player may show a play button or wait for you to start playback.

Mozilla lists three global choices in the Autoplay dialog:

Firefox's default blocks media with sound, so seeing a video move silently does not necessarily mean the setting failed. Change the global choice to Block Audio and Video if you want the video itself to remain stopped. See Mozilla's current guide to allowing or blocking media autoplay for the documented options and site controls.

Check a website that still plays automatically

A website can have its own Autoplay permission that overrides your default. If one site keeps starting media, check its entry in Firefox's Autoplay list before changing advanced preferences.

1. Return to the Autoplay list. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions and click Settings… next to Autoplay. The list contains sites with a permission that differs from your default. Use Search Website to find the site.

2. Change the site's status. If its status says Allow Audio and Video, open the status menu and choose Block Audio and Video.

3. Save the exception. Click Save Changes and reload the website. If you change the site's status back to your default, Firefox removes the exception from the list after saving; you can also select a site and choose Remove Website.

When Firefox is actively blocking media on a page, an autoplay-permission icon may appear in the address bar. Click it to open the site's permissions panel and review that site's Autoplay choice. A site-specific Allow setting can take precedence over the stricter global selection.

What to expect after turning it off

This Firefox permission controls media a website tries to start without your direction. It does not prevent you from pressing a player’s Play button, and a website may have its own playlist or “play next” control after you start a video. If playback begins only after you click or interact with the page, check that site's player controls as well.

Older tutorials may recommend changing internal media.autoplay preferences on about:config. You do not need to edit those preferences for the normal global or per-site controls described here. Mozilla describes the Configuration Editor as an advanced page and warns that changing preferences can affect browser stability, security, or performance. Start with the built-in Autoplay dialog; use Mozilla's about:config guidance only if you have a separate reason to change an advanced preference.