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To stop website videos from starting automatically in Safari on your Mac, open Safari > Settings > Websites > Auto-Play and set When visiting other websites to Never Auto-Play. To change just one site, open it, use the Page menu in the Smart Search field, choose Website Settings, then set that site’s Auto-Play option to Never Auto-Play.
Turn off autoplay for websites in general
Apple notes that some websites and content providers, including advertisers, automatically play video when you visit. Safari lets you set a default for sites that do not have their own saved choice.
- Open Safari.
- Choose Safari > Settings, then click Websites.
- Select Auto-Play in the left column.
- For When visiting other websites, choose Never Auto-Play.
This default applies to websites without an individual customized setting. A site listed under Configured Websites can keep a different choice. To have the default govern all sites, remove the configured website entries, then set the default you want. Apple Support: Stop autoplay videos in Safari on Mac; Change Websites settings in Safari on Mac.
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- Open the website in Safari.
- Click the Page menu button in the Smart Search field.
- Choose Website Settings.
- Set Auto-Play to Never Auto-Play.
Safari saves that choice for the site in Configured Websites, where it can differ from your general default. Apple documents the Page menu route in Customize settings for each website in Safari on Mac.
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Choose the right Auto-Play option
| Safari option | What it allows or blocks | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Never Auto-Play | Prevents videos on that site from autoplaying, including silent videos. | You want to stop both silent and sound-bearing video from starting automatically. |
| Stop Media with Sound | Blocks autoplay for videos that contain audio, but silent videos may still autoplay. | You only want to stop videos that could play sound. |
| Allow All Auto-Play | Allows videos on that site to autoplay. | You want the site’s videos to start automatically. |
These definitions apply to the selected site or to the default for unconfigured sites, depending on where you change the option. Apple documents the choices in its Safari autoplay guide and Websites settings guide.
What Safari’s setting covers—and what it does not
Apple’s documentation describes Safari’s Auto-Play controls as controls for video on websites. It does not establish a separate Safari switch for audio-only website media or guarantee identical behavior for every site’s custom player. If your goal is to block all video autoplay, choose Never Auto-Play; do not treat Stop Media with Sound as a complete video block because silent video may still start.
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The Mac App Store has a separate Video Autoplay preference for app preview videos under App Store > Settings. That setting is not Safari’s website control. See Apple Support: Change settings in App Store on Mac.
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