If you’ve happened to read any of my user interface reviews, you know exactly how I feel about autoplay. I think it takes up unnecessary bandwidth on a streamer’s home page, is distracting, and can remove the mystery of what I’m about to watch. If I want to seek out a trailer for a particular title, I can go look for it myself.

Other streaming viewers obviously feel differently, so I wanted to start a series covering how to turn autoplay on and off — and whether streamers will allow you to do it in the first place. And to start this series, I felt the best streamer to test is the biggest of them all — Netflix.

What you need to know about autoplay on Netflix

Can you turn off autoplay on Netflix?

Yes, I’m happy to report that you can turn autoplay on and off when you’re a Netflix subscriber. It may not please the streamer to have you do so, however, autoplay was a spotlighted feature of the streaming service's new user interface when it rolled out earlier this spring.

How do you turn off autoplay on Netflix?

You’ll have to visit the Netflix website to adjust this feature, but it’s relatively easy to accomplish. All you have to do once you’re logged in on your computer is go up to your profile icon in the top-right corner, and click Manage Profiles in the drop-down menu that appears.

Click on the profile you want to adjust autoplay settings for, then click Playback settings. The autoplay controls will be right at the top of the screen, so just uncheck the boxes to turn them off, click Save at the bottom of the screen, and you’re ready to go.

Does turning off autoplay affect all your devices?

You do have that ability on Netflix, but you can choose to turn off autoplay just on your computer if you wish. As you can see in the photo above, Netflix offers the option to turn off autoplay across all devices, or to leave it on on other screens. If you want to leave autoplay on on some devices, just leave this box checked.

Can you turn autoplay back on with Netflix?

You sure can. If you want to toggle autoplay back on, simply use the same steps listed above to change the settings again.

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Netflix

Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”

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The platform constantly updates its catalog, introducing fresh content alongside timeless classics and international hits. Netflix’s commitment to storytelling has also earned critical acclaim, with award-winning exclusives such as “Roma,” “Marriage Story,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Mank,” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” In 2023, their animated film “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, further solidifying Netflix’s reputation for high-quality content.

Recently, Netflix has expanded beyond standard movies and TV titles with the addition of video podcasts, and is also exploring a digital store that would offer third-party streamers within the app.

Netflix offers three plans – stream on 2 devices in HD with the “Standard with Ads” ($8.99) plan, on 2 devices in HD with the “Standard” ($19.99) plan, and 4 devices in up to 4K on the “Premium” ($26.99) plan.

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$8.99+ / month

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