There are few things more annoying than opening a news website or a blog in a new tab, only for a loud, irrelevant video to start blasting audio in the background. While many modern browsers have implemented some form of automatic media blocking, the implementation is often inconsistent, requiring you to scramble to find which tab is making the noise.
If you use Safari on a Mac, you do not have to put up with this. Apple has built a highly customisable, native media blocker directly into the browser. You can choose to block autoplaying videos on a specific, annoying website, or you can apply a blanket ban across the entire internet. Here is how to configure it.
Method 1: Stop Autoplay on All Websites (Global Setting)
If you want to ensure that a video never never plays automatically again—regardless of what website you visit—you can change Safari’s global preferences. This is the best option for users who frequently browse with headphones on or who want to conserve battery life.
- Open the Safari browser on your Mac.
- Look at the top menu bar (next to the Apple logo) and click on Safari.
- Select Settings (or Preferences on older versions of macOS).
- In the Settings window, click on the Websites tab (the icon looks like a small globe).
- Look at the sidebar on the left and select Auto-Play.
- Look at the bottom right corner of the window for a dropdown menu labelled “When visiting other websites:”
- Click the dropdown menu and select Never Auto-Play.
From this point forward, Safari will forcefully pause any video that attempts to play without your permission. If you actually want to watch a video, you will need to manually click the “Play” button on the video player itself.
Method 2: Stop Autoplay on a Specific Website
Perhaps you do not want to block videos everywhere. Maybe you like YouTube automatically playing the next video, but you despise a specific news website that constantly bombards you with auto-playing ads. You can tailor Safari’s behaviour on a per-site basis.
- Open Safari and navigate to the annoying website.
- Right-click on the website’s URL in the address bar (or click Safari in the top menu bar).
- Select Settings for [Website Name].
- A small configuration menu will drop down directly below the address bar.
- Look for the option labelled Auto-Play.
- Click the dropdown next to it and select Never Auto-Play.
Understanding the “Stop Media with Sound” Option
You may have noticed a third option in these menus called Stop Media with Sound. This is Safari’s default, compromise setting.
If you select this, Safari will allow silent videos (like background animations on a company’s landing page, or a muted GIF) to play automatically, but it will forcefully block any video that contains an active audio track. This is an excellent middle ground if you want a quiet browsing experience but do not want to break the visual design of modern websites.
By taking a few seconds to configure these settings, you can reclaim control over your browsing experience and put an end to unexpected audio jump-scares.
