When you open the Mac App Store to browse for new software or updates, you will frequently see large banner advertisements for new games or featured productivity apps. If you hover over these banners or scroll past them, macOS often begins playing a promotional video automatically, complete with sudden, loud audio.
This auto-playing video feature is highly intrusive, especially if you are browsing the App Store in a quiet environment like an office or library. Furthermore, downloading multiple high-definition promotional videos in the background can significantly drain your Mac’s battery life. You can disable this aggressive marketing feature entirely.
How to Stop Videos from Auto-Playing in the Mac App Store
You must turn off the auto-play functionality within the specific preferences of the App Store application, not the main system settings.
- Open the App Store application on your Mac (you can find it in your Applications folder or via Spotlight search).
- In the top menu bar (next to the Apple Logo), click on App Store.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu (or press Command + , on your keyboard).
- A small preferences window will appear on your screen.
- Look for the checkbox labelled Video Autoplay.
- Uncheck the box.
- Close the Settings window.
The change takes effect immediately. You can now safely browse the “Discover,” “Create,” and “Play” tabs within the Mac App Store without being unexpectedly startled by loud promotional trailers. If you do wish to watch a video for an app, you will simply have to click the manual play button on the video thumbnail.