One of the most frustrating experiences on the modern web is navigating to a news article or a blog post and having a massive, floating video player instantly start blaring audio at maximum volume. By default, Microsoft Edge allows websites to automatically play media as soon as the page loads, forcing you to frantically scramble for the mute button or close the tab.
This aggressive autoplay behavior is not only annoying but also consumes a significant amount of internet bandwidth and drains your laptop battery. Fortunately, Edge includes a built-in feature to globally restrict websites from automatically playing audio and video without your explicit permission.
You can adjust the media autoplay settings to severely limit this behavior.
How to Restrict Autoplay Media in Edge
You can configure the global media behavior via the Edge settings menu.
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner of the window.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Cookies and site permissions.
- Scroll down the right pane until you find the section labeled “All permissions.”
- Click on Media autoplay.
- You will see a drop-down menu labeled “Control if audio and video play automatically on sites.” Click the menu.
- Change the setting from “Allow” or “Limit” to Block. (Note: If “Block” is not available, select “Limit”, which prevents media from playing audio until you interact with the page).
Once set to Block (or Limit), websites will no longer be allowed to hijack your speakers. You will have to manually click the play button on a video for it to begin streaming, giving you total control over your browsing experience.