# Stopping videos from automatically playing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827 "2016-08-14T20:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/1 "2016-08-14T20:56:12Z")
I’m surprised that my forum search found only one item that isn’t helping. I had videos turned off from automatically playing and was happy with Chrome with the puzzle piece and right clicking to activate the videos. A couple of days ago, I was on the US patent search and had to enable plug ins to see the images of the patents. Now videos are constantly playing. I’d like to shut them off again. I went here [http://www.pcworld.com/article/2858421/internet/how-to-stop-autoplay-videos.html](http://www.pcworld.com/article/2858421/internet/how-to-stop-autoplay-videos.html) and followed the instructions, but they still play…even after shut down and restart. I don’t know where else I can make changes to be back to what I was. Any help? ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/2 "2016-08-14T21:09:12Z")
If you don’t already have them on Chrome, download and install the FlashBlock, AdBlock Plus and ScriptBlock extensions. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/3 "2016-08-14T23:23:00Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > If you don’t already have them on Chrome, download and install the FlashBlock, AdBlock Plus and ScriptBlock extensions. I Will do that but I don’t understand why I didn’t need flash block on Thursday, but need it now to control auto start on videos ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/4 "2016-08-15T14:35:20Z")
flash block does not seem to help either ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/5 "2016-08-15T15:46:15Z")
I have Firefox set to ask to run flash. I just click no if I don’t want to see a video. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/6 "2016-08-15T15:52:22Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I have Firefox set to ask to run flash. I just click no if I don’t want to see a video. How do you do that? I went to settings and didn’t see anything related to that. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/7 "2016-08-15T16:13:20Z")
I think you go to Add-ons, then Plugins–where there is a list of plugins including Flash. Then on the right hand side of this list there are drop-down lists for Always Activate, Ask to Activate or Never Activate. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/8 "2016-08-15T16:16:28Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I think you go to Add-ons, then Plugins–where there is a list of plugins including Flash. Then on the right hand side of this list there are drop-down lists for Always Activate, Ask to Activate or Never Activate. Perfect, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stopping-videos-from-automatically-playing/762827/9 "2016-08-16T12:26:12Z")
my problem is that I’ve disabled the plug ins on Chrome like I shown in the link. Not working. Yet last week it was working until I had to fiddle with them when looking at a patent.