Stopping Autoplay Videos on Safari

Q. Is it true you can now stop those annoying videos that automatically play on some websites in the Safari browser?

A. As part of its macOS High Sierra update for its computers, Apple has added controls to Safari, the company’s web browser, that stop loud videos from unexpectedly blaring. For sites that play videos that you do not mind seeing right when you visit, you can also set your preferences individually by website.

You can manage autoplay videos in a couple of ways. If you land on a site that starts rolling a video clip, right-click (or hold down the Control key and click) in the Safari address bar and choose “Settings for This Website.” (The option is also available under the Safari menu.)

In the box that pops open, move the cursor over to Auto-Play and click the pop-up menu next to it. On the menu, you can choose to allow all videos coded to just play automatically, you can stop videos that start blasting audio or you can just block all autoplay videos on that particular site.

If you do not want to change the video settings on a site-by-site basis, you can take a more global approach. Under the Safari menu, select Preferences and then click the websites tab at the top of the box. Click Auto-Play on the left side of the box. You can see the settings for sites you have previously visited — and change your initial choices on how to handle video. In the “When visiting other websites” menu at the bottom of the box, you can choose to allow or block all auto-play videos, or just mute them.

While some other browsers have used extensions or add-ons to block automatic video playback, Google announced in September that it was building controls right into future versions of its Chrome browser. The company expects to have the new tools fully available for Chrome users by March.