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To stop another video from starting when the one you chose ends, turn off Autoplay in the YouTube player. To see fewer recommendations on Home or Up Next, use separate controls such as watch-history settings and recommendation feedback. Autoplay controls playback; they do not remove recommendation surfaces.
This guide covers the controls YouTube documents for phones, computers, TVs and game consoles, plus ways to adjust Home recommendations, tune individual suggestions, and keep a mobile-app session out of account history. Choose the control that matches the problem: stopping automatic playback is different from changing which videos YouTube suggests.
Autoplay and recommendations solve different problems
YouTube’s Autoplay setting determines whether another related video automatically plays after the current video ends. Recommendations are suggestions shown in places such as Home, Up Next, Shorts, destination pages and channel pages. Turning Autoplay off stops automatic continuation, but suggestions may still appear for you to choose manually.
YouTube Help describes the setting this way: “When Autoplay is on, another related video will automatically play after a video ends.” That is the specific problem the player switch addresses. It does not mean that YouTube stops offering related videos or removes the areas of the app and site where recommendations appear.
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YouTube says its recommendation system uses more than 80 billion pieces of information it calls signals. That figure describes the system’s context, not a measured benefit from switching off Autoplay or changing history settings. YouTube Help says watch history is the primary signal it relies on for video recommendations on Home. The official help pages do not report a named study or outcome statistic showing how much recommendations change after you disable Autoplay or adjust history.
| Your goal | Control to use | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Stop the next video from starting automatically | Autoplay | Stops automatic continuation after a video ends |
| Reduce history-based suggestions on Home | Pause or delete watch history | Changes the use of watch activity in Home recommendations |
| Tune a particular suggestion or channel | Not interested or Don’t recommend channel | Gives YouTube feedback about recommendations |
| Keep a mobile-app session separate from account history | Incognito | Prevents account watch and search history from influencing or reflecting that session |
| Stop new searches being recorded | Pause search history | Stops searches made while paused from being saved in search history |
For example, if you only want the video you selected to stop at the end, turn off Autoplay. If you still see suggested videos afterward, that is consistent with Autoplay being off: the suggestions and the automatic playback control are separate. If you want fewer Home recommendations, consider the watch-history controls as well.
Turn off Autoplay on the device you’re using
YouTube’s help page describes separate controls for phones, computers and TVs or game consoles. Settings can differ across devices, so you may need to switch Autoplay off on each device where you watch. Turning it off on a phone should not be treated as proof that it is also off on a computer or television; check the player or app settings on the device you are using.
The control’s location depends on the device. On a phone or tablet, YouTube documents both a switch in the player and an Autoplay option in app settings. On a computer, the documented switch is at the bottom of the player. On a TV or game console, the documented path is through the YouTube app’s Settings. Use the matching instructions below rather than looking for one universal menu path.
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- Open a video’s watch screen in the YouTube app.
- Tap the Autoplay switch at the top of the player and set it to Off.
- Alternatively, open your profile picture, then Settings → Autoplay, and turn the setting off.
The player switch is the direct control while watching a video. The app settings route is another place to reach Autoplay if you would rather adjust it from settings. YouTube lists this app-settings path on both Android and iOS, though labels or layouts can vary.
If Autoplay is on and the next video is about to start, YouTube says you can tap Cancel to stop that next video. Cancel is useful for interrupting an imminent next video, but if your goal is to prevent automatic continuation after future videos too, switch Autoplay off.
Computer
- Open a video’s watch screen.
- Click the Autoplay switch at the bottom of the player to set it to Off.
YouTube also says that, in this situation, scrolling past the player or typing—such as entering a comment or search—prevents the next video from automatically playing. This is a documented way to prevent the next video from starting in that situation, but the persistent setting to change is the Autoplay switch itself.
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If a video still continues after you expected it to stop, check the switch on the current device’s player. Because settings can differ across devices, also check whether you are watching on a phone, computer or TV where Autoplay may have a different state.
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Smart TV or game console
- Open the YouTube app and go to Settings.
- Scroll to Autoplay.
- Choose Off.
On a TV or game console, use the app’s settings rather than relying on the player-switch instructions for a phone or computer. If you also watch on another device, check Autoplay there separately.
Autoplay is off by default for users aged 13–17. Supervised-account settings may restrict whether the setting can be changed. If you do not see the control or cannot change it, age or supervision settings may affect availability; YouTube’s official help pages do not establish a way to override those restrictions.
Reduce recommendations on Home with watch-history controls
YouTube says it primarily relies on watch history to provide video recommendations on Home. This makes watch history the relevant documented control when the goal is to reduce history-based recommendations on that surface. Pausing history prevents future watched videos from being recorded in watch history; deleting activity removes prior history for the selected period. These are account-history controls, not a universal switch that removes every suggested video across YouTube.
There are two different decisions here. Pause watch history if you want to stop future watched videos from being added to that history. Delete relevant watch history if you want to remove activity already saved for a selected time frame. If both past and future activity are concerns, you may choose to do both. Pausing alone does not delete the existing history; deleting alone does not mean that future viewing will not be recorded.
- Open your YouTube account’s YouTube History controls.
- Pause watch history if you do not want future watched videos recorded.
- Delete relevant watch history if you also want to remove the influence of past activity. On YouTube’s documented page, deleting watch history for a selected time frame also deletes search history for that same time frame.
Keep the deletion side effect in mind before selecting a time frame: on the documented YouTube History page, deleting watch history for that period also deletes search history for the same period. If you only want to stop future searches being saved, use the separate search-history control instead of assuming a watch-history change will do that.
YouTube says Home recommendations are removed when a viewer has no relevant or significant recent watch history and has indicated that they do not want future recommendations based on it. This is a stated condition for Home, not a promise that all recommendations on all surfaces disappear. In particular, do not interpret the Home-specific result as a guarantee that Up Next, Shorts, destination pages or channel pages will have no suggestions.
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Also distinguish “less personalized” from “no recommendations.” YouTube describes recommendations on multiple surfaces, and the history controls address the use of account activity rather than erasing every recommendation location. YouTube Help identifies watch history as the main documented lever for Home, but does not promise an exact number of suggestions removed or a particular replacement experience.
Give feedback on individual suggestions
On supported Home or Watch Next surfaces, open the video’s More menu and select Not interested. For unwanted videos from a particular channel, choose Don’t recommend channel where available. YouTube describes these options as ways to tune recommendations; availability can depend on the surface, device and whether you are signed in.
Use Not interested when you want to provide feedback about an individual video suggestion. Choose Don’t recommend channel when the channel’s content is the issue and that option is offered. These controls are for recommendation tuning; they do not switch off Autoplay or guarantee that all suggestions disappear.
On a TV or game console, YouTube documents a different interaction: press and hold the select button on a recommended video, choose Not interested, and optionally provide a reason. This is a device-specific interaction for a recommended video, not the Autoplay setting in the app’s Settings.
If a feedback option is missing, it may not be available on that particular surface or device, or sign-in may affect which controls are offered. YouTube’s official help pages do not support assuming that the same menu appears everywhere.
Watch in the mobile app without account history
Incognito in the YouTube mobile app creates a session that behaves as if you were signed out. Your account’s watch history and subscriptions do not influence that session, and the session’s searches and viewing do not appear in your account’s search or watch history.
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- Open the account selector.
- Choose Turn on Incognito.
Incognito can suit a one-off viewing session when you do not want your account’s watch history and subscriptions influencing what you see, or when you do not want that session’s searches and viewing reflected in your account history. It is not the same as turning off Autoplay: if the concern is that another video starts automatically, also use the Autoplay control.
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Public actions such as commenting or subscribing require signing in. Incognito is a mobile-app option in the documented instructions; it is distinct from turning off Autoplay and from pausing account history. YouTube Help documents these Incognito details for the mobile app and does not establish that the same option or behavior is available through every browser, TV or console.
Pause search history separately
If you want searches excluded from your saved YouTube search history, use the history controls rather than assuming Autoplay or watch-history settings will do it. In the app, open Manage all history and unselect Include your searches on YouTube. Searches entered while search history is paused are not saved. Incognito also does not save search history.
Watch history and search history are related account controls but address different activity. Pausing watch history stops future watched videos from appearing in watch history; pausing search history stops new searches from being saved in search history. If you want both kinds of activity kept out of their respective histories, review both controls. Deleting watch history for a selected time frame is a separate action and, on YouTube’s documented page, also deletes search history for that same time frame.
Incognito is another option for a mobile-app session: YouTube says searches are not saved and account search and watch history do not influence or reflect the session. If you want to keep using your account normally but stop saving searches, the separate search-history control is the more specific setting described for that purpose.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose the smallest change that matches your goal
- Only want the chosen video to stop at the end? Turn off Autoplay on the device you are watching.
- Want fewer personalized videos on Home? Review watch history: pause future recording, and delete past activity if you want it removed from the history used for recommendations.
- One channel or suggestion is the problem? Use Don’t recommend channel or Not interested where the control is offered.
- Want one viewing session outside account history? Turn on Incognito in the mobile app.
- Want searches not saved? Pause search history or use mobile-app Incognito.
Control names and availability can vary by device, sign-in status, age and supervision settings. YouTube’s official help pages describe the settings, but do not report a measured outcome statistic for disabling Autoplay or changing recommendation controls. The instructions reflect YouTube Help information returned on October 9, 2026; labels and feature availability may change, and the steps have not been tested against a particular account’s settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off YouTube Autoplay remove recommended videos?
No. Autoplay controls whether another related video starts automatically after the current one ends. YouTube can still show recommendations on Home, Up Next, Shorts and other surfaces for you to choose manually.
Where is the Autoplay setting?
On a phone or tablet, tap the Autoplay switch at the top of a video player, or go to profile picture → Settings → Autoplay. On a computer, use the switch at the bottom of the player. On a TV or game console, open the YouTube app’s Settings, scroll to Autoplay and choose Off.
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Why does Autoplay seem to be on on one device after I turned it off on another?
YouTube says settings can differ across devices. Check and turn off Autoplay separately on the phone, computer, TV or console where you watch.
How can I reduce YouTube recommendations on Home?
YouTube says watch history is its primary signal for Home recommendations. Pause watch history to stop future watched videos being recorded, and delete relevant history if you want to remove past activity for a selected period. YouTube says Home recommendations are removed when there is no relevant or significant recent watch history and the viewer has indicated they do not want future recommendations based on it; this does not promise that every suggestion elsewhere disappears.
Does deleting watch history also delete search history?
On YouTube’s documented history page, deleting watch history for a selected time frame also deletes search history for that same time frame. Review the period before deleting. To stop future searches from being saved, pause search history separately.
How do I stop searches being saved?
In the app, open Manage all history and unselect “Include your searches on YouTube.” Searches entered while search history is paused are not saved. YouTube’s mobile-app Incognito also does not save search history.
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What does YouTube Incognito do?
In the mobile app, Incognito behaves as if you were signed out: account watch history and subscriptions do not influence the session, and session searches and viewing do not appear in your account search or watch history. Public actions such as commenting or subscribing require signing in.
Can I hide one video or channel from recommendations?
On supported Home or Watch Next surfaces, open a video’s More menu and choose Not interested, or choose Don’t recommend channel for unwanted channel content where available. On a TV or game console, press and hold the select button on a recommended video, then choose Not interested and optionally give a reason. Availability varies by surface, device and sign-in status.
The Bottom Line
Turn off Autoplay to stop another video from starting automatically; it will not remove recommendation surfaces. For fewer Home recommendations, review watch history. Use Not interested or Don’t recommend channel to tune supported suggestions, and use mobile-app Incognito or paused search history when your goal is to keep activity out of account history.
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