Autoplay Button Missing on YouTube? Here’s The Fix!

Is the autoplay button missing on YouTube? 

YouTube has a feature that automatically plays the next video without having the user press a single button. This is extremely helpful when watching a tutorial video with many parts or binge-watching videos of your favorite YouTube channel. 

However, if you’re reading this right now, it is safe to assume that the autoplay button is missing on YouTube, right? 

Before getting frustrated, do know that this issue is very common and should be easy to troubleshoot. 

Usually, a problem with YouTube’s servers is the primary cause of this issue, but you may be just looking at the wrong spot. 

Whatever the case is, we’re here to help you out!

Today, we will show you a few tips to fix the autoplay button if missing on YouTube. 

Let’s begin!

 

1. Check YouTube’s Servers. 

When you encounter any problem on YouTube, the first thing that you should always do is to check their servers. Since it is an online platform, YouTube relies on its servers to deliver its contents and features. 

You can use third-party sites like Downdetector to check their servers’ current status or check YouTube’s official Twitter account, where they release announcements and updates. 

 

2. Turn Off VPN. 

Many users are using VPN services since online privacy and safety have been in question for years now. If you’re one of them, you might want to consider turning it off if you encounter problems on YouTube. 

Although VPNs work great for securing your data, they can also interfere with your connection and make it difficult for your device to load the contents of a website. 

If the autoplay button is missing on YouTube, disable your VPN and try to reload the page. 

 

3. Use PureVPN. 

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4. Look for the Autoplay Button in Other Locations. 

Most users might not be aware of this, but the autoplay button on YouTube can be found in two various locations. 

The first autoplay button is located at the top right corner of your screen, which most users know. 

On the other hand, there is also an autoplay button inside the video controls tab. To access it, click on Settings inside the video controls tab, and you should find it at the top of the pop-up menu. 

5. Enable Autoplay on YouTube App. 

Autoplay is also available for mobile devices, but you’ll have to go deep into the app’s settings to enable it. 

See the steps below to guide you on the process. 

  1. First, open YouTube on your mobile device and tap on your Profile icon. 
  2. Now, tap on Settings and select Autoplay

  1. Lastly, tap the toggle switch next to ‘Autoplay next video’ to enable the feature. 

6. Turn Off Muted Playback in Feeds. 

YouTube added a new feature on their app that mutes the preview of videos when you scroll through your feed. However, this doesn’t make sense since previews were already muted before the new feature rolled out. 

Now, for some unknown reason, this messes up with the autoplay button, and you need to turn it off to see the autoplay button. 

  1. First, open the YouTube app on your device and access your Profile
  2. Now, tap on Settings to open it. 
  3. After that, tap on General and locate Mute Playback in Feeds

  1. Lastly, turn off the feature and restart the app. 

Once done, try to play a video and check if you can now see the autoplay button. 

7. Re-Login to Your Account. 

Your account may have encountered a temporary error and causes other features on YouTube to malfunction. To fix this, try to sign out of your account and log back in after a few minutes to refresh your account’s data. 

On Android, you can re-login to your account by doing the following: 

  1. First, open YouTube and tap on your Profile located at the top right corner of your screen. 
  2. After that, tap on Switch Accounts and open the Manage Accounts tab. 

  1. Lastly, select the account you want to sign out and tap on Remove Account

For iOS users, see the steps below to guide you on the process.

  1. On your device, open the YouTube app and tap on your Profile
  2. Now, open Switch Account
  3. Finally, tap on Use YouTube Signed Out


If you are on a browser, check out the steps below to re-login your YouTube account. 

  1. First, access YouTube’s website on your browser. 
  2. Next, click on your Profile icon from the top right corner of your screen. 
  3. Lastly, click on Sign Out.

Once done, wait for about 5 minutes before logging back into your YouTube account.

8. Check for Updates. 

If the autoplay feature is not working on the YouTube app, it may have encountered a temporary glitch or error. In this case, you can try checking for an update to patch the error that occurred. 

On Android, see the steps below to update the YouTube app on your device. 

  1. Open Google Play Store from your home screen and tap on the Menu button to access the side drawer. 
  2. After that, tap on My Apps & Games to check for updates. 
  3. Lastly, tap on Update if there’s an available update. 

autoplay button missing on YouTube


For iOS users, check out the guide below to update YouTube. 

  1. First, open the App Store from your home screen and tap on your Profile
  2. The App Store should automatically check for possible updates on all the apps installed on your device. 
  3. Finally, tap the Update button next to YouTube to install the latest version. 

autoplay button missing on YouTube

After the update, go back to YouTube and check if the autoplay feature is now working. 

9. Clear Your Browser’s Cache and Cookies. 

To load websites and their functions faster, browsers use caches and cookies stored locally on your device. However, caches and cookies can accumulate over time and slow down your browser. 

If this happens, it may struggle to load the features of a website like the autoplay button on YouTube. 

Clear your browsing data to free up some space and speed up your browser. 

  1. First, open your browser’s History tab by pressing the CTRL + H keys on your keyboard. 
  2. After that, click on the Clear Browsing Data from the side menu of your browser. 
  3. Next, make sure that ‘Cached Images and Files’ and ‘Cookies and Other Site Data’ are included in the process. 
  4. Click on Time Range and select All Time from the dropdown menu. 
  5. Finally, click the Clear Data button to start the process. 

autoplay button missing on YouTube

Once done, go back to YouTube and see if the autoplay button is now visible. 

10. Try Another Search Browser. 

Your current browser may be having issues as of the moment and struggling to load the websites’ contents. If the autoplay button is missing on YouTube, try to use another browser and see if this is still the case. 

Preferably, use popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, which use render engines that are highly optimized for most websites. 

11. Check and Reset Your Internet. 

For the last method, try to run a speed test on your network using Fast.com to check its current status. Your connection is possibly running slow, making it hard for your browser to load the entire YouTube content. 

autoplay button missing on YouTube

If your network connection is the problem, try to restart your router to refresh the link with your ISP’s servers. Locate your router’s power cable and unplug it for about 10 seconds before plugging it back in. 

autoplay button missing on YouTube

Once done, run another test to check if your network is now running correctly. Contact your ISP immediately if you are still experiencing network-related issues and let them handle the situation. 

This wraps up our guide in fixing the autoplay button missing on YouTube. If you have other questions or concerns, please let us know in the comment section below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

 If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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