Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10  

Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10

    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10

    How to Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10
    Published by Category: Hardware & Drivers
    11 Nov 2020
    Designer Media Ltd

    How to Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10


    AutoPlay lets you choose an action for different kinds of media when you plug in a device or insert media. You can set AutoPlay to open different kinds of content, such as photos, music, and video on different kinds of media, such as drives, CDs, DVDs, cameras, and phones. For example, you can use AutoPlay to select an app that will automatically open photos on a removable drive when you plug it into your PC. With AutoPlay, you don't have to open the same app or reselect preferences every time you plug in a certain device.

    • You will only see an AutoPlay notification when you have AutoPlay turned on and connect a device, media, or content that you chose Choose a default (default) or Ask me every time as its AutoPlay default.
    • You can turn off AutoPlay for specific media or devices by choosing Take no action as its AutoPlay default.
    • If you connect a storage device to your PC (for example, a USB flash drive or other external drive), that device won't appear under Devices in AutoPlay. AutoPlay will only show non-storage devices, such as some digital cameras, video cameras, and phones. You can view storage devices in the This PC window in File Explorer.
    • You can press and hold the Shift key when you insert devices or media into your PC to open an AutoPlay notification, regardless of the default setting.

    This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off using AutoPlay for all media and devices in your account in Windows 10.


    Contents




    EXAMPLE: AutoPlay notification for "Ask me every time"
    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10-autoplay_example.png






    OPTION ONE

    To Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Settings


    1 Open the Settings app, and click/tap on the Devices icon.

    2 Do step 3 (on) or step 4 (off) below for what you would like to do.


     3. To Turn On AutoPlay for all media and devices

    This is the default setting.

    A) Click/tap on AutoPlay on the left side, and turn on Use AutoPlay for all media and devices under AutoPlay on the right side. (see screenshot below)

    B) Under Choose AutoPlay defaults on the right side, select the default action per listed media and device you want AutoPlay to perform when they are first connected, and go to step 5 below.

    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10-autoplay_settings-2.png

     4. To Turn Off AutoPlay for all media and devices

    A) Click/tap on AutoPlay on the left side, turn off Use AutoPlay for all media and devices under AutoPlay on the right side, and go to step 5 below. (see screenshot below)

    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10-autoplay_settings-1.png

    5 When finished, you can close Settings if you like.






    OPTION TWO

    To Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Control Panel


    1 Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the AutoPlay icon.

    2 Do step 3 (on) or step 4 (off) below for what you would like to do.


     3. To Turn On AutoPlay for all media and devices

    This is the default setting.

    A) Check the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices box. (see screenshot below)

    B) Select the default action per listed media and device you want AutoPlay to perform when they are first connected, and go to step 5 below.

    You can click/tap on the Reset all defaults button at the bottom left corner to be able to quickly set Choose a default as the AutoPlay default for all media and devices.

    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10-autoplay_control_panel-2.png

     4. To Turn Off AutoPlay for all media and devices

    A) Uncheck the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices box, and go to step 5 below. (see screenshot below)

    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10-autoplay_control_panel-1.png


    5 When finished, click/tap on Save.

    6 You can now close the Control Panel if you like.






    OPTION THREE

    Turn On or Off AutoPlay using a REG File


    The downloadable .reg files below will modify the DWORD value in the registry key below.

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers

    DisableAutoplay DWORD

    0 = On
    1 = Off


    1 Do step 2 (on) or step 3 (off) below for what you would like to do.


     2. To Turn On AutoPlay

    This is the default setting.

    A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

    Turn_On_AutoPlay.reg

    Download


     3. To Turn Off AutoPlay

    A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

    Turn_Off_AutoPlay.reg

    Download


    4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

    5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

    6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

    7 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


    That's it,
    Shawn






  1. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Professional
       #1

    I have followed this procedure and restarted my computer but autoplay still does not work. I had setup autoplay using the Control Panel before reading your instructions but decided to go to Settings and setup up Autoplay as well. Autoplay still does not work on my computer even after turning it on.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 68,667
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Hello garthmicro, :)

    Please describe what you're doing and what happens when trying to get AutoPlay to work, and post screenshots showing all of your AutoPlay settings.

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...en-forums.html
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Professional
       #3

    Posting a couple photos showing autoplay settings.


    After resetting the computer as shown in the photos I restarted it and then tried plugging in an external USB hard drive. The computer finds the drive immediately but does not offer any autoplay options. When I use the hold down the shift key while plugging in the drive I still get no autoplay options popping up.

    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10-autoplay-1.png

    Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10-autoplay-control-panel-stitch.jpg
    Last edited by Brink; 03 Nov 2015 at 18:58. Reason: attached your uploaded images
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 68,667
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #4

    In your bottom screenshot from the Control Panel, uncheck the "Choose what to do with each type of media" box under "Removable drives", and set "Removable drive" to "Ask me every time" from the drop down menu to see if that helps.

    In addition, test connecting it in different USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports on the computer to see if it may work for some bot not others.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Professional
       #5

    Brink said:
    In your bottom screenshot from the Control Panel, uncheck the "Choose what to do with each type of media" box under "Removable drives", and set "Removable drive" to "Ask me every time" from the drop down menu to see if that helps.

    In addition, test connecting it in different USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports on the computer to see if it may work for some bot not others.
    I followed your instructions. And yes, I've been trying my hard drive with USB2.0 and USB3.0 ports. In each case Windows finds the drive but fails to prompt with any sort of Autoplay options.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 68,667
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #6

    How does it work with a USB flash drive instead?

    Does the USB hard drive show as removable in Device Manager?
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Professional
       #7

    Yes, the hard drive shows up in Device Manager. The flash drive behaves the same as the hard drive. Windows finds it immediately and I can check the contents but no Autoplay prompting.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Professional
       #8

    Brink said:
    How does it work with a USB flash drive instead?

    Does the USB hard drive show as removable in Device Manager?
    Also, Windows 10 Professional is up to date - no updates are available.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Professional
       #9

    garthmicro said:
    Yes, the hard drive shows up in Device Manager. The flash drive behaves the same as the hard drive. Windows finds it immediately and I can check the contents but no Autoplay prompting.
    Also, some other things that might be of interest, I have upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1 Pro. I did this twice and each time I had the same situation - autoplay didn't work. This is really the first time I've tried to to fix it. Also behaves the same way with memory cards from my camera and with DVDs and CDs. I can go to the DVD drive and right click and select Open Autoplay - that works fine, I get a menu for the DVD.
      My Computer


 

Tutorial Categories

Turn On or Off AutoPlay in Windows 10 Tutorial Index Network & Sharing Instalation and Upgrade Browsers and Email General Tips Gaming Customization Apps and Features Virtualization BSOD System Security User Accounts Hardware and Drivers Updates and Activation Backup and Restore Performance and Maintenance Mixed Reality Phone


  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 18:45.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums