You probably get annoyed when you hover your mouse over any Netflix content and it starts playing automatically. Besides being invasive, this action consumes a lot of your Internet connection's data. That's why we're going to introduce you to a Google Chrome browser extension called netflix-stop-autoplay, which stops automatic playback previews on Netflix.
It's true that Netflix has an option to disable autoplay of the next episode, but that option doesn't work on the preview thumbnails on the Netflix home page.
How to stop autoplay when hovering over thumbnails?
It's a free extension for Google Chrome, but it's not available on the Chrome Web Store. That's why you'll have to add it manually. To do so, you'll need to download the ZIP file from the GitHub page.
After downloading the “netflixext.zip” file, you'll need to unzip it. At this point, go to the “Extensions” section of your Google Chrome browser and enable “Developer mode”, which is in the top-right corner. Once enabled, the “Load unpacked” option will become available in the top-left corner. From there, you'll need to load “netflixext” to add the extension to your browser.
With the extension installed, when you hover over any content listed on Netflix, the add-on will prevent the preview from playing automatically (a still image will be shown). Remember that the plugin only works for thumbnails, not for the sliders usually at the top of the Netflix home page.
With the extension, you'll achieve that browsing Netflix becomes a faster and more enjoyable experience.
But if for some reason you need to re-enable autoplay on Netflix, you simply disable the netflix-stop-autoplay extension.
