Muting a YouTube video is simple, but “how do I mute YouTube” usually means one of several different things — muting one video, stopping autoplay previews from making noise, or silencing YouTube while other audio keeps playing. Each has a different answer.
Muting the Video You’re Watching
Desktop: click the speaker icon at the bottom-left of the player, or press M on your keyboard. Press again to unmute. The M shortcut is the fastest option and works whenever the player has focus.
Mobile app: tap the video to bring up controls, then tap the speaker icon. There’s no keyboard shortcut equivalent.
Your volume setting persists across videos in the same browser session, so muting one video keeps subsequent ones muted until you change it.
Stopping Autoplay Preview Sound
On desktop, hovering over a thumbnail plays a muted preview. On mobile, previews on the home feed can play with sound, which catches people out in quiet places.
To turn this off in the mobile app: Settings > Playback and performance, then disable Inline playback or set playback previews to muted. The exact wording shifts between app versions, but it’s in that section.
Muting YouTube Without Muting Everything Else
If you want YouTube silent while music or a call continues, don’t use your device’s master volume.
Windows: right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar, open Volume mixer, and mute the browser there — it controls each app independently.
Mac: macOS has no built-in per-app volume control, so you’d need a third-party tool, or simply mute within YouTube’s player as above.
Browser tab: in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, right-click the tab itself and choose Mute site. This silences that site entirely regardless of the player controls — the most reliable option if a video keeps unmuting itself.
Muting a Live Stream’s Chat Sounds
Some live streams have alert or donation sounds coming from the streamer’s own setup. These are part of the stream’s audio, so muting the video mutes them too — there’s no separate control.
If a Video Won’t Mute
An ad playing before the video has its own audio and can ignore your previous mute setting. Also check that a browser extension isn’t overriding volume controls — testing in an incognito window rules that out quickly.
FAQ
Is there a keyboard shortcut to mute YouTube?
Press M while the player has focus — press again to unmute.
How do I mute YouTube but keep other audio?
Right-click the browser tab and choose Mute site, or use Windows Volume mixer to mute just the browser.
How do I stop preview videos playing with sound?
In the mobile app, go to Settings > Playback and performance and disable inline playback or set previews to muted.
Why won’t a video stay muted?
An ad may be playing with its own audio, or a browser extension is overriding volume — test in an incognito window to check.