Pause YouTube when you switch tabs, auto-resume on return, and auto-skip "Video paused. Continue watching?" Private, no tracking.
Users
39
+38 in 30 days
Rating
4.5 / 5
+4.50 in 30 days
Ratings
2
+2 in 30 days
Store rank
#118K
#98K among extensions
Version
2.1.0
updated 30 Sep 2026
Users
monthly, 1 months
Latest, 15 Oct 2026:39 usersMove the mouse over the chart for any month
Ratings count
monthly, 1 months
Latest, 15 Oct 2026:2 ratingsMove the mouse over the chart for any month
The Chrome Web Store rounds user counts down to the leading digit, so the user line moves in steps. The ratings count is exact and is the better signal of real adoption.
About AutoPause for YouTube: Pause on Tab Switch & Skip Continue Watching
AutoPause for YouTube fixes two YouTube annoyances in one lightweight, private extension:
⏸ TAB AUTO-PAUSE: pause YouTube when you switch tabs, resume when you return
Step away to answer an email and the video pauses by itself. Come back and it resumes right where you left off. You never miss a moment of a lecture, tutorial, match or movie.
▶ NONSTOP PLAYBACK: the "Continue watching?" blocker
Tired of "Video paused. Continue watching?" stopping your playlist, podcast, music or study stream? AutoPause detects the prompt and skips it automatically, and it can keep YouTube's idle timer fresh so the prompt usually never appears. It also works on YouTube Music ("Still listening?") and in any YouTube language.
★ WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE AUTOPAUSE
- Pause YouTube on tab switch, auto-resume on return
- Auto-skip "Video paused. Continue watching?"
- A YouTube NonStop alternative, plus tab auto-pause
- Works on YouTube and YouTube Music, in any language
- Respects your manual pauses: if you paused it, it stays paused
- Optional: pause when the browser window loses focus
- Picture-in-Picture aware
- Live counters show how many pauses and prompts were handled
- Light & dark popup with a switch for every feature
- Lightweight: no background process, no polling, no slowdown
🔒 PRIVATE BY DESIGN
Runs 100% inside your browser. No account, no tracking, no analytics, no ads, no external servers. AutoPause only runs on youtube.com and music.youtube.com, and its only other permission is "storage" (to remember your settings).
❓ FAQ
Q: How do I stop YouTube from asking "Continue watching?"
A: Install AutoPause and keep NonStop Playback on. It skips the prompt automatically and can stop it from appearing.
Q: How do I make YouTube pause when I switch tabs?
A: Tab Auto-Pause does it automatically and resumes when you come back. You can turn resume off if you prefer.
Q: Is this a YouTube NonStop alternative?
A: Yes. AutoPause includes NonStop-style auto-continue, and also pauses YouTube when you switch tabs and resumes when you return, all in one extension.
Q: Does it stop "Are you still watching?" during playlists and study streams?
A: Yes. It skips the prompt so long playlists, lectures, podcasts and lo-fi streams keep playing.
Q: Will it un-pause a video I paused myself?
A: Never. AutoPause only resumes videos that it paused.
Q: Does it work on YouTube Music?
A: Yes. The prompt blocker works there by default. Tab auto-pause for Music is an optional switch (off by default so background music keeps playing).
Q: Does it collect my data?
A: No. Nothing leaves your browser.
🆕 WHAT'S NEW IN v2.1
New name, and the prompt blocker now works in any YouTube language. Listing available in 11 languages.
Guide & support: https://sohaibsaqibai-dot.github.io/autopause/
AutoPause is an independent extension and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by YouTube or Google.
Growth
Window
Users
Change
Ratings
Rating
7 days
+4
+11.4%
+1
−0.50
30 days
+38
+3800.0%
+2
+4.50
Chrome Web Store search rankings
Where AutoPause for YouTube: Pause on Tab Switch & Skip Continue Watching appears when people search the store, with the 30 day change