How to enable or disable Windows AutoPlay

The Windows AutoPlay feature allows a computer to automatically run a program or video from a CD (Compact Disc) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) inserted into a disc drive. If AutoPlay is disabled, nothing automatically happens with a CD or DVD until you browse the disc's contents using a file utility.

By default, AutoPlay is enabled in Windows but may be disabled by a user or certain program. To enable or disable the Windows AutoPlay feature, follow the steps in the appropriate section below.

Disable Microsoft Windows AutoPlay

To temporarily disable AutoPlay in Microsoft Windows, press the left Shift key as the CD begins to run. Also, to browse the contents of the CD, open My Computer, right-click the CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) drive, and select Explore.

To permanently disable the AutoPlay feature, select your version of Microsoft Windows in the list below and follow the steps.

Disable AutoPlay in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
2. In the Registry Editor, open the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
System\
CurrentControlSet\
Services\
Cdrom\

3. In the Cdrom folder, change the AutoRun string value from a '1' to a '0', and then click OK.
4. Close the Registry Editor.

Disable AutoPlay in Windows XP

1. Open My Computer or Explorer
2. Right-click the CD-ROM drive and click Properties.
3. Click the AutoPlay tab. In this section, specify all Windows AutoPlay features.

Disable AutoPlay with TweakUI

For Windows XP, use the TweakUI utility to disable AutoPlay.

1. Download and install TweakUI.

• Where can I get TweakUI for Microsoft Windows?

2. From the TweakUI interface, click the + next to My Computer.
3. Click the + next to AutoPlay.
4. Select Drives and uncheck each drive where you want to disable AutoPlay.

Disable AutoPlay in Windows 95, 98, and Me

1. Open the Device Manager.
2. Click the + next to CD-ROM and double-click the currently installed CD-ROM drive.
3. In the CD-ROM properties, click the Settings tab and verify no checkmark in the Auto Insert Notification section.

Disable AutoPlay on audio CDs only

To disable AutoPlay for audio CDs only, follow these steps.

1. Click Start, Programs, Windows Explorer
2. In Windows Explorer, click View, then click Folder Options.
3. Click the File types tab and locate the "CD Audio Track" category in the list of available file types.
4. Highlight "CD Audio Track" and click Edit or Advanced.
5. In the Actions category, change the default from Play to Open or None.

Disable AutoPlay by editing the Windows registry

If the My Autorun or AutoPlay feature still does not work after following the recommendations above and you are running Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98, try the following solution.

In Regedit, navigate to the folders below.

HKEY_USERS\
.DEFAULT\
SOFTWARE\
MICROSOFT\
Windows\
CURRENTVERSION\
POLICIES\
EXPLORER\

Once in the Explorer folder, double-click the entry NoDriveTypeAutoRun, if present, and change the value to "95 00 00 00".

If NoDriveTypeAutoRun is not present, follow the steps below.

1. Click Edit on the drop-down menu.
2. Click New.
3. Click Binary value.
4. Enter "NoDriveTypeAutoRun" as the name.
5. Enter "95 00 00 00" as the value.
6. Exit Regedit and reboot the computer.

Disable AutoPlay in Windows NT and 2000

In Windows NT or 2000, follow these steps to disable AutoPlay.

1. Click Start, then Run, type Regedit, and press Enter.
2. In the Registry Editor, open the registry key below:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
System\
CurrentControlSet\
Services\
Cdrom\

3. In the Cdrom folder, change the Autorun value from a '1' to a '0'.
4. Close the Registry Editor.

Enable Microsoft Windows AutoPlay

To enable the AutoPlay feature, select your version of Microsoft Windows in the list below and follow the steps.

Enable AutoPlay in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
2. In the Registry Editor, open the below registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
System\
CurrentControlSet\
Services\
Cdrom\

3. When in the Cdrom folder, change the Autorun string value from a '0' to a '1'.
4. Close the Registry Editor.

Enable AutoPlay in Windows XP

1. Open My Computer or Explorer
2. Right-click the CD-ROM drive or another disc drive and click Properties.
3. Click the AutoPlay tab. In this section, specify all Windows AutoPlay features.

Enable AutoPlay using TweakUI

1. Download and install TweakUI.

• Where can I get TweakUI for Microsoft Windows?

2. From the TweakUI interface, click the + next to My Computer
3. Click the + next to AutoPlay
4. Select Drives and check each drive you want to AutoPlay.

Enable AutoPlay in Windows 95, 98, and Me

1. Open the Device Manager.
2. Click the + next to CD-ROM and double-click the currently installed CD-ROM drive.
3. In the CD-ROM properties, click the Settings tab and verify a check in the Auto Insert Notification section. If there is no check in this box, place a check in the box, then click OK and restart the computer.

Disable AutoPlay for Audio CDs only

1. Click Start, Programs, Windows Explorer
2. In Windows Explorer, click View and select Folder Options.
3. Click the File types tab and locate the "CD Audio Track" category in the list of available file types.
4. Highlight "CD Audio Track" and click Edit or Advanced.
5. In the Actions category, double-click the option listed Play; if this is not listed, see the next paragraph.
6. To use the default Windows CD player, ensure the "Application used to perform the action" section has c:\windows\cdplayer.exe -play.
7. Once set, make sure this action is the Default.

If Play was not an option listed when following these steps, in the "Edit File type" window, click New. After that, type Play for the action type, then under "application used to perform this action," type c:\windows\cdplayer.exe -play.

Enable AutoPlay in Windows NT and 2000

1. Click Start, Run, type Regedit, and press Enter.
2. In the Registry Editor, open the registry key below:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
System\
CurrentControlSet\
Services\
Cdrom\

3. When in the Cdrom folder, change the Autorun from a '0' to a '1'.
4. Close the Registry Editor.