How to Change Autoplay Settings in Windows 8

Method 1 of 2:

Using the Autoplay Settings Menu

Open the Autoplay settings menu. Open the Start menu on your computer. Click 'Control Panel,' and type 'Autoplay' into the search box. Click 'Autoplay.'
Turn Autoplay on or off. To turn Autoplay on, check the 'Use Autoplay for all media and devices' box. To turn autoplay off, uncheck the same box.^[2]
Customize your Autoplay settings. If you want to make your own choices about how Autoplay will behave, uncheck 'Use Autoplay for all media and devices,' and check the box below it that reads, 'Choose what to do with each type of media.'^[3] You will be able to choose what action you want Autoplay to take when you insert various types of media (removable drives, memory cards, DVDs, etc.) into your computer.^[4]
Finish up. When you've made your changes, press 'Save' in the bottom right corner of the window. That's it! Autoplay will now behave as you dictated.

Method 2 of 2:

Using the Group Policy Editor

Open the group policy editor. Click start, and type "gpedit.msc" into the search editor (without quotation marks).
Access Autoplay Policies. Navigate to Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates> Windows Components> AutoPlay Policies. Right click "Turn Off Autoplay" and click "Edit."
Turn off Autoplay. Check the circle labeled "Enable." Below this, under "Options," you will find a drop-down menu titled "Turn off Autoplay on." Select either "All Drives" or "CD-ROM and removable media drives," depending on whether you want to disable Autoplay for everything, or just CD-ROMs and removable media drives.
Finish up. Press 'Save' in the bottom right corner of the window when you're done. That's it! Autoplay will now be disabled in whatever situations you selected.

Lesley Montoya

Update 04 March 2020

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