This post will show you how to make YouTube always play videos in the highest quality in Edge and Chrome browsers on Windows 11/10. By default, YouTube automatically adjusts the video quality based on your internet connection speed. So, let’s say there is a video with 1080p quality and you have a slow internet connection; then the video quality will be set to, say, 480p. While the feature is good, we need to manually adjust the quality level if we want to play the video with higher or highest quality. This can be not very pleasant, especially when there is a playlist. YouTube will adjust the quality level automatically; we must change it repeatedly. But there is a way to set the default video quality for YouTube videos.
Thus, whenever you play a video on YouTube, it will be played with the highest quality level you set. While there is no native option in YouTube to do so in Chrome or Edge browser, we can make it possible using free extensions. Here, note that a video can’t be played in a higher quality than its original quality. So, if a video is uploaded with 720p quality, it can’t be played with a 1080p quality level. It will be played with the maximum level available for the video only.
Make YouTube always play videos in Highest Quality in Chrome and Edge
To play YouTube videos always with the highest quality level in Edge browser and Chrome browser, you can use one of these extensions:
- Auto HD/4k/8k for YouTube
- Auto HD/Automatic 4K for YouTube.
Let’s check these options.
1] Auto HD/4k/8k for YouTube
Auto HD/4k/8k for YouTube (or Auto HD for YouTube) is a simple Chrome extension to set the default video quality for all YouTube videos. It supports 8K to 4K, 1080p to 720p, 360p to 140p, etc., and videos (including an auto level option).
You can select a quality level, which will be the maximum quality level for any video you play on YouTube. Even if you close and reopen a YouTube tab or play YouTube in incognito mode, the quality level will remain the same.
You can get this extension from chromewebstore.google.com. Once the extension is added, play a YouTube video. Now, click on the extension icon available on the top right side of the Chrome browser. Its simple and beautiful interface will be in front of you with all the quality levels. Select a quality option and it will refresh the YouTube tab. Now, the default quality level will be set. You can also change the quality level anytime you want.
Related: Make YouTube videos load faster
2] Auto HD/Automatic 4K for YouTube
Auto HD/Automatic 4K for YouTube is a simpler extension available for Microsoft Edge. 4K, 8K, 1080p, 720p quality videos, etc., with 60 FPS, 30 FPS, 48 FPS, and 50 FPS are supported by this extension. You can select any of the supported quality levels to set it as a preferred quality. After that, YouTube videos will play with that preferred quality.
You can add this extension to your Edge browser from microsoftedge.microsoft.com. Open YouTube and play a video. Click the extension icon, and a pop-up will appear. There, use the drop-down menu to select a preferred quality. You can also use the Best available quality if needed. This will refresh the tab, and the default quality will be set to play YouTube videos.
While these extensions work well, you may need to set the preferred quality level again once you close and reopen the browser.
I hope this helps.
Also read: How to reduce YouTube Data Usage on PC
Can you set YouTube to always play highest quality?
On Android, iPhone &iPad devices, there is a built-in way to set the default streaming quality for all videos. For this, access the Video quality preferences section under the Settings of the YouTube app. There you can select the Higher picture quality option on mobile networks and Wi-Fi. But, if you are using YouTube on Edge or Chrome browser on a desktop, then you need to use some free extension to set YouTube to always play the highest quality.
How do I maximize the quality of a YouTube video?
To maximize the quality of a YouTube video you are playing on a computer, click on the Settings icon (or gear) > access the Quality section > and select the highest quality level available to maximize the video quality.
Now read: How to screenshot a YouTube video on PC.
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