How to Change YouTube Video Quality Permanently

To give you the best viewing experience, YouTube tends to adjust the quality of the video you’re watching to your internet connection speed. But this is done automatically and as such can be quite annoying sometimes. You might find yourself changing the video quality for better viewing or to save your data. This can disrupt your watching experience especially if you need to do it numerous times during the playing of the video.

Luckily, there is a solution to adjust the quality of a video permanently. In this article, we’ll show you how to do so on different devices.

How to Change YouTube Video Quality Permanently on an iPhone

However, YouTube will automatically adjust the quality of the videos on iPhone which can increase the data demand on your device. If you’re not careful, you can run out of data pretty quickly. Or you can find yourself having to constantly change the video quality to utilize the HD display your iPhone offers. Either way, the solution is to permanently change the video quality.

YouTube changed the way its video quality options function on iOS in April 2021. When your device is connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network, you may now choose a pre-set video quality.

There are four distinct video quality options:

1. Auto – Adjusts the video quality based on the current network circumstances, screen size, and original video quality.
   
2. Higher visual quality – Displays videos at 720p or higher resolution and consumes more data.
   
3. Data saver – Displays lower-quality videos, a feature that uses less data.
   
4. Advanced – Allows you to choose between several video quality options.

To choose a video quality option on your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Open the YouTube app.
   
2. In the top right corner, tap your profile photo.|
   
3. Choose “Settings.”
   
4. Select “Video Quality Preferences.”
   
5. Go to “Video Quality on Mobile Networks/Wi-Fi.”
   
6. Choose the option you like for mobile networks and Wi-Fi.
   

You’ll see that there’s no way to choose a specific video resolution. You’ll need to choose the Advanced option. This is currently only possible during video playback. The steps to do so are the following:

1. Play a video you’d like to watch.
   
2. Tap anywhere on the video.
3. Select the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
   
4. Go to “Quality” and choose “Advanced.”
   
5. Tap the specific video quality you want.
   

This setting applies only to that particular video, so it is not a permanent solution.

How to Change YouTube Video Quality Permanently on an Android Device

As with iOS, YouTube changed the way its video quality options function for Android in April 2021. For Android, there are also the four pre-set options – Auto, Higher Visual Quality, Data Saver, and Advanced. The steps are similar to changing the video quality permanently on an iPhone.

1. Launch YouTube.
   
2. In the top right corner, select your profile photo.
   
3. Select “Settings.”
   
4. Choose “Video Quality Preferences.”
   
5. Go to “Video Quality on Mobile Networks/Wi-Fi.”
   
6. Select your preferred choice.
   

Again, to choose the advanced option and a particular video resolution you need to do it while watching a video. Follow these steps to do so:

1. Play a video of your choice.
   
2. Tap on the video.
3. Go to the top right corner and tap on the three vertical dots.
   
4. Choose “Quality” and then “Advanced.”
   
5. Select the video quality you like.
   

Note that the steps may vary depending on the Android device and YouTube version you’re using, but the basics are the same.

How to Change YouTube Video Quality Permanently on a PC

A lot of people prefer watching YouTube on a desktop because of the bigger screen and possible higher resolution. However, there is no official permanent setting for video quality. Fortunately, there are different extensions for different browsers to help you out.

On Chrome

1. Open Chrome Web Store and search for Auto Quality for YouTube.
   
2. Select “Add to Chrome” to add the extension.
   
3. Open YouTube using your browser.
   
4. On the browser extension menu and click on “Auto Quality for YouTube.”
5. Choose the quality you want for YouTube videos from the options next to “Default Quality.”
   
6. Click “Save.”
   
7. Reload YouTube.
   

On Firefox

1. Search for  YouTube High Definition in Firefox Mozilla Add-Ons.
   
2. Select “Add” to add the extension to your browser.
   
3. Open YouTube and play whatever video you like.
   
4. In the upper right corner, click the YouTube High-Definition button.
   
5. Select your favorite video quality from the Video Quality menu. The plugin will automatically load your selected quality.
   

How to Change YouTube Video Quality Permanently on an iPad

Similar to an iPhone, there are four pre-set permanent video quality options for YouTube on an iPad. The steps are almost the same.

1. Launch the YouTube app.
   
2. Go to the top right corner and tap on your account picture.
   
3. Select “Settings.”
   
4. Choose “Video Quality Preferences.”
   
5. Open “Video Quality on Mobile Networks/Wi-Fi.”
   
6. Select the option you like for mobile networks and for Wi-Fi.
   

For the advanced option and specific resolutions, the steps are:

1. Play a video.
   
2. Tap on the video.
3. At the top right, you’ll see three vertical dots. Tap on them.
   
4. Select “Quality” and then “Advanced.”
   
5. Choose the video quality you want.
   

Additional FAQs

Can I Set a Permanent Video Quality for Offline Videos?

Yes. Go to the YouTube app’s settings, scroll down to the offline options, and look for the “Quality” option. Set your preferred quality, and you’ll be able to download any video with that setting.

This default setting is “Ask Each Time.” You can, however, establish a default quality for all videos.

How Can I Stop YouTube From Autoloading in HD?

The YouTube Settings page allows you to adjust the playback settings for YouTube videos. To get to the page, go to “YouTube settings” by clicking your name or the arrow in the upper right corner of the page.

By selecting the “Playback” tab, you may see all the options connected to playback. The option to “Always choose the best quality for my connection and player size” is usually enabled by default. If you have a decent Internet connection, this may result in all YouTube videos loading in HD. To prevent this from happening, enable the “I have a slow connection” and “Never play higher-quality video” options. Click the “Save” button to save your changes.

Maximize Your Enjoyment

Hopefully, now you can watch different YouTube videos in the quality you prefer. Remember that you can’t watch a video in a resolution higher than the one it has been uploaded in. This means that if the video was uploaded at 480p, there is no way to play it in 720p or 1080p.

Do you prefer watching YouTube videos in 1080p? Have you ever tried one of the permanent video quality options? Let us know in the comment section below!