Watch YouTube Shorts Without Touching the Mouse
Shorts loop until you scroll. Previews advances to the next one automatically when a Short finishes, so a Shorts session runs hands-free - toggled straight from the Shorts control rail.
How do you make YouTube Shorts scroll automatically?
YouTube loops each Short until you scroll manually - there is no auto-advance setting. Previews adds one: when a Short reaches the end, it moves to the next automatically. The toggle sits in the Shorts control rail, so you can turn it on and off without opening any settings.
The looping behaviour is deliberate on YouTube's part, and it is fine when you are actively browsing. It is less fine when Shorts are playing on a second screen, when you are eating, or when you simply do not want to keep reaching for the mouse every thirty seconds.
Where is the toggle?
In the Shorts control rail - the column of buttons beside the video, with like, dislike, comment and share. Auto-scroll appears alongside them, so it is one click from wherever you already are rather than a trip to the extension panel.
It has to be enabled once in the Previews settings panel first, under Player Controls on the YouTube tab. After that the rail toggle is the day-to-day control.
Does auto-scrolling change what YouTube recommends?
Auto-scroll advances a Short the same way scrolling past it would, so YouTube sees an ordinary watch-then-move-on. What does change is that Shorts you would have let loop now count as finished once rather than repeatedly, which is worth knowing if you leave Shorts running unattended.
If you want to keep a Short on screen, turning the rail toggle off pauses the behaviour immediately without losing your place - it is not a mode you have to leave and re-enter.
Why not a single-purpose auto-scroll extension?
There are several, and they work. The trade is that each is one more extension to install, trust and keep updated for one behaviour. In Previews the same toggle sits with the rest of the YouTube features, so it is one install rather than several.
| Feature | Works on Shorts |
|---|---|
| Auto-Scroll Shorts | Yes - Shorts only |
| Always-visible progress bar | Yes - Shorts only |
| Picture-in-Picture | Yes |
| Screenshot and Record | Yes |
| Playback Speed Controls | Yes |
| FlashBang Defender | Yes |
| Full Screen With Chat | No - main player only |
How to turn it on
- Install Previews from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, or Edge Add-ons.
- Click the Previews icon in your browser's toolbar and switch to the YouTube tab.
- In Player Controls, enable Auto-Scroll YouTube Shorts.
- Refresh YouTube and open any Short.
- Use the auto-scroll toggle in the Shorts control rail to turn it on and off as you watch.
Frequently asked questions
Does YouTube have an auto-scroll setting for Shorts?
No. Shorts loop until you scroll to the next one, and there is no built-in option to change that. It takes an extension.
Can I turn it off without opening the settings?
Yes. Once enabled, the toggle lives in the Shorts control rail next to like and share, so switching it off mid-session is one click.
Does it skip a Short before it finishes?
No. It advances when the current Short reaches its end, so nothing gets cut short. A Short you want to rewatch can be replayed as normal.
Does it work on Firefox?
Yes. Previews is available on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Chromium browsers such as Brave and Opera.