A Complete Guide to Stop Auto Download on WhatsApp

Are you trying to find out how to stop auto download on WhatsApp? If Yes, check out these foolproof methods to stop WhatsApp from saving photos and videos.

Are you annoyed by WhatsApp automatically saving media files on your phone and taking up space, slowing down your device? If yes, then you’ve come to the right place.

WhatsApp has an inbuilt feature of automatically saving all received media locally onto the device. While many users are fine with this feature, it can be quite frustrating for others, especially if you’re in a group. 

The best solution is to turn off auto download in WhatsApp. This enables you to choose the media you want to download and save.

In this article, we will go over the steps on how to turn on, turn off, and fix WhatsApp auto download.

Why Should You Turn Off Auto-Download in WhatsApp?

In case you’re wondering why someone would want to turn off the auto-download feature in WhatsApp, let us give you a rundown:

• The media can accumulate and overload the phone’s internal memory.
• Some media is important, but other unimportant photos and videos are not worth keeping.
• Users may not want to save media from a specific chat.
• Users may not want to use their mobile data connection for downloads.

However, for many people, the auto-download feature is quite convenient. So, before we get into the details of how to turn off this feature, let us tell you how to turn it on.

Part 1: How to Automatically Save WhatsApp Photos and Videos

The auto download feature in WhatsApp is usually set to on by default. All photos and videos received are automatically saved on the phone’s internal storage in a “WhatsApp” folder created by the app. Users can view the media in the chat, a file manager, or image viewing apps.

The users can also choose how to auto-download. For instance:

• iPhone users can choose to auto-download with only Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi and cellular data.
• Android users have a little more freedom as they can select the type of media to download while using Wi-Fi, mobile data, or a roaming connection.

So, how to turn on this feature? Let’s have a look.

For Android

For an Android device, follow these steps to turn on auto-download:

1. Click on the 3 dots in the top-right corner of WhatsApp, and go to “Settings.”
2. Now, go to “Storage and data > Media Auto Download.”
3. Here you will find 3 options: When using Mobile Data, When connected to Wi-Fi, and When roaming.
4. Select “When using mobile data.” You will see 4 options for the type of media you want to download using mobile data. Check the ones you want, based on your preference. 
5. Now, select “When connected on Wi-Fi” and select the media you want to download when your device is connected to the internet using a Wi-Fi connection. 
6. Follow the same procedure for “When roaming.”

Turn on Auto Download on Android WhatsApp

These were the steps to enable auto download on WhatsApp on an Android device. Now, let’s turn on the same settings on an iPhone. 

For iPhone

To turn on auto download on an iPhone:

1. Open WhatsApp, and on the bottom-right corner, click on “Settings > Storage and Data.”
2. Here, under the “Media Auto-Download” section, you will see a list of 4 types of media: Photos, audio, video, and documents. 
3. Tap on “Photos” and select whether you want to auto-download them using Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi and Cellular. 
4. Do the same for audio, video, and documents. 

Turn on Auto Download on iPhone

Now that you know how to turn on auto-download let’s get to the main topic of concern: How to stop auto-download in WhatsApp on Android, iPhone, and PC.

Part 2: How to Turn Off Auto-download in WhatsApp

If you’re sick of WhatsApp media taking up all the storage space, it’s time to turn off the auto download.

For Android

Here’s how to do so for an Android device:

1. Open WhatsApp and click on the 3 dots in the screen’s upper right corner. 
2. Now go to “Settings > Storage and Media.”
3. Under the “Media auto-download” tab, click “When using Mobile Data” and uncheck all the boxes. Click “Ok” to come out of the menu.
4. Repeat the same steps for “When connected on Wi-Fi” and “When Roaming” to turn off auto download.

Turn off Auto Download on Android WhatsApp

For iPhone

Turning off auto download in WhatsApp on an iOS device is more or less the same as on Android devices. The user can choose whether to auto-download using cellular data or Wi-Fi. The user can also select the downloading option for each media type separately. 

So, follow these steps to turn off auto download on an iPhone:

1. Launch WhatsApp, and on the bottom right corner, go to “Settings > Storage and Data.”
2. Under the “Media Auto-Download” section, you will see 4 types of media files: Photos, audio, video, and documents.
3. Tap on “Photos” and select “Never.”
4. Do the same for audio, video, and documents.

Turn off Auto Download on iPhone WhatsApp

For Mac/Windows

It may come as a surprise, but there’s no option to turn off auto download on WhatsApp Web or the WhatsApp desktop app! 

WhatsApp Web and the Whatsapp Desktop app will automatically download media received from all saved contacts. The only way to stop WhatsApp from auto-downloading media is to:

1. Delete your contacts.
2. Cancel the download as soon as you receive the message.

But honestly, neither of these methods is feasible.

However, WhatsApp auto-downloading doesn’t actually save media files on the PC, so it’s not really an issue. The media shown in the app is hosted by the WhatsApp server. 

To save the media locally onto the PC, select the media, then press the download icon on the top right.

fixes we have discussed solve the issue. However, if they don’t work and your WhatsApp auto download is still not working, try restarting your iPhone or reinstalling WhatsApp.