When you insert a removable drive or memory card in a Windows PC 11, AutoPlay will ask how you would like Windows to open the drive or play your media. Here's how to disable or change how AutoPlay works.
First, open Windows Settings by pressing Windws + i on your keyboard. Or you can right-click the Start button and choose the option “Setting” in the list that appears.
When Settings opens, click on “Bluetooth and devices” in the sidebar, then select “Autoplay”.
In AutoPlay settings, you can configure how AutoPlay works or disable it entirely. To disable autoplay, move the switch under “Use autoplay for all media and devices” a “disabled”.
If you don't mind using autoplay, but you want to change the way you handle removable drives and memory cards, look for the section “Select autoplay defaults”, containing two drop down menus.
If you click on the menu below “Removable drive”, you will see the following options (and possibly others, depending on the programs you have installed).
- Configure storage settings (Settings): This takes you to the storage settings in the Windows Settings app.
- Take no action: This means that nothing related to autoplay will happen when you connect the unit., but you can still find it in File Explorer as usual.
- Open folder to view files (File Browser): This will automatically open the removable drive you just connected in a File Explorer window.
- Ask me all the time: A menu will appear asking you how you want to handle the newly connected unit.
Choose the option that suits you best.
Right below that, you will see the drop down menu “Memory card”. If you click on that, you will see these options (and possibly others, according to installed applications):
- Import photos and videos (photos): This will automatically copy and import the photos and videos stored on the memory card to the Windows Photos app library 11.
- Import photos and videos (OneDrive): This will copy the photos and videos from the memory card to your OneDrive cloud storage space.
- play (Windows Media Player): This will automatically play the media files that Windows finds on the memory card in the Windows Media Player application..
- Take no action: Autoplay will not activate when you insert a memory card.
- Open folder to view files (File Browser): This will display the files stored on the memory card in a File Explorer window.
- Ask me all the time: This will ask you how you would like to handle the memory card each time you insert one..
Choose the option that matches your personal preferences.
When it's over, close Settings and the next time you insert a memory card or connect a removable drive, AutoPlay will respond as you have configured. If at any time you need to re-enable autoplay or modify settings, just open Settings and navigate to Bluetooth Devices> Autoplay again. Good luck!
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