How to Permanently Change the Quality of a YouTube Video

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

Fortunately, there is a solution to adjust the quality of a video permanently. In this article, we will show you how to do it on different devices.

How to Permanently Change YouTube Video Quality on iPhone

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

YouTube changed how its video quality options work on iOS in April 2022. When your device is connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network, you can now choose a preset video quality.

There are four distinct video quality options:

1. Auto – Adjusts video quality based on current network circumstances, screen size and original video quality.
   
2. Higher visual quality – Displays video at 720p or higher resolution and consumes more data.
   
3. Data Saver – Shows lower quality videos, a feature that uses less data.
   
4. Advanced – Allows you to choose between multiple 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 picture.|
   
3. Choose "Settings".
   
4. Select "Video Quality Preferences".
   
5. Go to "Video quality over mobile/Wi-Fi networks".
   
6. Choose the option you like for mobile networks and Wi-Fi.
   

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

1. Start a video you would like to watch.
   
2. Tap anywhere on the video.
3. Select the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
   
4. Go to "Quality" and choose "Advanced".
   
5. Tap the specific video quality you want.
   

This setting only applies to that particular video, so it's not a permanent fix.

How to Permanently Change YouTube Video Quality on Android Device

Similar to iOS, YouTube changed how its video quality options work for Android in April 2022. For Android, there are also the four preset options – Auto, Higher Visual Quality, Data Saver, and Advanced. The steps are similar to permanently changing the video quality on an iPhone.

1. Launch YouTube.
   
2. In the top right corner, select your profile picture.
   
3. Select “Settings”.
   
4. Choose "Video Quality Preferences".
   
5. Go to "Video quality over mobile/Wi-Fi networks".
   
6. Select your preferred choice.
   

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

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

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

How to Permanently Change YouTube Video Quality on PC

Many people prefer watching YouTube on a desktop computer because of the larger screen and possibly higher resolution. However, there is no official permanent setting for video quality. Luckily, there are different extensions for different browsers to help you out.

On Chromium

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. In the browser extension's menu, click "Auto Quality for YouTube".
5. Choose the quality you want for YouTube videos in the options next to "Default Quality".
   
6. Click on “Save”.
   
7. Reload YouTube.
   

On Firefox

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

How to Permanently Change the Quality of a YouTube Video on an iPad

Similar to an iPhone, there are four preset 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 photo.
   
3. Select “Settings”.
   
4. Choose "Video Quality Preferences".
   
5. Open "Video quality over mobile/Wi-Fi networks".
   
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 the video.
3. At the top right you will see three vertical dots. Press it.
   
4. Select “Quality” then “Advanced”.
   
5. Choose the video quality you want.
   

Additional FAQs

Can I set permanent video quality for offline videos?

Yes. Go to YouTube app settings, scroll down to offline options and find the "Quality" option. Set your preferred quality and you can download any video with this setting.

This default setting is “Ask every time”. However, you can set a default quality for all videos.

How can I prevent YouTube from autoloading in HD?

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

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

Maximize your pleasure

Hope now you can watch different YouTube videos in the quality you prefer. Remember that you cannot watch a video in a higher resolution than the one in which it was downloaded. This means that if the video was downloaded at 480p, there is no way to play it at 720p or 1080p.

Prefer to watch YouTube videos in 1080p? Have you ever tried any of the permanent video quality options? Let us know in the comment section below!