How to Stop Auto-Playing GIFs in Safari

Animated GIFs and auto-playing web images can be distracting, overwhelming, and even trigger motion sensitivity for some users while browsing the internet. Fortunately, Apple provides a built-in Accessibility feature that stops these moving images from looping continuously in the Safari web browser. This article provides a straightforward guide on how to disable auto-playing animated images across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices using your system's Accessibility settings.

How to Disable Animated Images on iPhone and iPad

To stop GIFs and animated images from playing automatically in Safari on iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 or later, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
3. Under the Vision category, tap Motion.
4. Locate the Auto-Play Animated Images option and toggle the switch to the Off (gray) position.

How to Disable Animated Images on Mac

To prevent animated web images from looping in Safari on macOS Sonoma or later, adjust your system preferences using the following steps:

1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings.
2. Click Accessibility in the left-hand sidebar.
3. Under the Vision section on the right, click Display.
4. Scroll down to find Auto-play animated images and toggle the switch to the Off position.

What Happens After Changing This Setting

Once you turn off the Auto-Play Animated Images setting, Safari will immediately stop automatically playing and looping GIFs and other moving image formats. Instead, the browser will display only the first frame of the animation as a static image. This change applies globally across the Safari browser, reducing visual clutter, saving battery life, and preventing unwanted motion while you read and browse.