9 Ways to Fix AutoPlay Not Working in Windows 11

User Case: AutoPlay Not Working in Windows 11

"I seem to have a problem with my Windows 11 computer. Whenever I connect a USB flash drive, I find that the videos stored in it do not play automatically. I know this may seem like a small problem, but it does give me a headache because I need to watch a lot of videos on a regular basis. I want to fix this problem as soon as possible, does anyone know what to do?"

AutoPlay on Windows 11 plays a handy role. It automatically detects and performs preset actions when you connect a removable storage device to your PC, such as opening a folder to view files in File Explorer or play media files

Although the impact of the problem with the AutoPlay feature is not significant, it is still worth being alert. Because in addition to the problems described by the case where AutoPlay does not work in Windows 11, these similar problems may also arise:

📌 USB AutoPlay not working in Windows 10.
🎬 AutoPlay is enabled but does not work.
💾 AutoPlay does not work with SD cards in Windows 10.
💿 DVD AutoPlay does not work in Windows 10.
📝 AutoPlay does not work when connecting an external hard drive, or pen drive.

Thankfully, the fixes for all of the above issues are the same, so please read the following in detail to try to fix them.

9 Ways to Fix AutoPlay Not Working in Windows 11/10

If you don't know how to fix the above problem, please try the following 9 methods in turn, which are believed to restore Windows 11/10 AutoPlay to its normal state.

Method 1. Reset the AutoPlay Settings✨

When you encounter problems with AutoPlay not working in Windows 11, you should first try resetting the AutoPlay settings. This will fix a possible error in the AutoPlay feature and allow it to be restored.

1. Use Windows + R to open the Run window, type control and press Enter.
2. In the upper right corner of the Control Panel window, change the view mode to large icon and tap the AutoPlay option.
3. Find and tap Reset All Defaults at the bottom of the new window, and then tap the Save button.

Note📒: Please make sure the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices checkbox is checked before resetting the default values.

Method 2. Modify the login file edit program value

The Registry Editor program is responsible for Windows settings for various devices on your computer, including the AutoPlay feature on Windows 11. Therefore, to fix the problem of Windows 11 autoplay not working, you can try to change the Registry Editor value.

1. Use Windows + R to open the Run window, type regedit and press Enter.
2. In the Registry Editor program window, navigate to the following paths in order.

👉 Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

3. In the right panel of Explorer, find and double-click it to open NoDriveTypeAutoRun.
4. Modify the value data to 91, and then tap the OK button.

5. Navigate in the same manner to the following path.

👉 Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

6. Modify the NoDriveTypeAutoRun value data in the right panel to 91, and tap the OK button.

Method 3. Enable Shell Hardware Detection Service✨

Shell Hardware Detection service is mainly responsible for managing the AutoPlay feature in Windows 11. Therefore, when you encounter an issue with autoplay not working Windows 11, try restarting the service, which will help fix the issue.

1. Use Windows + R to open the Run window, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. In the Services window list, find and double-click to open the Shell Hardware Detection service.
3. In the General tab, change the Startup Type to Automatic and tap the OK button.

Note📒: If Shell Hardware Detection is not started, tap the Start button in the Service Status section.

Method 4. Change System Notification Settings

From the results of some user feedback, changing the notification settings in Windows 11 can also help fix the problem of AutoPlay not working in Windows 11, which is a worthwhile approach to try.

1. Use Windows + I to open Windows Settings, and select System in the left panel, and tap Notifications in the right panel.
2. Turn on the function of Get notifications from apps and other senders first, and then turn on the AutoPlay function.

Method 5. Change Local Group Policy Editor✨

The Local Group Policy Editor allows you to control and change the settings of your computer's user accounts. If you want to fix the problem of AutoPlay not working in Windows 11, you can restore the AutoPlay feature by changing the Local Group Policy Editor.

1. Use Windows + R to open the Run window, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
2. In the Group Policy Editor window, navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components.
3. Find and select the AutoPlay Policies in the left panel, and tap and double-click it in the right panel to Turn off AutoPlay.

4. Set Turn off AutoPlay to Disabled and tap the OK button.

Method 6. Disconnect All USB Devices

If you are using a USB device and you are experiencing the problem of AutoPlay not working in Windows 11, then you can try disconnecting all USB devices to fix the problem, which is a worthwhile method.

Completely shut down your computer and remove all USB devices connected to your computer in turn. Wait 60 seconds and then reconnect them to your computer in turn to see if you can fix the above problem.

Method 7. Using Command Prompt

In addition to the above method, you can also use command prompt characters to fix the problem of AutoPlay not working in Windows 11, here are the detailed steps to do so.

1. Use Windows + S to open the search bar, type cmd and select Run as administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type net start shellhwdetection and press Enter. Wait for the command to execute successfully, then restart the computer.

Method 8. Re-Enable AutoPlay

Just like restarting your computer to fix a problem, when you encounter an issue with AutoPlay not working in Windows 11, you can try re-enabling AutoPlay feature, which will help fix the above issue. There are 2 ways you can turn on this feature.

#1. Turn on AutoPlay in the Control Panel

1. Use Windows + R to open the Run window, type control and press Enter.
2. In the upper right corner of the control panel window, change the view mode to large icon and tap the AutoPlay option.
3. Uncheck the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices checkbox at the top of the new window, wait 60 seconds, and then re-check this option.

#2. Turn on AutoPlay in Windows Settings

1. Use Windows + I to open Windows Settings, select Bluetooth & devices in the left panel, and tap AutoPlay in the right panel.
2. In a new window, turn off the Use AutoPlay for all media and devices button. Wait 60 seconds, and then turn this option back on.

Method 9. Run Windows 11 Update

Outdated Windows 11 system versions may also cause the issue of AutoPlay not working in Windows 11. Therefore, you can try to perform Windows 11 update to fix the above issue.

1. Use Windows + I to open Windows Settings and select Windows Update in the left panel.
2. Tap the Check for updates button in the right panel, if there is any available update, please download this update and tap the Install Now button.

Backup System to Prevent Any Modification Errors✨✨

When you are troubled by the problem of AutoPlay not working in Windows 11, you can fix it by the above 9 methods to restore the video viewing experience. Please note that the method of modifying the value of the registry editor file is risky. Once the modification is wrong, it may affect the normal operation of the system, and in severe cases, problems such as system crash may occur.

Therefore, it is recommended that you take a system backup via AOMEI Backupper Standard before using this method to fix the problem to prevent any system problems that may arise.

1. Run AOMEI Backupper Standard, select the Backup tab in the left panel, and select System Backup in the right panel.

2. In the System Backup window, change the storage path of the system backup and then click the Start Backup button.

👍 Helpful tips: Before the backup starts, you can click on Options, Schedule Backup and Backup Scheme in the lower left corner for additional settings.
⚙ Option: Allows you to comment backup tasks and enable email notifications. You can also enable encryption for backups in the pro version to increase the security of system backups.
⚙ Schedule Backup: Allows you to turn on the scheduled backup function to automatically backup the system daily, weekly, monthly, event triggers, and USB plug in (The latter two are available in pro and higher editions).
⚙ Backup Scheme: You can choose from full backup, incremental backup and differential backup. Later two backup methods can help you save disk space. Differential backup is available in the pro version, which also has an automatic cleanup feature.

Summary

If you don't know how to fix the problem of AutoPlay not working in Windows 11, please read the above in detail and fix it with the 9 methods provided in the article to ensure that AutoPlay will be back to normal as soon as possible.

In order to prevent unforeseen problems during modification, it is recommended that you make a backup with AOMEI Backupper first. You can also create bootable media ahead of time to ensure your computer can boot safely and perform a system recovery in case your system crashes or fails to boot, etc.