You can fix YouTube’s auto quality permanently by adjusting your account settings on mobile, or by using a browser extension on desktop. YouTube inherently relies on an “Auto” algorithm to preserve its own server bandwidth and adapt to your current internet connection. However, you can override this behavior across your devices.
Here is how to lock in your preferred resolution permanently. For Mobile Devices (Android, iPhone, & iPad)
The official YouTube mobile app features built-in preferences to permanently prioritize higher picture quality over automatic scaling.
Open the YouTube app and tap your Profile icon (or the You tab) in the bottom right corner. Tap the Settings gear icon in the top right corner. Select Video quality preferences.
Under Video quality on mobile networks, select Higher picture quality.
Under Video quality on Wi-Fi, select Higher picture quality.
Note: Selecting “Higher picture quality” forces YouTube to default to a minimum of 720p or 1080p, depending on what the uploader provided. It will consume more data when you are not connected to Wi-Fi. For Desktop Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, & Safari)
YouTube’s desktop site does not feature a native menu to permanently force a specific resolution like 1080p or 4K. It defaults to “Auto” on every single new video page load. To override this, you must use a browser extension. How to Permanently Set YouTube Video Quality on Mobile
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