Do you always want the sharpest data on your iPhone or iPad? YouTube videos without having to manually configure each time? Many users are annoyed by videos that start in low resolution by default, such as 480p or 720p, while 4K or HD is available. Fortunately, you can easily adjust this in the YouTube app, so that your favorite content always plays razor-sharp.
This setting applies to all videos and works separately for Wi-Fi and cellular networks, which is ideal for Apple users on the go. This way you save data on your mobile network, while you can enjoy the highest quality at home. Since not all videos support 4K, a smart solution ensures that YouTube always offers the best quality. We explain how to adjust this setting.
YouTube chooses automatic quality by default
YouTube automatically adjusts video quality based on your internet connection to prevent buffering and save data. On a slow connection, the app will choose lower resolutions such as 360p or 480p, even if the video is available in 4K.
This is useful for mobile data, but frustrating on fast WiFi where higher quality streams smoothly. By choosing ‘automatic’ the video buffers faster, but you will miss details in HD or 4K. You can prevent this and ensure a more consistent and sharper image on your smartphone or tablet.
Set YouTube to always 4K and HD
Follow the steps below in the YouTube app on your iPhone, iPad, smartphone or tablet to set the preference. You don’t need to be logged in, but it works best with an account because the setting will be synced across all your devices. The changes apply immediately to all videos.
- Open the YouTube app
- Tap ‘You’ in the navigation bar
- Open the settings via the gear symbol
- Go to ‘Video quality preferences’
You can now adjust video quality on YouTube for both mobile networks and Wi-Fi. Select ‘Higher image quality’ to always use the best possible quality for videos. This means that YouTube will automatically use HD or 4K when available.
It is wise to choose ‘Higher image quality’ for WiFi, so that you can always watch in high quality. When using mobile networks, you can choose to use data saving or set the setting to automatic.
Adjust quality per video
You can also manually adjust video quality on YouTube on a video-by-video basis, which is useful for a quick one-time switch to 4K or HD. During playback, tap (on mobile) or click (on desktop) the gear in the video player, select Quality and then Advanced to choose options such as 2160p (4K), 1440p or 1080p (HD). This setting only applies to that one video and does not override your default preferences.
Video quality on desktop
On desktop, like your Mac running Safari, Chrome, or Firefox, you can’t permanently adjust YouTube video quality like you can in the mobile app. YouTube doesn’t offer a specific setting option here to always force 4K or HD, regardless of your connection. Instead, the browser interface uses automatic mode by default.
YouTube automatically chooses the best quality available, if your internet connection allows it. On a fast connection it streams in HD or 4K, but drops down (such as 720p or 480p) as the speed decreases to avoid buffering. You can manually switch per video via the cogwheel, but this is not standard.