WhatsApp is a popular messaging app that allows users to send and receive messages, photos, videos, documents, and more. While the auto-download feature can be convenient for quickly accessing media files, it might not always be desirable due to storage or data usage concerns. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to stop auto-download in WhatsApp on both mobile devices and computers.

To stop auto-download in WhatsApp on your mobile device (Android or iOS), follow these steps:

1. Open WhatsApp and go to ‘Settings’ by tapping the three dots in the top right corner (on Android) or the gear icon at the bottom right (on iOS).

2. Tap ‘Data and Storage Usage’.

3. Under the ‘Media Auto-Download’ section, you will see options for ‘When using mobile data’, ‘When connected on Wi-Fi’, and ‘When roaming’. Tap each one of these options.

4. You’ll see a list of media types: photos, audio, videos, and documents. Uncheck each option that you don’t want to auto-download.

5. Press ‘OK’ or just go back to save your preferences.

For desktop or computer users who access WhatsApp Web or use the desktop app, the process is slightly different:

1. Open WhatsApp Web or desktop app and click on the three dots at the top of your chat list.

2. Go to ‘Settings’ and then click on ‘Chat Settings’.

3. Click on ‘Media Auto-Download’ or ‘Download Media’ setting.

4. Adjust your preferences for when using mobile data, connected to Wi-Fi, or roaming similarly to how you do it on your mobile device.

5. Save your changes by simply going back to your chat list.

By following these steps, you can manage your data usage and storage space effectively by stopping unwanted downloads of media files within WhatsApp both on your mobile device and computer.