To loop one original cartoon on YouTube, open its watch page on your Windows PC, right-click the player and select Loop. To cycle through selected cartoons, put them in a playlist and use the playlist’s Loop control instead.
You can also set Windows to stay awake while the computer is plugged in, but that does not guarantee unattended playback all day. YouTube may pause web playback and ask someone to confirm they are still watching, so treat the setup as a way to reduce interruptions, not remove them.
Choose one cartoon or make a playlist
Start by deciding what you want to repeat. If one cartoon should play again as soon as it ends, use the video’s own Loop command. If you want several cartoons to take turns, create a playlist containing only those videos and loop the playlist. The distinction matters: YouTube’s Autoplay setting can choose a related video after the current one, whereas a playlist gives you a sequence you selected.
For a playlist, make sure the videos are the right versions and in the right order before leaving the computer. You can create a playlist from a video page and choose its privacy setting, including Private. Private is useful when you are arranging videos for personal viewing and do not want the list to be publicly visible. Check the privacy choice when you create or edit it; do not assume a new playlist has the visibility you intended.
Open YouTube’s desktop playlist instructions if you need the current steps for saving a video or changing playlist details. A short, deliberate sequence is easier to check than a long list assembled from recommendations. For example, if you have three finished cartoons intended to play in a particular order, add those three to one playlist rather than relying on YouTube to choose what comes next.
| What you want | Use | What happens at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat one cartoon | Loop on the video player | That video starts again |
| Cycle through selected cartoons | Loop on the playlist | The playlist starts again after its final item |
| Let YouTube choose a related next video | Autoplay | A related video may play; it is not your curated sequence |
This choice also affects what you need to monitor. With a single video, check the player’s Loop state. With a playlist, check that the intended items are included and that the playlist’s Loop state is active. If you are still deciding whether to arrange playback on a computer or use a different workflow, the guide to looping bhajan videos in a continuous YouTube live stream describes a different kind of always-on channel use; it should not be confused with simply looping a watch page on a spare PC.
For this guide, the cartoons are your original work. That does not change the controls below, but it is still sensible to verify that the account and videos you intend to use are the correct ones before you leave the PC running. If another person manages the channel or playlist, confirm they can access the account and know how to resume playback if it stops.
Turn on Loop for a video or playlist
To repeat a single cartoon on a computer, open its YouTube watch page and right-click inside the video player. Select Loop from the menu. YouTube documents this built-in control for repeating a video or playlist; a separate looping application is not needed for this basic job. See YouTube Help on looping videos and playlists for the desktop instructions.
After selecting Loop, check the player menu again if you are uncertain whether it is enabled. You want the command’s active state, not merely to have clicked near it. Let the cartoon reach its end while you are present and confirm it starts again. This checks the behaviour you actually need, rather than assuming the setting took effect.
To loop a playlist, start a video from the playlist and expand the playlist panel beside the player if it is not visible. Use the playlist’s Loop control. When the last selected cartoon ends, playback should return to the beginning of the playlist. If a playlist item is unavailable or has been removed, the sequence may not behave as you planned, so inspect the list and test it before the intended unattended period.
Autoplay is a separate setting. When enabled, it can play a related video after the current video ends; it does not mean that your one cartoon or curated list is repeating. YouTube’s help page explains how Autoplay works on desktop. If you want only your selected cartoons, use Loop on the video or playlist and do not rely on recommendations to fill out the sequence. Autoplay is reasonable only if a related-video choice is acceptable for your viewing situation.
The control is attached to YouTube playback, not to the Windows power setting. Setting Windows to stay awake will not switch Loop on for you, and enabling Loop will not stop the PC from sleeping. Treat them as two separate parts of the setup.
Set Windows to stay awake while plugged in
Windows has separate timeouts for turning off the display and putting the PC to sleep. The display can go dark while the computer remains awake, but if Windows sleeps, playback may stop. For a plugged-in Windows 11 PC, open Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts and adjust the plugged-in screen and sleep choices for the period you intend to use the PC.
You can choose whether the screen stays on and how long before the computer sleeps. If you are monitoring the cartoons on a nearby display, set the plugged-in screen timeout to suit that purpose. If you do not need to see the picture continuously, the display may turn off while the PC stays awake. The important setting for continued playback is the plugged-in sleep timeout. Menu names or available choices can vary by device, so use the closest available power settings on your PC.
These settings are not the same as making the computer run indefinitely. Choose a duration that covers the planned session, then review it after Windows updates or device changes. A computer that is left awake uses power and may stay warm; keep its vents clear and place it where it can receive airflow. If the PC is shared, agree who will restore the usual sleep settings after the session. A setting that is useful for a day of playback may not be appropriate for everyday use.
If the spare machine is a laptop, check what happens when the lid closes. Many laptops sleep when the lid is shut, regardless of the screen timeout you chose. Windows provides settings for lid and power-button actions; check the plugged-in behaviour and avoid assuming that a closed lid will leave playback running. If you need the picture visible, keep the lid open with the laptop on a stable, ventilated surface.
Microsoft’s Windows 11 power settings guidance explains the available power and sleep controls. If your spare PC still runs Windows 10, remember that Microsoft support ended on 14 October 2025. Microsoft says it no longer provides free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance or security fixes for that operating system. Windows 10 may still run, but the support status is relevant when deciding whether to keep an internet-connected computer in regular use. Check Microsoft’s current guidance on Windows power settings and support before relying on an older PC.
Check sound, display and network
Before the test, confirm the simple things that can make a working loop seem broken. Set the Windows output to the speakers, television or other audio device you actually want to use. Check both the system volume and the YouTube player volume, and make sure neither is muted. If you expect sound, play a short section and listen from the place where someone will notice a problem.
If the cartoons are meant to play silently, decide that deliberately rather than discovering the mute setting later. A television or external display can have its own volume and input controls. Make sure it is on the right input and that the picture is visible from the intended viewing area. The screen timeout can turn the display off even while the PC remains awake, so check the result under the plugged-in settings you chose.
Network access matters because YouTube playback is online. Confirm the PC is connected to the intended Wi-Fi or wired network and that the video loads without repeated buffering while you are present. A successful load once does not establish that the connection will remain available throughout a future session. If the connection is a known weak point, practical guidance for running a stream on slow internet may help you think through network constraints, although this cartoon watch-page setup is not itself a live-stream broadcast.
If other people use the same connection, heavy activity can affect playback. You do not need to buy new equipment as a default: first observe whether the video plays steadily in the room and at the time you plan to use it. If sound or picture is missing, identify whether the issue is YouTube, Windows output, the display, or the connection before changing several settings at once. Making one change at a time helps you see what resolved the problem.
Test playback and unattended behaviour
Run a practical test while you are nearby. Start the single cartoon or the playlist, confirm the relevant Loop control is active, and leave playback running long enough to observe whether Windows turns off the screen or enters sleep under the settings you selected. You do not have to test every possible duration; test the planned arrangement and verify that it behaves as expected over an interval you can supervise.
For a playlist, check that it advances from one selected cartoon to the next and returns to its beginning. For one video, observe the transition from the end back to the start. Keep an eye on sound and network playback as well as the image. A player that is paused, muted or showing a loading spinner is not a successful loop even if the Windows PC remains awake.
Then consider what “unattended” means in your setting. If you will be out of the room but someone else is nearby, show them where the player is and how to resume playback. If the PC is in a business or shared space, make a simple note of the playlist name and the intended volume. Do not leave a machine somewhere it can overheat, be knocked over or have its power disconnected. A spare PC still needs sensible placement and a person who can respond if something changes.
Looping a watch page is also different from broadcasting a 24/7 YouTube live channel. If you actually need a prerecorded file to feed a live broadcast while your own computer is off, that is a separate workflow; how to stream a prerecorded playlist to YouTube with Larix Broadcaster covers another approach. For the task here, the YouTube page runs on the PC, so its browser session, network connection, power settings and playback state all matter.
If keeping a local computer awake becomes the part you least want to manage, StreamNeo removes that specific burden for a different use case by turning an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream that can run with your own computer switched off. It is YouTube-only and is not needed to use YouTube’s built-in repeat controls for cartoons on a watch page.
If YouTube pauses playback
Even when Windows stays awake and Loop is enabled, YouTube may interrupt unattended playback in a web browser. YouTube says the “Video paused. Continue watching?” prompt can appear before 60 minutes of uninterrupted watching on the web when Autoplay is on. Someone may need to confirm the prompt to continue. Native Loop is not a promise that the video will play without interruption all day.
If a person is available, they can check the screen periodically and respond if YouTube asks whether to continue. Do not confuse that prompt with a Windows sleep problem: the PC may still be awake, and the playlist may still be correctly set to Loop. Conversely, changing Windows power settings cannot dismiss a YouTube confirmation prompt. YouTube’s current guidance on the Continue watching prompt is the place to check for its explanation and current behaviour.
Autoplay and Loop serve different purposes, but turning Autoplay off should not be treated as a way to guarantee uninterrupted playback. If YouTube presents a prompt, the session still needs a person to confirm before it resumes. Plan around that possibility if a cartoon must be visible at a particular time. For a casual display, periodic checks may be enough; for a setting where missing playback matters, assign someone to check rather than relying on a computer left alone.
When playback stops, check in order: whether the PC is awake, whether the browser still shows the YouTube page, whether the player is paused or buffering, whether a prompt needs a response, and whether the network is connected. This keeps you from changing a working sleep timer to solve a prompt, or repeatedly restarting a video that is only waiting for a network connection. Make a note of what happened if it recurs, so the next adjustment addresses the actual cause.
A local loop is a straightforward way to put original cartoons on a screen, but it has the limits of ordinary web playback. If you need a scheduled person to intervene, include that in the plan. Do not describe the setup to others as guaranteed all-day playback: the practical claim is that YouTube can repeat a video or playlist and Windows can be configured to avoid sleep for the intended period.
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FAQ
How do I loop a YouTube video on my computer?
Open the video’s watch page, right-click inside the player and select Loop. Let it reach the end while you are present to verify that it starts again.
How do I make a YouTube playlist repeat?
Open a video from the playlist, expand the playlist panel and select its Loop control. Check the playlist contents and watch it advance through the sequence before relying on it.
How do I keep my PC from going to sleep while a video is playing?
In Windows 11, adjust the plugged-in sleep timeout under Settings > System > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts. Check the screen timeout separately, and on a laptop verify the action when its lid is closed.
Will YouTube keep playing if I leave it on?
It may keep playing while the PC is awake and the connection holds, but unattended playback is not guaranteed. YouTube may show a Continue watching prompt on the web, so plan for someone to check and respond if needed.