Load Less - Lower-Impact Video Streaming Autor: Load Less

The web is getting heavier, especially with video streaming: higher resolutions, autoplaying players, and platforms that often default to higher quality than we really need.

This increases the amount of data traveling across networks. At scale, this growth pushes network operators to install more equipment that then uses electricity continuously. That matters because, as of 2025, one third of the world’s electricity still comes from coal, the fossil fuel that emits the most CO₂.

Load Less helps counter that trend.

The goal: help lower the digital carbon footprint.

FEATURES

➤ Applies data-saving video settings:
Load Less automatically applies and maintains these settings when possible, or guides you when a change requires your action. Works with YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Twitch, and Vimeo.

➤ Lowers YouTube quality while you’re on another tab:
A YouTube video playing in a background tab can still load at high quality. Load Less lowers its quality when that can save data. Quality is restored when you return to the tab.

➤ Stops some video players from loading until you press play:
Many websites load YouTube or Vimeo players as soon as the page opens. Load Less replaces them with a thumbnail, so pages stay lighter. The player only loads when you start the video.

You can turn Load Less on or off anytime from the extension popup.

No tracking. No analytics. No personal data collection.