diff --git a/src/components/SettingsModal.tsx b/src/components/SettingsModal.tsx
index 52e42d4..8393c99 100644
--- a/src/components/SettingsModal.tsx
+++ b/src/components/SettingsModal.tsx
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import { ThemedDropdown } from "./ThemedDropdown";
 type SettingsSection = "workspace" | "general";
 
 const SECTIONS: { id: SettingsSection; label: string; detail: string }[] = [
-  { id: "workspace", label: "AI Workspace", detail: "Tagging models and queue targets" },
   { id: "general", label: "General", detail: "App data and diagnostics" },
+  { id: "workspace", label: "AI Workspace", detail: "Tagging models and queue targets" },
 ];
 
 function formatBytesShort(bytes: number): string {
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ function TaggerAccelerationButton({ acceleration, current, onSelect, children }:
 }
 
 export function SettingsModal() {
-  const [activeSection, setActiveSection] = useState<SettingsSection>("workspace");
+  const [activeSection, setActiveSection] = useState<SettingsSection>("general");
   const [taggerQueueStatus, setTaggerQueueStatus] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [taggerQueueing, setTaggerQueueing] = useState(false);
   const [taggerClearing, setTaggerClearing] = useState(false);
@@ -195,6 +195,10 @@ export function SettingsModal() {
   const openOnboarding = useGalleryStore((state) => state.openOnboarding);
   const theme = useGalleryStore((state) => state.theme);
   const setTheme = useGalleryStore((state) => state.setTheme);
+  const lightboxAutoplay = useGalleryStore((state) => state.lightboxAutoplay);
+  const setLightboxAutoplay = useGalleryStore((state) => state.setLightboxAutoplay);
+  const lightboxAutoMute = useGalleryStore((state) => state.lightboxAutoMute);
+  const setLightboxAutoMute = useGalleryStore((state) => state.setLightboxAutoMute);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!settingsOpen) return;
@@ -618,6 +622,35 @@ export function SettingsModal() {
                   </SettingsItem>
                 </SettingsGroup>
 
+                <SettingsGroup title="Video playback">
+                  <SettingsItem
+                    label="Autoplay in lightbox"
+                    description="Start playing videos automatically when opened in the lightbox."
+                  >
+                    <button
+                      role="switch"
+                      aria-checked={lightboxAutoplay}
+                      className={`relative inline-flex h-5 w-9 shrink-0 cursor-pointer rounded-full border-2 border-transparent transition-colors focus:outline-none ${lightboxAutoplay ? "bg-sky-500" : "bg-white/15"}`}
+                      onClick={() => setLightboxAutoplay(!lightboxAutoplay)}
+                    >
+                      <span className={`inline-block h-4 w-4 transform rounded-full bg-white shadow transition-transform ${lightboxAutoplay ? "translate-x-4" : "translate-x-0"}`} />
+                    </button>
+                  </SettingsItem>
+                  <SettingsItem
+                    label="Start muted"
+                    description="Open videos with their audio muted — unmute from the player controls."
+                  >
+                    <button
+                      role="switch"
+                      aria-checked={lightboxAutoMute}
+                      className={`relative inline-flex h-5 w-9 shrink-0 cursor-pointer rounded-full border-2 border-transparent transition-colors focus:outline-none ${lightboxAutoMute ? "bg-sky-500" : "bg-white/15"}`}
+                      onClick={() => setLightboxAutoMute(!lightboxAutoMute)}
+                    >
+                      <span className={`inline-block h-4 w-4 transform rounded-full bg-white shadow transition-transform ${lightboxAutoMute ? "translate-x-4" : "translate-x-0"}`} />
+                    </button>
+                  </SettingsItem>
+                </SettingsGroup>
+
                 <SettingsGroup title="Updates">
                   <SettingsItem
                     label={
diff --git a/src/components/VideoPlayer.tsx b/src/components/VideoPlayer.tsx
index e26f62a..f927ae1 100644
--- a/src/components/VideoPlayer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/VideoPlayer.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { AnimatePresence, motion } from "framer-motion";
+import { useGalleryStore } from "../store";
 
 const SPEED_OPTIONS = [0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 2];
 const CONTROLS_HIDE_DELAY_MS = 2500;
@@ -57,7 +58,9 @@ export function VideoPlayer({ src }: { src: string }) {
   const [duration, setDuration] = useState(0);
   const [buffered, setBuffered] = useState<BufferedRange[]>([]);
   const [volume, setVolume] = useState(persistedVolume);
-  const [muted, setMuted] = useState(persistedMuted);
+  const [muted, setMuted] = useState(
+    () => useGalleryStore.getState().lightboxAutoMute || persistedMuted,
+  );
   const [playbackRate, setPlaybackRate] = useState(1);
   const [loop, setLoop] = useState(false);
   const [fullscreen, setFullscreen] = useState(false);
@@ -89,11 +92,16 @@ export function VideoPlayer({ src }: { src: string }) {
   useEffect(() => {
     const video = videoRef.current;
     if (!video) return;
+    // Read playback prefs fresh for each opened video — not reactive, so a
+    // settings change applies to the next video rather than the current one.
+    const { lightboxAutoplay, lightboxAutoMute } = useGalleryStore.getState();
+    const startMuted = lightboxAutoMute || persistedMuted;
     video.volume = persistedVolume;
-    video.muted = persistedMuted;
-    // Autoplay; if the webview blocks it the catch leaves us paused with
-    // controls visible, which is a fine fallback.
-    video.play().catch(() => {});
+    video.muted = startMuted;
+    setMuted(startMuted);
+    // Autoplay when enabled; if the webview blocks it the catch leaves us paused
+    // with controls visible, which is a fine fallback.
+    if (lightboxAutoplay) video.play().catch(() => {});
   }, [src]);
 
   const readBuffered = useCallback(() => {
diff --git a/src/store.ts b/src/store.ts
index 2daca96..e08f483 100644
--- a/src/store.ts
+++ b/src/store.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import { notifyTaskComplete } from "./notifications";
 const notificationTimers = new Map<string, ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>>();
 const NOTIFICATION_DEBOUNCE_MS = 6000;
 const THEME_KEY = "phokus-theme";
+const LIGHTBOX_AUTOPLAY_KEY = "phokus.lightboxAutoplay";
+const LIGHTBOX_AUTO_MUTE_KEY = "phokus.lightboxAutoMute";
 
 export interface Folder {
   id: number;
@@ -346,6 +348,8 @@ interface GalleryState {
   mutedFolderIds: number[];
   notificationsPaused: boolean;
   theme: AppTheme;
+  lightboxAutoplay: boolean;
+  lightboxAutoMute: boolean;
   // Per-folder background-worker pause flags, shared by the BackgroundTasks
   // bar and the sidebar folder context menu.
   workerPaused: Record<number, Record<WorkerKey, boolean>>;
@@ -445,6 +449,8 @@ interface GalleryState {
   loadNotificationsPaused: () => Promise<void>;
   setNotificationsPaused: (paused: boolean) => void;
   setTheme: (theme: AppTheme) => void;
+  setLightboxAutoplay: (enabled: boolean) => void;
+  setLightboxAutoMute: (enabled: boolean) => void;
   loadWorkerStates: () => Promise<void>;
   setWorkerPaused: (folderId: number, worker: WorkerKey, paused: boolean) => void;
   setAllWorkersPaused: (folderId: number, paused: boolean) => void;
@@ -515,6 +521,12 @@ function initialAiCaptionsEnabled(): boolean {
   return window.localStorage.getItem(AI_CAPTIONS_ENABLED_KEY) === "true";
 }
 
+function initialBoolSetting(key: string, fallback: boolean): boolean {
+  if (typeof window === "undefined") return fallback;
+  const stored = window.localStorage.getItem(key);
+  return stored === null ? fallback : stored === "true";
+}
+
 function initialTheme(): AppTheme {
   if (typeof window === "undefined") return "phokus";
   const saved = window.localStorage.getItem(THEME_KEY);
@@ -765,6 +777,8 @@ export const useGalleryStore = create<GalleryState>((set, get) => ({
   mutedFolderIds: [],
   notificationsPaused: false,
   theme: initialTheme(),
+  lightboxAutoplay: initialBoolSetting(LIGHTBOX_AUTOPLAY_KEY, true),
+  lightboxAutoMute: initialBoolSetting(LIGHTBOX_AUTO_MUTE_KEY, false),
   workerPaused: {},
 
   appVersion: null,
@@ -1649,6 +1663,16 @@ export const useGalleryStore = create<GalleryState>((set, get) => ({
     set({ theme });
   },
 
+  setLightboxAutoplay: (enabled) => {
+    window.localStorage.setItem(LIGHTBOX_AUTOPLAY_KEY, String(enabled));
+    set({ lightboxAutoplay: enabled });
+  },
+
+  setLightboxAutoMute: (enabled) => {
+    window.localStorage.setItem(LIGHTBOX_AUTO_MUTE_KEY, String(enabled));
+    set({ lightboxAutoMute: enabled });
+  },
+
   loadWorkerStates: async () => {
     const folderIds = get().folders.map((folder) => folder.id);
     if (folderIds.length === 0) {