diff --git a/src/components/player/atoms/settings/QualityView.tsx b/src/components/player/atoms/settings/QualityView.tsx
index 0250c8ea..689c43ed 100644
--- a/src/components/player/atoms/settings/QualityView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/player/atoms/settings/QualityView.tsx
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ function useIsIosHls() {
 export function QualityView({ id }: { id: string }) {
   const router = useOverlayRouter(id);
   const isIosHls = useIsIosHls();
+  const sourceType = usePlayerStore((s) => s.source?.type);
   const availableQualities = usePlayerStore((s) => s.qualities);
   const currentQuality = usePlayerStore((s) => s.currentQuality);
   const switchQuality = usePlayerStore((s) => s.switchQuality);
@@ -50,14 +51,18 @@ export function QualityView({ id }: { id: string }) {
   const setLastChosenQuality = useQualityStore((s) => s.setLastChosenQuality);
   const autoQuality = useQualityStore((s) => s.quality.automaticQuality);
 
+  // Auto quality only makes sense for HLS sources
+  const supportsAutoQuality = sourceType === "hls";
+
   const change = useCallback(
     (q: SourceQuality) => {
       setLastChosenQuality(q);
-      setAutomaticQuality(false);
+      // Don't disable auto quality when manually selecting a quality
+      // Keep auto quality enabled by default unless user explicitly toggles it
       switchQuality(q);
       router.close();
     },
-    [router, switchQuality, setLastChosenQuality, setAutomaticQuality],
+    [router, switchQuality, setLastChosenQuality],
   );
 
   const changeAutomatic = useCallback(() => {
@@ -90,12 +95,18 @@ export function QualityView({ id }: { id: string }) {
             {qualityToString(v)}
           </SelectableLink>
         ))}
-        <Menu.Divider />
-        <Menu.Link
-          rightSide={<Toggle onClick={changeAutomatic} enabled={autoQuality} />}
-        >
-          {t("player.menus.quality.automaticLabel")}
-        </Menu.Link>
+        {supportsAutoQuality && (
+          <>
+            <Menu.Divider />
+            <Menu.Link
+              rightSide={
+                <Toggle onClick={changeAutomatic} enabled={autoQuality} />
+              }
+            >
+              {t("player.menus.quality.automaticLabel")}
+            </Menu.Link>
+          </>
+        )}
         <Menu.SmallText>
           <Trans
             i18nKey={
diff --git a/src/components/player/display/base.ts b/src/components/player/display/base.ts
index 87774de4..61dc1b79 100644
--- a/src/components/player/display/base.ts
+++ b/src/components/player/display/base.ts
@@ -313,9 +313,24 @@ export function makeVideoElementDisplayInterface(): DisplayInterface {
             const quality = hlsLevelToQuality(hls.levels[hls.currentLevel]);
             emit("changedquality", quality);
           } else {
-            // When automatic quality is disabled, re-lock to preferred quality
-            // This prevents HLS.js from switching levels unexpectedly
-            setupQualityForHls();
+            // When automatic quality is disabled, check if current level matches preferred quality
+            const currentQuality = hlsLevelToQuality(
+              hls.levels[hls.currentLevel],
+            );
+            const preferredQualityLevel = getPreferredQuality(
+              hlsLevelsToQualities(hls.levels),
+              {
+                lastChosenQuality: preferenceQuality,
+                automaticQuality: false,
+              },
+            );
+            // Only re-lock if the current level doesn't match our preferred quality
+            if (currentQuality !== preferredQualityLevel) {
+              setupQualityForHls();
+            } else {
+              // Emit the quality change since we're now at the correct level
+              emit("changedquality", currentQuality);
+            }
           }
         });
         hls.on(Hls.Events.SUBTITLE_TRACK_LOADED, () => {
diff --git a/src/stores/player/utils/qualities.ts b/src/stores/player/utils/qualities.ts
index c9df244c..125cdef6 100644
--- a/src/stores/player/utils/qualities.ts
+++ b/src/stores/player/utils/qualities.ts
@@ -99,7 +99,15 @@ export function selectQuality(
     const availableQualities = Object.entries(source.qualities)
       .filter((entry) => (entry[1].url.length ?? 0) > 0)
       .map((entry) => entry[0]) as SourceQuality[];
-    const quality = getPreferredQuality(availableQualities, qualityPreferences);
+    // For file sources (MP4), always use manual quality selection since they don't support switching
+    const manualQualityPreferences = {
+      ...qualityPreferences,
+      automaticQuality: false,
+    };
+    const quality = getPreferredQuality(
+      availableQualities,
+      manualQualityPreferences,
+    );
     if (quality) {
       const stream = source.qualities[quality];
       if (stream) {