diff --git a/dvc/command/plots.py b/dvc/command/plots.py
index a31dd58a6..97439b533 100644
--- a/dvc/command/plots.py
+++ b/dvc/command/plots.py
@@ -96,6 +96,12 @@ class CmdPlots(CmdBase):
             ui.write(index_path.as_uri())
             auto_open = self.repo.config["plots"].get("auto_open", False)
             if self.args.open or auto_open:
+                if not auto_open:
+                    ui.write(
+                        "To enable auto opening, you can run:\n"
+                        "\n"
+                        "\tdvc config plots.auto_open true"
+                    )
                 return ui.open_browser(index_path)
 
             return 0