If a video on YouTube isn’t playing for you, it could be due to several factors that vary depending on your device to access the site. Unreliable VPN software, bugs, outdated cache files, and other factors can all lead to YouTube not loading properly.
Consequently, let’s investigate these issues and potential solutions in greater depth.
Are you having trouble playing a video on YouTube?
A few potential causes for a non-playing or blank screen on YouTube exist.
- Your current location prevents you from accessing the material you seek.
- You have installed an ad-blocking extension or program.
- The cache files on your machine have become corrupted.
- A slow connection is holding you back online.
- Your phone or computer could be infected with a virus.
- Malfunctioning software or browser add-ons
- There is an incompatibility between this website and your outdated browser.
Playing a Video That Won’t Play on YouTube
Let’s begin with the most basic options. You can restart this by simply refreshing the YouTube app or website. You can try logging out of YouTube and back in to see if that helps. But if the problem persists, let’s consider some alternate solutions.
Get disable your ad blocker software/plugin
One possible explanation for why YouTube videos won’t load is that you have an ad blocker installed on your computer or phone. This is because these apps/plugins will keep collecting data even if you close them. This uses many resources, slowing down websites and applications like YouTube.
Bugs in ad-blocking software can occasionally bring on problems like this. In this case, we suggest either uninstalling them or removing them entirely.
Ad-blocking plugins aren’t the only ones you should check for on your computer. However, not all flashy and entertaining browser add-ons should be trusted. Sites like YouTube might crash or stop playing videos if they were infected with bugs, corrupted files, or malware.
To check if an extension may be trusted, check who owns it. Check the ratings and the number of people using it. Then, it is recommended to uninstall any questionable add-ons. You can open YouTube another shot and see if that works now.
Change Virtual Private Network Settings
VPNs are helpful for bypassing censorship and hiding one’s location. This ostensibly practical companion, however, has its challenges. Insecure virtual private networks (VPNs) open users to the possibility of viruses and bugs, which can lag down or even stop causing altogether popular apps like YouTube.
In other situations, the bandwidth required for a VPN to encrypt and send data can be rather large. As a result, this may make your device’s overall performance. As a result, videos may not load at all on YouTube. If you don’t require a virtual private network, we advise uninstalling or removing it.
If a video is restricted to a specific region, however, you will see an error message or be unable to play it. So, you can enable your VPN to play these videos. However, it is best only to use reputable VPNs and to disable them when they are not in use.
Clear Cache
You can delete your browsing history, login info, search terms, favorite pages, and more by clicking the “Clear Cache” button. These cached files will make your YouTube viewing experience faster. However, if you don’t clear your cache frequently, it can become corrupted after a while. YouTube can crash due to these corrupted files.
To delete data from your gadgets’ cache, clear these steps:
On Android
- Enter Android’s Preferences menu.
- Choose YouTube and launch it.
- Use the Storage Facility.
- Select “Clear Cache” from the menu.
- clear-data-clear-cache
On an iPhone
The iPhone lacks a Clear Cache option. The majority of apps do not include a Clear Cache option. However, some do. To clear the cache, you’ll have to uninstall the app and then reinstall it.
If you don’t want to uninstall YouTube, you can manually clear your browsing and search searches. This is different from emptying your cache, but it could fix minor problems like the video not playing.
With Chrome on Windows
- Hit the keys Ctrl, Shift, and Delete simultaneously. A window to erase all history and cookies will appear.
- To check items, uncheck the boxes next to them. Similarly, you get to determine the time timeline.
- Click Clear History from the menu.
In Mac OS X’s Safari
- Bring up the History tab in Safari.
- To open the options, click Clear History from the menu.
- Just click the Clear History option. The timeline is also up for grabs in this section.
Turn the hardware acceleration to a halt.
In most cases, only those using a personal computer will need to take this step. By default, hardware acceleration is enabled at all times. When software and hardware work together, performance can be increased.
However, there are occasions when the computer uses the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) instead of the CPU to complete a task. This can lag down or even freeze some browsers. It’s possible that YouTube won’t load correctly.
To get YouTube working again, you can turn to Hardware Acceleration. Methods of doing so are as follows:
In Chrome,
- click the “Settings” button (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner.
- Access the More Advanced Options menu.
- Click “System” in the menu. Turn sure the Use Hardware Acceleration When Available toggle is not selected.
- Restart Chrome again.
On Mozilla Firefox
Firefox’s hardware acceleration setting is more involved in turning than other browsers. Previously, you could toggle hardware acceleration in Settings > General > Performance. However, the procedures could be more complex. To accomplish this, you must
- Firefox users: open the browser and type about: config in the address bar.
- A page warning you to proceed with caution will load; if you’re willing to take the chance, click “Accept and Continue.”
- In the search bar, enter layers.acceleration.force-enabled.
- Click the arrow symbol twice, and then click the false button.
- Then, return to the search box and enter *gfx. webrender. force-disabled *once more.
- To set it back off, toggle the double arrow icon again.
On Windows, this option is normally set to False. Linux users, however, will need to change the status.
Refresh Your Graphics Card Driver
- YouTube won’t play on your computer if the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) isn’t up to snuff. Therefore, this issue may be remedied by updating the GPU driver.
- The Device Manager can be accessed by clicking on the open icon.
- Just double-click the Display Adapters icon.
- You may access the GPU context menu by right-clicking on it. It is possible to uninstall, disable, or perform an automatic driver update from the menu. If your graphics driver needs updating, click the option to do so.
- A window will appear with two choices. To click drivers automatically, select that option.
- Restart your computer and then re-open YouTube.
Added Hints
Try these if you’re still experiencing trouble after trying the problems above.
- The video quality should be set to Automatic.
- Open the video in private mode and see if it helps.
- Updating the most recent version of your browser ensures you’re using it.
- If you’re using a mobile hotspot, switch your internet bandwidth to 5GHz.
- You need to restart your browser.
- Please get rid of YouTube and then reinstall it.
- Use a different device to open YouTube.
- Clear up some storage on your mobile phone.
- Put an end to multitasking by closing all open programs.
- Use the most recent software versions on your phone and computer.
