Do you find YouTube videos not playing on your device? There are few factors at play such as the size of the videos vis-à-vis the internet connection, or pages not loading correctly.
Among the issues that cause YouTube videos not to play include:
- A problem with the browser
- The computer may prevent YouTube from working
- Internet issues, which can be resolved by restarting the router or modem, or unplugging and plugging them back in again.
- Mobile issues with YouTube app
How to Fix YouTube Videos Not Playing
Usually, if there’s a glitch, YouTube videos may not play on your device, even after watching it for a while and a simple restart, closing of browser, or page refresh can resolve it. However, you can try other fixes below to get YouTube videos playing on your device again.
Quick fixes
- Refresh YouTube and check if the video will play. Make sure your device and browser support HTML 5, or YouTube videos won’t play
- Adjust video quality on YouTube by choosing the smallest number available; you can raise the resolution once YouTube works again, gradually though so you can find the best quality for your connection
- Close and reopen your browser. You can also update it, and then try YouTube again
- Clear cache and cookies before reloading YouTube page again
- Open a private browser session and go to the YouTube video you want to watch. If it works in this mode, the issue could be a plugin, extension, or your Google account
- Load a different web page to confirm the internet connection works, or check a different device to see if YouTube works on it
If you still find YouTube videos not playing after using the solutions above, the issue could be with YouTube itself.
To check if YouTube is working, try a different device connected to the internet network you’re using. If you were using your computer, try using your mobile phone and see if YouTube plays videos there.
Otherwise, check with online down detector services to determine if YouTube is working properly, and then wait for the service to get back to normalcy.
If you find YouTube videos not playing on your iPhone or Android device, the issue could be the internet connection or corrupted data on your device. In this case, do the following:
- Connect to a different internet network and try YouTube again
- Clear YouTube app cache (for Android). For ios, use a cache-clearing app, or delete and reinstall YouTube app
- Use a mobile web browser to view videos on YouTube app
- Restart the device
- Remove YouTube app and reinstall it altogether
Elsier is an avid tech writer, who loves mobile apps, games, music, and cars. When she’s not catching up on the latest in tech, she’s binging on reruns of her favorite series.
