YouTube Videos Not Playing? Here’s What To Do

YouTube, the world’s biggest video-sharing platform, may not work properly on your computer or mobile phone. Sometimes, you may find that YouTube is not playing the videos on your device. Various issues can cause this problem. Keep reading this write-up to find out why YouTube videos are not playing and how to fix this problem.

Why Are YouTube Videos Not Playing?

Here are the most common causes that can prevent YouTube videos from playing;

• Slow/Unstable Internet: In most cases, YouTube doesn’t play videos when the internet connection on your device is slow or unstable. There can be issues with your local Wi-Fi or ISP that can prevent YouTube videos from playing.
• Problematic Browser: Sometimes, the problem can be with your browser. Specifically, the page playing YouTube videos can become unresponsive, or the cache stored by the browser cause malfunction and leads to the issue.
• Problematic Device: Sometimes, the issue can be with your PC or mobile. There can be minor glitches preventing the videos from playing. Typically, a simple restart should be able to fix this issue.
• Problem with YouTube App: If you are using YouTube from a smartphone, the problem can be with the YouTube app. You should be able to solve the matter by force closing and restarting the application.

What To Do If YouTube Videos Not Playing on PC?

Here is what you can do when you cannot play YouTube videos on a computer;

1. Reload the YouTube Page

As we said above, the browser tab where YouTube is playing may suddenly become unresponsive because of an issue with the RAM, a browser glitch or something else.

Simply refreshing the browser tab should solve the problem. You can also close and restart the browser and then visit the YouTube URL again.

2. Adjust the YouTube Video Quality

If your internet connection is sluggish or unstable, try adjusting the video quality by pressing the gear icon at the footer of the video player.

You can try playing the video in a lower resolution. The video should play smoothly if the problem occurs because of a slow internet connection.

3. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

Browser cache and cookies can sometimes malfunction and prevent you from playing the YouTube videos.

So, try clearing the cache, cookies, and other data stored by the browser. You should find the option to clean these in most major browsers under the Settings window.

4. Use Incognito Mode

You can consider using incognito mode if you don’t want to go through the hassle of deleting the browser data. This mode loads web pages without loading the cache, cookies, and extensions.

Find and open Incognito Mode or Private Browser Window from your browser menu and try visiting YouTube and playing videos.

5. Try Another Web Browser

There can be a major issue with your browser which is causing the problem. So, if the above fixes don’t work, consider playing the videos on another web browser.

Many substitutes are available for PC users regarding web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari Browser, and so on.

6. Update/Reinstall the Web Browser

An outdated web browser can also cause a lot of issues. If you use an outdated web browser, consider updating it to the latest version.

You can easily update the web browser from the Settings > About Browser option. You can also try reinstalling the browser to check if it solves the issue.

7. Check the Internet Connection

Sometimes there can be other issues with your internet connection rather than being slow. Visit any other web pages and check if they load efficiently. If the other pages are also not loading properly, the internet connection might be down.

If they load, YouTube in this network is somehow blocked. For both cases, you will need to contact ISP and ask them to solve the issue.

8. Restart Your Computer

As we said earlier, your problematic computer can sometimes cause the problem. Restart your computer and check if YouTube works after that.

You can also consider updating your PC’s operating system if it is running on the outdated one.

9. Download the YouTube Video

If you still can’t sort out the issue, consider downloading the YouTube videos to view them offline. Fucosoft Video Downloader can help you to do so easily and quickly. It lets you download YouTube videos in the highest-available resolution and watch them from a local video player on your PC.

Here are the steps you will require to follow for downloading YouTube videos;

Step 1: Complete the installation of the Fucosoft Video Downloader on your PC and launch it. Then copy the YouTube video URL and come back to the app. Click “+Paste URL” to paste the video link.

Step 2: After pasting the video link, a dialogue box will occur from where you can pick the video resolution. You can also select subtitle, output format, saving directory, etc.

Step 3: Press “Download” to begin the process. Within a while, the video will be available on the local storage of your PC, and you can start watching it immediately.

10. Check YouTube

In rare cases, the YouTube server can be down and prevent you from watching the videos. You can be assured of this by checking from multiple devices if possible.

Or you can also employ online tools like Down Detector, Is It Down Right Now, Down For Everyone Or Just Me, etc., to check if YouTube is down. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do but wait until the YouTube administrator fixes the problem.

What To Do If YouTube Videos Not Playing on Android/iPhone?

Here are the steps you can try when YouTube videos don’t play on a smartphone device;

• Switch the Wi-Fi network or cellular data to a different network.
• Force close the YouTube app and restart it.
• Remove the cache and app data stored by the YouTube app.
• Try viewing the videos from a browser instead of the app.
• Restart your iPhone or Android device.
• Finally, delete and reinstall the YouTube app.

Conclusion

For most of us, it is hard to think of a day without YouTube. If YouTube videos are not playing properly on your device, consider trying the above fixes. You can try downloading and watching the videos offline by using the Fucosoft Video Downloader program.