Hulu Buffering Issues? Here’s The Fix!

Do you experience buffering issues on Hulu?

One of the worst things that you can experience when streaming movies online is videos that buffer. If this happens, the movie you are watching comes to a halt, and you are stuck waiting for the video to load. 

This can ruin your entire experience, as the video may pause randomly during a vital scene in the movie. It can also make you lose your focus, causing you to miss crucial plots in the story.

Unfortunately, some users experience this issue on Hulu, which is a top-notch on-demand movie streaming service. 

Most of the time, this problem is caused by slow or unstable network connection. However, other factors like temporary bugs, server-related issues, or corrupted files should also be considered when troubleshooting video buffering problems. 

To help you out, we’ve decided to make a guide on how to fix buffering issues on Hulu. 

Let’s get started!

1. Check Hulu’s Servers. 

Since Hulu is an online service, its servers may have encountered an unexpected issue that causes the platform to malfunction or run into errors. To confirm this, you can use third-party sites like Downdetector to check the platform’s current status. 

buffering issues on Hulu

If their servers are down, we suggest that you just wait for Hulu’s team to address the issue. 

In the meantime, you can use other streaming services like Netflix if you want to spend some time watching movies or TV shows. 

On the other hand, proceed to the following method if there are no reported outages on Hulu’s servers.

2. Try Watching Another Show.

If you experience buffering issues on Hulu when watching your favorite shows, we recommend going back to the media library and selecting a random title. This way, you can check if the issue is with the entire platform or selected movies and TV shows. 

Proceed to the last method below if other shows are working fine on the platform to report the problem.

3. Lower the Stream Quality.

Streaming videos online can demand a lot of bandwidth from your internet connection. If your network can’t keep up, it may cause buffering or lags since your device can’t load the video on time. 

If you experience buffering issues on Hulu, try lowering the stream quality to reduce your network’s load. 

Follow the steps below to change the playback quality on the Hulu app: 

  1. First, open Hulu on your streaming device. 
  2. After that, tap on your Profile and go to the Settings tab.
  3. Lastly, tap on Cellular Data Usage and change it to Save Data
Change Playback Quality on Hulu

Once done, go back to the movie or TV show you are watching and see if the problem persists.

 

4. Re-Login to Your Account.

Temporary errors may have occurred on Hulu and caused your user data to corrupt. If this happens, you may experience random bugs and glitches on your current session unless you reload your user data. 

To do this, you need to sign out of your Hulu account and log back in after several minutes to refresh your data. 

On Android and iOS, follow the steps below to log out of of your Hulu account: 

  1. First, open the Hulu app on your device. 
  2. After that, access your Profile by tapping on your user icon on the navigation bar. 
  3. Lastly, tap the Log Out button and follow the prompts to close your current session. 
buffering issues on Hulu

For browsers, check out the guide below to sign out your account: 

  1. Access the Hulu website on your browser. 
  2. Next, hover the mouse pointer to your Profile to open the drop-down menu. 
  3. Finally, click the Log Out button to sign out your Hulu account. 
Hulu freezing

Once done, wait for at least two to three minutes before logging back into your Hulu account to refresh your user data. 

Try playing another movie or TV show afterwards to check if videos will still buffer.

5. Check and Reset Your Internet. 

Hulu requires a minimum internet bandwidth of 3 Mbps to watch shows on their platform on standard resolution. If you want to play 4K UHD content, you need at least 25 Mbps. 

If you experience buffering issues on Hulu, it may indicate that your network connection is running slow. To confirm this, run a speed test using Fast.com to measure your network’s current bandwidth. 

Speed Test

If the result shows that your network is the culprit, restart your router to re-establish the link with your internet service provider. Unplug your router’s power cable from the wall outlet and wait for 5 to 10 seconds before reconnecting it. 

Restart Router

Once your router has restarted, perform another speed test to check if the problem is solved. If not, contact your service provider and report the issue with their service. 

Consider upgrading your current plan if it’s below the required speed of Hulu to avoid further issues in the future. 

6. Turn Off VPN.

VPNs are third-party services that protect your network from hackers and allow you to bypass restrictions set by your internet service provider. They work by randomly changing your IP address and filtering your data to mask sensitive information like bank accounts and credit card numbers. 

However, some VPNs don’t work efficiently, causing delays and interruptions to your network when enabled. 

To fix this, turn off your VPN first before accessing the Hulu app.

Turn Off VPN

You can also try using other services like PureVPN if you don’t want to disable your VPN or use it to access Hulu outside the US. Compared to other VPNs, PureVPN keeps your network stable while protecting you from hackers and other entities. 

7. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies.

Your browser stores temporary data locally on your device, which are called caches and cookies. These data are used to improve the performance of your browser and speed up the loading times of websites. 

However, caches and cookies can accumulate over time and become corrupted. If this happens, you may experience unexpected issues on the websites that you visit.

To fix this, follow the guide below to clear your browsing data: 

  1. First, open your preferred browser and click on the Options button.
  2. Next, access the Settings tab and scroll down to Privacy and Security
  3. After that, click on Clear Browsing Data
  4. Change the Time Range to All Time and include ‘Cached Images and Files’ and ‘Cookies and Other Site Data’ in the process. 
  5. Lastly, click the Clear Data button to start the process.
Clear Browsing Data

After clearing your browsing data, go back to Hulu and check if the problem is solved. 

8. Disable Your Browser Extensions. 

Some extensions on your browser may not be compatible with Hulu, disrupting the platform’s normal flow. If this is the case, try turning off your browsing extensions and see if the problem goes away. 

Check out the guide below to manage your browser extensions: 

  1. On your device, open the browser you prefer and access the Settings.
  2. After that, click on Extensions from the side drawer.
  3. Finally, turn off all your extensions and restart your browser.
Disable Browser Extensions

Once done, go back to the website and check if you would still experience buffering issues on Hulu. 

9. Clear Hulu App Data (Android).

If you are using an Android device, try clearing Hulu’s app data if you experience buffering issues on the platform. Hulu’s app data may have gotten corrupted during use or when the servers went down. 

Follow the steps below to clear Hulu’s app data on your device: 

  1. First, open the Settings app from your home screen. 
  2. Now, access the Apps tab and find Hulu from the list.
  3. After that, open Hulu’s settings and tap on the Storage tab.
  4. Tap the Clear Data button afterwards to complete the process. 
buffering issues on Hulu

Try playing another movie or TV show on Hulu to check if the problem is solved. 

10. Update Hulu. 

Hulu releases updates on its app to ensure that it is working correctly and to patch any issues that may have occurred on the platform. If you encounter video buffering issues on Hulu, try to check if there are available updates for the app. 

On Android, you can update Hulu by doing the following: 

  1. First, open the Google Play Store on your device and tap on the Menu button to access the side drawer. 
  2. After that, tap on My App & Games and look for the Hulu app on the list. 
  3. Lastly, tap the Update button if there’s a newer version available. 
buffering issues on Hulu

For iOS users, follow the steps below to update Hulu on your device: 

  1. On your device, tap on the App Store to launch it. 
  2. Next, open your Profile by tapping on your icon on the top right corner of the display. 
  3. Finally, check if there’s an available update for the Hulu app and tap the Update button to download it. 
buffering issues on Hulu

If you are using a different device, check the other guides below to update Hulu on your device: 

After updating the app, try playing another title to check if you would still experience buffering issues on Hulu. 

11. Reinstall the Hulu App. 

If the update did not work, reinstall the app on your device to ensure that it is installed correctly on your device. It is also possible that Hulu’s installation files got severely corrupted, and the update can no longer fix it. 

On Android, follow the guide below to reinstall Hulu: 

  1. First, access the application drawer and locate the Hulu app. 
  2. After that, press and hold its app icon until the options screen shows up.
  3. Now, tap on Uninstall to delete Hulu on your device. 
  4. Launch the Google Play Store afterwards and reinstall Hulu from there. 
buffering issues on Hulu

For iOS users, see the steps below to reinstall Hulu: 

  1. Press and hold Hulu’s app icon on your home screen until the selection menu appears on your display. 
  2. Next, tap on Remove App to uninstall Hulu.
  3. Finally, open the App Store on your device to reinstall Hulu.
buffering issues on Hulu

For other devices, refer to the guides below to help you reinstall Hulu on your system: 

Log back into your Hulu account afterwards to check if the problem would still occur. 

12. Report the Problem to Hulu.

If the issue persists, we suggest that you ask the help of the professionals. Visit Hulu’s Help Center and contact their customer support to report the problem you’ve been experiencing on the platform. 

When asking for help, make sure to provide all the necessary details to speed up the process, including your account information, the device you use, and the movie or TV show you are trying to watch. 

You can also visit Hulu’s Community page and see if you can find any solutions from other users. 

buffering issues on Hulu

This sums up our guide on what you should do if you experience buffering issues on Hulu. For your questions, please let us know in the comment section, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter) Website

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