Do you see an error message saying “Oops, something went wrong” on YouTube?
If you are looking for a trending video or want to watch highlights from a recent sporting event, you’ll probably see it on YouTube. It is currently the largest streaming platform online where gamers, tech reviewers, news outlets, and content creators upload their videos.
Aside from watching videos, users can also create accounts where they can follow their favorite channels.
However, it can be a problem if you see random error messages when navigating through YouTube’s interface or accessing your account.
The error message “Oops, something went wrong” on YouTube indicates that your device is struggling to connect with YouTube’s servers. This is due to a faulty network connection or a problem on YouTube’s end.
Whatever the case is, we’re here to help you out!
Today, we’re going to show you a few tips for fixing “Oops, something went wrong” on YouTube.
Let’s get right into it!
1. Check YouTube’s Servers.
As we’ve mentioned above, faulty servers could be the reason why you see error messages on YouTube. To verify this, you can use tools like Downdetector that display the current status of websites and applications.
If YouTube’s servers are not working, the best thing that you can do for now is to wait. However, you can still try the methods below and see if anything works out for you.
2. Turn Off VPN.
If your device struggles to communicate with YouTube’s servers, you might want to turn off your VPN. Although they work great for providing security, they can also interfere with your connection and cause issues on your device.
Since VPNs change your IP address randomly, your device may struggle to keep a stable connection with YouTube’s servers.
Disable your VPN first and try using YouTube again.
3. Change Your YouTube Region Manually.
In some cases, the dedicated server for your region may encounter issues. If this is the case, the problem would be isolated only in your place. To fix this, you can try using other servers by changing your region manually.
Do take note that this would only work on browsers and not on the app.
- First, open your browser and go to YouTube.
- After that, tap the URL box of your browser and highlight ‘www’.
- Finally, change it to ‘ca’ and hit Enter.
Now, try using YouTube as you would and see if you would still encounter any error message.
4. Use PureVPN.
If you’re not comfortable turning off your VPN, try switching to a better one.
PureVPN is a VPN service provider with 6500+ servers across the globe for optimized unparalleled performance. It has many helpful features like split-tunneling, port forwarding, 256bit AES Encryption, and more!
With PureVPN, you are sure that your data is safe and protected online without dealing with network connectivity issues.
Besides, PureVPN also has 24/7 customer support available via phone, email, and live chats to help you with problems that you may encounter on the platform.
Get the most out of your network with PureVPN!
5. Lower the Playback Quality.
If the error message occurs while watching videos, your internet connection cannot keep up with the video’s bandwidth requirement. In this case, you can try lowering the playback quality on your device to improve its performance.
If you’re on a browser, see the steps below to change YouTube videos’ playback quality.
- First, go to YouTube and open a video that you want to play.
- After that, click on the Gear icon inside the video control.
- Finally, click on Quality and lower the video playback resolution.
For mobile users, check out the guide below to change your video playback quality.
- On your device, open YouTube and select a video that you want to play.
- Now, tap on the More button and select Quality.
- Lastly, change the video resolution to 720p or lower.
After changing the playback quality, try playing the video again and see if the error message “Oops, something went wrong” on YouTube would still occur.
6. Check for Updates.
YouTube releases updates on its app occasionally to address problems on the platform. If you haven’t updated to the latest version yet, now is the time to do so.
On Android, you can update the app by doing the following:
- First, open the Play Store from your home screen and access its side menu.
- Now, tap on My Apps & Games to prompt the Play Store to check for updates.
- Finally, tap the Update button if there is an available update.
If you are using an iOS device, check out the guide below to update YouTube.
- On your home screen, tap on the App Store to launch it.
- After that, tap on Updates located at the bottom navigation bar.
- Lastly, tap the Update button next to YouTube to install its latest version.
After updating YouTube, try using it normally and see if you would encounter any errors.
7. Clear Your Browser Cache and Cookies.
If YouTube and other websites are not working correctly on your browser, try clearing your browsing data. Your browsing data contains caches and cookies that may have gotten corrupted and affected some websites.
To clear your browsing data, check out the guide below.
- First, open your default browser and go to the History tab.
- Now, click on Clear Browsing Data from the side drawer.
- After that, include ‘Cached Images and Files’ and ‘Cookies and Other Site Data’ in the process.
- Lastly, click on Time Range and select All Time from the dropdown menu before hitting the Clear Data button to start.
Once done, go back to YouTube to check if the error message would still occurs.
8. Try Another Browser.
Browsers use engines that render the contents of websites and display them on our screens. However, browsers don’t use the same render engines, and they interpret the codes written on websites differently from one another.
This means that some browsers may load a specific website without issues, but other browsers can struggle.
If this is the case, try another browser to access YouTube. Ideally, try using browsers with many users, like Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, which are highly optimized for most websites.
9. Check and Reset Your Internet.
As we said, the error message indicates that your device is struggling to communicate with YouTube’s servers. If this is the case, try running a speed test on your network using Fast.com to verify the problem.
Restart your router if the result shows that your connection is unstable or running slow. Locate your router’s power chord and unplug it from the wall outlet for at least 10 seconds. After that, plug back in the power chord to restart your router.
After the restart, run another test to see if everything is in order. If you continue to experience network issues, contact your ISP immediately and ask them to fix their service.
10. Block CDN Addresses.
Content delivery networks are used by your device when streaming videos on platforms like YouTube. However, using CDNs can prompt your ISP to throttle your connection, which can cause issues on YouTube.
To fix this, block CDN addresses on your device to connect directly with YouTube’s servers.
- First, open Command Prompt on your computer.
- After that, enter the following commands on CMD.
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name=”YouTubeTweak” dir=in action=block remoteip=173.194.55.0/24,206.111.0.0/16 enable=yes
- Finally, hit Enter on your keyboard to run the command.
Once done, go back to YouTube and try watching a few videos to see if the issue is solved.
This sums up our guide in fixing the error message “Oops, something went wrong” on YouTube. If you have other concerns, please let us know in the comment section below, and we’ll do our best to help you out.
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