Video Keeps Loading on YouTube? Here’s The Fix

Unable to watch your favorite content creator properly since videos keep loading on YouTube?

YouTube is the largest video streaming platform in the world. With thousands of content online, it is very impressive that their servers can handle terabytes of data every day. Besides, YouTube is among the several platforms supporting 4K videos that are very demanding on bandwidth.

If you are reading this right now, you’re probably wondering why videos keep loading on YouTube.  

In most cases, problematic servers or a slow network connection are the primary reason for this problem on the platform. Since the issue doesn’t give an error message or point out a specific problem, fixing it can be a little tricky. 

With this, we’ve decided to make a simple guide in fixing videos that keep loading on YouTube. 

Let’s begin!

1. Check YouTube’s Servers. 

When you experience lags or any issue on the platform, the first thing that you should always do is check YouTube’s servers. Possibly, their servers encountered an unexpected problem, or scheduled maintenance is ongoing.

To check the status of YouTube, try using Downdetector. It is a third-party tool that shows information about website servers’ status and their problems for the past 24 hours. 

2. Turn Off VPN. 

Having a VPN is great for protecting your data online. It works by redirecting your traffic to another location before sending it to website servers to hide your actual location and identity. 

Besides, VPNs also mask your IP address so that you’re safe from hackers and other phishing activities. 

However, some VPNs don’t work efficiently and cause issues on your device. If videos keep loading on YouTube, try turning off your VPN to see if the situation improves. 

You can also head to Method 4 if you need a VPN that keeps your network stable while protecting your data. 

3. Change Your Region Manually. 

Based on what we’ve found out, there are times when a server in your region is offline or problematic, explaining the performance issues that you encounter. 

If this is the case, you can try connecting to other regional servers for the meantime until YouTube can get everything sorted in your region. 

1. First, open YouTube on your browser and go to the video that you want to watch. 
2. After that, click on the URL box of your browser to edit the link. 
3. Finally, change ‘www’ to ‘ca’, and you should be redirected to Canada’s servers. 

Now, try to watch a video again on YouTube. 

4. Try Using PureVPN. 

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5. Lower the Quality of YouTube Video. 

Videos that keep loading on YouTube might indicate that your network is unable to handle the bandwidth requirements. Playing high-resolution videos online requires a lot of bandwidth, and your network simply cannot keep up. 

If this is the case, try to lower the playback resolution on YouTube. 

For mobile users, check out the steps below to change the playback resolution on YouTube. 

1. First, open the app on your device and select a video that you want to watch. 
2. Now, tap on the More button located at the top right corner of your screen. 
3. Finally, tap on Quality and select a lower resolution like 720p or 480p.

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If you are on a browser, follow the steps below to change the playback quality on YouTube. 

1. Open your browser and go to the YouTube video that you wish to play. 
2. After that, click on the Gear icon inside the video controls tab.
3. Lastly, click on Quality and select a lower resolution. 

Do note that lowering the playback resolution can affect the video’s quality, which can look terrible when watching on a high-res display. 

Nonetheless, watching a lower-resolution video is way better than not watching any, right? 

6. Check for Updates. 

If you don’t update your applications regularly, it is possible that its servers no longer support the version of YouTube you are using or it encountered an error during runtime.

To fix this, try to check for updates to get the latest version of the app. 

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

1. First, open the Play Store on your device and access the side drawer by tapping on the Menu button. 
2. Now, prompt the Play Store to check for updates by tapping on My Apps & Games. 
3. Finally, tap the Update button to install the latest version of YouTube.

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For iOS users, check out the steps below to guide you on the process. 

1. On your device, go to the home screen and open the App Store. 
2. After that, tap on the Updates tab to check for available updates. 
3. Lastly, hit the Update button next to YouTube to get the latest version. 

After updating the app, go back to the video you are trying to watch to see if the problem is solved. 

7. Clear Your Browser Cache and Cookies. 

Browsers use caches and cookies to enhance their performance when loading websites. While this data helps a lot, it can also cause your browser issues when it accumulates or gets corrupted. 

If videos keep loading on YouTube, try clearing your browsing data to eliminate corrupted cache and cookies. 

1. First, open your preferred browser and navigate to its History page. 
2. After that, click on the Clear Browsing Data button, which should take you to another tab.
3. Now, ensure that caches and cookies are included in the clearing process. 
4. Finally, change the Time Range to All Time before clicking the Clear Data button. 

Once done, go back to YouTube and try playing a couple of videos.

8. Disable Browser Extensions or Try Another Browser. 

If you are using video enhancer extensions on your browser, try to turn them off when playing YouTube videos. Although browser extensions work on some websites, they can also interfere with other sites. 

To turn off browser extensions, see the steps below. 

1. On your computer, open your default browser and go to its settings. 
2. After that, click on the Extensions tab to open it. 
3. Lastly, turn off any extension that is related to video control or playback. 

You can also try other browsers if YouTube doesn’t work correctly on your current browser. 

9. Check and Reset Your Internet. 

A slow internet connection might affect the performance of websites and can cause YouTube to buff or slow down. To check your network, run a speed test using Fast.com. It is a third-party tool that effectively measures your internet upload and download speed. 

If the result shows that your network is the problem, try fixing it by restarting your router. This will help re-establish a better quality of connection with your ISP’s servers. 

Run another speed test after restarting your router. Unfortunately, if you continue to experience network-related issues, we suggest that you contact your service provider and let them handle the problem. 

10. Block CDN IP Addresses. 

When you play a video on YouTube, your device doesn’t directly connect with YouTube’s servers but uses CDN or content delivery networks. While there’s nothing wrong with this, your ISP can throttle your connection when using CDNs and causes videos to load or buff. 

If this is the case, you can try blocking CDN addresses from the CMD to connect directly with YouTube’s servers. 

1. First, click on the Start Menu on your taskbar and search for ‘Command Prompt’. 
2. After that, click on Run as Administrator. 
3. Inside CMD, enter the following commands: 

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name=”YouTubeTweak” dir=in action=block remoteip=173.194.55.0/24,206.111.0.0/16 enable=yes

4. Finally, hit the Enter key on your keyboard to run the command. 

After blocking CDN addresses, go back to YouTube and try to play some videos. 

This brings us to the end of our guide in fixing videos that keep loading on YouTube. If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to ask them in the comment section below. We’d be happy to answer them and help you whenever we can. 

 If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂