YouTube Video Playback Not Working? Here’s The Fix!

Are you trying to figure out why YouTube video playback is not working? 

YouTube is the leading video streaming platform online with millions of views every day. Whether you are looking for entertainment or the latest news, you’ll probably find a YouTube channel that suits your taste. 

Besides, high-resolution and HDR videos are also available on YouTube, which makes the viewing experience better. 

However, none of this would be worth anything if YouTube video playback is not working. You don’t come to YouTube just to scroll through your feed, right? 

This problem is primarily caused by an error on the YouTube app or your browser. However, it is also possible that YouTube’s servers are down, or it might be related to your network connection. 


Since there are many factors to consider, troubleshooting this issue can get a little confusing, especially without guidance. 

To help you address the problem, we’ve decided to make a simple guide in fixing YouTube video playback that is not working. 

Let’s get right into it!

1. Check YouTube’s Servers. 

When you encounter problems on the YouTube app or website, the first thing that you should always do is to check their servers. Possibly, an error occurred on YouTube’s end, or scheduled maintenance is ongoing. 

To view the current status of YouTube, you can use third-party websites like Downdetector that show the status of YouTube’s servers and the past issues it encountered. 

You can also visit YouTube’s official Twitter page, where their team gives updates regarding the platform from time to time. 

2. Turn Off VPN. 

If you happen to have a VPN service running, try to turn it off when watching videos. Although VPNs work great for security reasons, they can also affect the performance of your network connection. 

Since video streaming requires a decent internet connection,  you don’t want third-party applications or services to interfere or control your network bandwidth. 

Disable your VPN service and see if the problem goes away. 

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4. Change Your Region Manually. 

If you feel that the problem is isolated in your region or location, you can try changing your region manually to connect with other regional servers. Possibly, the dedicated server for your area is under maintenance. 

To do this, see the steps below. 

  1. First, open YouTube on your browser and go to the video that you want to play. 
  2. Now, go to the URL box and highlight ‘www’
  3. Finally, change it to ‘ca’ and hit the Enter key to reload the page. 

Try to play the video again to see if the issue with YouTube video playback not working is already fixed. 

5. Lower the Video Quality. 

Another reason why a YouTube video might not be playing is due to your network connection. If you are playing a video on 1080p or higher, your internet may be struggling to keep up with the bandwidth requirement. 

Try to lower the playback quality of the video and see if it will play. 

On mobile devices, you can change the resolution of a video by doing the following: 

  1. First, navigate to the YouTube video that you want to play. 
  2. Inside the video controls, tap on More and select Quality
  3. Finally, lower the playback resolution to 720p or lower


For users on a browser, check out the guide below to change the playback quality. 

  1. On your browser, open the YouTube video that you want to play. 
  2. Now, click on the Gear icon located inside the video controls. 
  3. Lastly, click on Quality and change it to 720p or lower



6. Update the YouTube App. 

If you experience a problem with the YouTube app, it could be a glitch or bug already within its installation files. Now, YouTube may already be aware of the problem and could roll out an update anytime. 

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

  1. On your home screen, tap on Google Play Store and open its side menu.
  2. Now, tap on My Apps & Games to check for possible updates. 
  3. Lastly, tap the Update button beside YouTube to install the update. 
YouTube video playback not working

If you are using an iOS device, follow the steps below to update YouTube. 

  1. First, unlock your device and go to the App Store
  2. After that, tap on your Profile icon located at the top right corner of your display. 
  3. Finally, scroll down and tap the Update button if there’s an available update for YouTube
YouTube video playback not working

Once done, go back to YouTube and try playing a video. 

7. Clear Your Browsing Data. 

Corrupted caches and cookies can cause issues related to the websites you visit on your browser. Caches and cookies are temporary data used by your browser to load websites faster on your device. 

If YouTube video playback is not working, try to clear your browsing data to eliminate corrupted files. 

  1. First, open your browser and press the CTRL + H keys on your keyboard to access the History tab. 
  2. Now, click on Clear Browsing Data from the side menu to open it. 
  3. Change the Time Range to All Time and make sure that your caches and cookies are included in the process. 
  4. Finally, click the Clear Data button to proceed. 
YouTube video playback not working

After clearing your browsing data, go back to YouTube and try playing a few videos. 

8. Try Another Browser. 

Your current browser might be having issues as of the moment and is struggling to load websites. In this case, you can try using other browsers for the meantime until everything gets sorted with your default browser. 

Ideally, try using browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, which are highly optimized for most websites. 

9. Check and Reset Your Internet. 

Problems with video playback on YouTube can be a sign that your network connection is unstable or running slow. To verify this, try to run a speed test on your network using Fast.com to check its current status.

YouTube video playback not working

 

If the test shows that your connection is the problem, try to restart your router to refresh its link with your ISP’s servers.

YouTube video playback not working

Run another test afterward to check if the restart works. However, if you continue to encounter your network issues, contact your service provider immediately and ask them to fix their service. 

10. Block CDN Addresses. 

CDN or content delivery networks are services used to deliver media content like videos, music, and photos on your device. Although there’s nothing wrong with CDNs, your service provider may throttle your connection when you are connected to delivery networks. 

To fix this, block CDN addresses on your device so that your browser would connect directly with YouTube’s servers. 

  1. On your computer, open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges. 
  2. Now, type the following command:

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

  1. Lastly, hit the Enter key to proceed. 
YouTube video playback not working

Once done, go to YouTube again and try to play a video. 

This brings us to the end of our guide in fixing YouTube video playback not working on your device. If you have questions, let us know in the comment section below, and we’ll do our best to help you out. 

 If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    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)

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