Fixed All 'YouTube Videos Not Playing' Problems

Wondering why are some YouTube videos not playing? The article will help you fix YouTube playback issues, including sound, browser and more.

Jul 29,2019 • Filed to: Video Resources & Tips • Proven solutions

YouTube is the most common channel used to upload, watch and share videos. The high traffic experience from the website is evidence that playing videos on YouTube has become almost unavoidable on almost day-to day activities. However, there are a number of times YouTube develops issues that may inconvenience and delay your planned activity. May it be for entertainment or for other official purposes, YouTube videos not working problems require fast solution that will see smooth streaming without interruptions. There can be several methods to fix YouTube video problems but the best is the easiest most reliable. Here are a number of YouTube video not working problems and their fixes.

Part 1. YouTube Videos Not Working on Mac and Windows

YouTube Videos Not Working on Mac

There are 3 options you can choose to solve or fix problem with YouTube videos when using Mac or Apple Computer:

Option 1: Opt for the HTML5

The first alternate solution is to opt for the HTML5 while using Safari or your browser of choice. This can be found by following the link YouTube HTML5.

Option 2: Reset Mac disk permission

The second alternative is to reset Mac disk permission. In this case, this issue is common when using Safari browser on Mac. Reset Safari, then under Mac disk utilities Click on Repair Disk Permissions. According to most Mac user's, this problem has to be fixed regularly. In case you do not experience such YouTube problem when using Safari, then Apple has fixed it.

Option 3: Eliminate the problem from any video playing website

The third solution is to eliminate the problem from any video playing website on your Mac. Start by checking on the Flash Player. Download the recent version of Adobe Flash Player that best suits your Mac. Click on install option after downloading. There is a warning message that will open from a dialogue box with the message that an application downloaded from the Internet may cause harm to your computer. From the check-box, select that option that requires you to agree to the Flash Player License Agreement. Then click on install button. You will be prompted for your Mac Name and Password. At that point, close all open applications including any open browser before proceeding with the installation. On the Flash Player installation wizard, select the check-box that allows you to be notified automatically of future updates and click "Done". For this process to work from begging to the end, your Mac has to be connected to the Internet. After completing the process, open YouTube and play any video. Your Mac should play videos without experiencing any issues.

youtube video not working

YouTube Videos Not Working on Windows

Windows is one of the common OS that most computers use. Playing YouTube videos on Windows Operating System can be devastating especially where you do not know the exact solution to apply. The Windows version may be part of the problem or and the right procedure should be used to fix specific version. Here is the procedure to fix YouTube video problems in Windows 10, 8, 7, XP or Vista:

Option 1: Allow the program to communicate through Windows Firewall

  • Click on Start button and select Control Panel.
  • Use the search box to find firewall then click on Windows Firewall option.
  • Click on Change settings option. If prompted for Administrator password, type or provide the administrator confirmation.
  • From the list, select the check box next to the program that you would like to activate.
  • Specify the network location for the communication and Click on OK.

Option 2: Download the latest version of Flash Player

  • Check for Flash Player versions installed on your browser, 34-bit or 64-bit systems.
  • It is worth nothing that installing Flash Player using 64-bit using Internet Explorer, it downloads bot 64-bit and 34-bit versions.
  • To ensure that you have the right or specific system version, check the computer properties.
  • Go to start menu, under My Computer left click and select on Properties. Windows will display the operating system information with the Flash Player version.

youtube video not working

iTube HD Video Downloader - Free YouTube Downloader for Offline Playback

To avoid and solve YouTube video won't play problems on Mac and Windows, you can try iTube HD Video Downloader to download your lovely YouTube videos on Mac and play them offline without any problems of YouTube not playing. It is a must have free YouTube video downloader that allows you to free download any YouTube videos in high quality at high speed. It enables you a Download button to download YouTube in 1 click. You can also download YouTube videos with only the video URL.

  • 3X faster free download YouTube HD videos, YouTube VEVO and 10,000+ sites.
  • 1 click download all videos from a YouTube playlist, category or channel.
  • Set your computer to auto shutdown or sleep mode for batch download.
  • Convert downloaded YouTube videos to any formats or devices.
  • Directly transfer YouTube videos to your iTunes library.

Part 2. YouTube Videos Not Working on Android, iPhone and iPad

Watching YouTube videos while traveling is the most amazing experience. This ensure that you do not miss any of your important shows or video shared by your friends. Any problems arising from YouTube not connecting through the phone could be solved by:

  • Updating the browser you are using.
  • Enable JavaScript.
  • Restart the network connection.

youtube video not working ipad

Part 3. YouTube Videos Not Working Chrome, Firefox and Safari

Browsers such as Firefox, Chrome or Safari can develop YouTube video problems that prevent them from playing YouTube videos. For example by going blank, does not load or causes the browser to crash or not respond. If YouTube videos not working occurs on computer use, try any of the following troubleshooting:

  • Update the browser you are using by checking on the respective official websites. Download and install to completely update.
  • Check the browser's extension and plugins. Some video problems are as a result of turning off extensions and plugins that play part in video streaming. In case the problem is not solved after turning them on, reset the browser to default mode. Alternatively check their current updates.
  • Enable JavaScript. Check under settings of any of the browser's and enable Java and allow all sites to run JavaScript. Refresh the browser to update the settings.
  • Clear cache and cookies. This could be caused by the data saved in the browser and may cause video problem. Be aware that clearing cache could erase browsing data.
  • The last option under browser is to check the Internet connection.

youtube video not working iphone

Part 4. Why YouTube Is Not Playing?

1. Browser Page

One of the causes could be your browser page, if this is the case, what you can do to solve the problem of "why youtube video is not playing on browser" is to refresh your browser page. Once you do this, you are good to go.

youtube not playing

2. Video Quality

YouTube has the habit of adjusting the quality of the video that you are streaming from standard definition to high definition, so that you can be able to get the best viewing experience. YouTube does this on the basis of the Internet connection speed. The video quality is determined by the size of the video player, and the quality that was used to upload the video, if it happens that the video was recorded using the standard definition, that video is definitely not going to be available in the high definition.

What you do if that is the case, you will have to change the quality of the video, you will be able to do this by going to the Gear icon and select the quality that you prefer. In order to stop this problem from occurring in the future, you can set a preference of the default video quality for all the videos.

youtube not playing

3. Browser

If your browser is outdated, your YouTube videos will not play. The reason behind this problem is that, an old browser does not have the ability of taking advantage of the speed as well as the security that has been embraced by the new technology. If this is the problem, what you do is to upgrade the browser to an up to date version.

youtube not playing videos

4. Adobe Flash Player

This is a plug in that is used by your web browser, Adobe Flash Player streams, most of the YouTube videos. When you have the latest version, you are able to have a very good viewing experience.

About Adobe Flash Player >>

Install the Latest Adobe Flash Player >>

youtube not playing problem

5. Cache and Cookies

Cache and cookies could also cause YouTube videos’ playback issue. If this is the case, what you should do is to clear them and afterwards before you try to play your video again you should first restart your browser.

Chrome: Click Chrome Menu > Settings > Show Advanced Settings > Clear Browsing Data > Empty the Cache/Delete Cookies;
Firefox: Click Firefox Menu > History > Clear Recent History > Details > Cache > Clear Now;
Safari (for Mac OS X): Click Safari Menu > Empty Cache > Empty;
IE: Click Gear icon > Safety > Delete Browsing History > Temporary Internet Files/ Preserve Favorites Website Data > Delete.

youtube not playing mac

6. JavaScript

For many features to work, JavaScript is a requirement on your browser. If it is not enabled the YouTube video that you are trying to play might not play. So what you are supposed to do is to enable JavaScript in order for the features that need it, can have access to it and be able to work the way they should.

At times, it could be devastating when YouTube is not able to play a video that you want to view. The issues above could be the causes. All you have to do is follow the solutions that have been provided and fix YouTube problem.

not playing youtube

You can also free download videos from YouTube without worrying about the playback issue.

Part 5. Troubleshooting on YouTube Playback Problems

1. YouTube Not Playing Sound

There are at times when you play a video on YouTube and the sound does not play. When this happens to you, you can try to solve the problem by using the steps below.

Solutions:

  • Adjust the volume on both your speakers and your computers;
  • Adjust the volume control located at the left corner of the YouTube video player;
  • Try to restart your browser;
  • If you have other players such as Windows Media Player, QuickTime or Real Player, you can try to turn up the volume.

Additional Tips:

  • If your Flash Player is outdated, you should install the latest version;
  • On your computer, allow a third party Flash content;
  • Check any Firewall as well as antivirus software, so that you can find out if it is blocking the third party Flash content.

youtube not playing sound

2. YouTube Videos Not Playing in Chrome or Safari

When this happens to you, it can really get on your nerves, the problem could be with the cache or even the adobe flash player. Below are the solutions to this problem.

Solutions (take Chrome as an example):

  • Ensure that your cache as well as your browsing history has been cleared. After this is done, restart Chrome;
  • Upgrade Chrome as well as the Adobe Flash to the latest version. Once this has been done, you reboot and then go ahead and reinstall again.

youtube videos not playing in chrome

3. YouTube Video Does Not Start

If this problem occurs, your internet connection is the first thing that you should check. The reason for doing this is that YouTube is a heavy bandwidth consumer. Even for the low quality videos, fast internet connection is required. If the internet connection is good and your video still will not start, the problem might be the browser cache, Adobe Flash Player, or Firewalls. Below are the solutions to this problem.

Solutions:

  • When the temporary internet files folder becomes full, you are supposed to empty it;
  • You should install the latest as well as the most stable version of Adobe Flash Player;
  • Ensure that the JavaScript is turned on;
  • For you to be able to control the incoming as well as the outgoing network traffic and keep the network secure, you need Firewall. If there is software that is blocking the Firewall, you should uninstall it.

youtube video not start

4. YouTube Video Gets Stuck

Uploading a video on YouTube depends on a number of things such as the format of your video, internet bandwidth, file size, as well as upload traffic. If your video gets stuck, below are the issues and the solutions to those the issues.

Solutions:

  • Slow internet connection: you should always ensure that your internet connection is fast and stable, before you can try playing your video;
  • File type and size: for this problem you should encode your YouTube videos in a format that is recommended;
  • Upload traffic: if the traffic is heavy, it means that you are uploading during a busy time. The solution to this problem is to wait and upload the video later when the traffic is not heavy.

youtube video gets stuck

5. Other Solutions to Solve YouTube Videos Not Playing

You can also use the below methods to avoid any YouTube not playing problems.

  • Ensure that your cache as well as your browsing history has been cleared;
  • Ensure that the JavaScript is enabled;
  • If there is software that is blocking the Firewall, you should uninstall it;
  • You should install the latest as well as the most stable version of Adobe Flash Player;
  • Ensure that the internet connection is good;
  • Check on the upload traffic.

Top Download Products

iMusic
iMusic

An ultimate all-in-one music manager to download music, transfer music between iPhone/iPad/iPod and iTunes/PC, and clean up music collection.

iTube HD Video Downloader
iTube HD Video Downloader

iTube HD Video Downloader can download videos in HD from more than 10,000 sites, like YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and so on.

Steven Wilson

staff Editor

0 Comment(s)
> Resources > Video Resources & Tips > Fixed All 'YouTube Videos Not Playing' Problems

All Topics