What are the reasons for YouTube not working? In this article we’ll explore over 15 things you can try when you find that YouTube just isn’t working right. At least one of these tips should fix your issue.
Is YouTube Down?
If you can’t even get to the YouTube website, there could be a potential problem with the site itself. This is always the first thing you should check. Because if there is a problem with YouTube, it’s likely impacting many thousands of users across the globe. The best two sites to check for this is Downdetector or Outage.Report. On Downdetector, you’ll see a graph showing the number of users who’ve had YouTube problems in the last 24 hours. There’s also a I have a problem with Youtube button you can use to report your issue. Outage.Report displays a map of the world with a heat map showing which regions of the world are having the most problems with the site.
Is YouTube Having Technical Issues?
The next thing to check is, even though you can access YouTube, is the site having internal technical issues? This happens more often than people think. Some issues that can represent internal technical issues:
Specific buttons not working.Menus behaving strangely.Video control buttons not working right.White or black video when you press the play button.
The Youtube Help page is the place to go to search for the specific issue you’re seeing. You may find that other users have had the same issues in the past, and you can learn from the solutions within the community. You could also discover that the issue is an internal YouTube technical glitch, and all you need to do is wait.
Are YouTube Ads Causing The Problem?
Another common issue that can happen when you try to play YouTube videos is that the video won’t play. Or it’ll play after multiple attempts and then stop playing again. Before you attempt all of the fixes below, it’s a good idea to make sure the ads on the video aren’t causing the problem. To test if this is the case, select the link to the channel page that contains the entire playlist of videos, including the one you can’t play. This issue can happen when a setting in your Google account is blocking videos with YouTube ads. To test if this is the case, create a new test Google account and see if it plays the video fine. If it does, this is likely the case. To fix this issue with YouTube not working: If this is turned off, it could potentially impact whether or not you can play some YouTube videos with ads. Enabling it could fix this issue.
Is It a Private Video?
If you’re trying to view a private video, you’ll need to make sure that you’ve been invited to view the video before you can play it. Make sure the person who created the private video knows how to change the video privacy settings. To be able to view private videos you’ve been invited to view:
Update YouTube App On Mobile Devices
If YouTube videos aren’t working on your mobile phone, you may need to update the YouTube app. This is because some updates may break old versions of YouTube on mobile devices where the app hasn’t been updated yet. Updating the app can resolve those issues. To do this on Android: To update the YouTube app on iOS devices: Once the YouTube app is updated, restart your mobile device. Then reopen the app and try viewing the YouTube video again.
Make Sure The Browser Isn’t Causing Problems
If you’re using Chrome to view YouTube videos, there are a number of Chrome settings that could cause YouTube to stop working. Try all of the following fixes on the Chrome browser to fix the issue.
Clear Cookies and Cache
Clearing all cookies and cache in Chrome often fixes numerous YouTube issues. To do this:
Update Chrome
Sometimes, recent Chrome updates can lead to older versions of Chrome having issues playing YouTube videos. You can resolve this by updating your version of Chrome to the most recent version. To do this:
Check Proxy Settings
Sometimes, malicious apps or browser extensions may update your proxy settings and cause issues with using YouTube. To set your Chrome proxy settings back to default: If you’re using a browser on a company network that uses manual proxy settings, reach out to your IT department to find out what those are and get help setting them back to the correct settings.
Enable Javascript
YouTube needs Javascript enabled in your Chrome browser in order to work properly. To do this:
Disable Ad Blocker and Use Different Browser
Ad blockers usually don’t cause any problems in YouTube, but depending on what ad blocker you are using and what settings you have enabled in your ad blocker, it’s worth trying to disable to make sure that’s not causing the problem. In addition to ad blockers, other plugins like Disconnect, Privacy Badger, ScriptSafe, etc. can block certain elements on YouTube that may prevent the videos from playing. Lastly, if you’re using a browser like Brave, it has some very strict default privacy features that could be causing issues with YouTube. Try a different browser and see if that fixes the issue. If it does, try disabling all add-ons and any browser privacy features.
Check Your Internet Connection
It seems obvious, but many people don’t realize that YouTube isn’t working because they’ve lost their internet connection. If your internet connection is bad, you’ll need to troubleshoot the internet connection before you can test YouTube again. A couple of quick fixes that can get your internet working properly again is to flush your DNS settings, and reset your network settings.
Update Graphics Driver
If you’re seeing a black, white, or green screen when trying to play YouTube videos, the issue could be your graphics driver. A quick fix for this is making sure you have the latest driver for your graphics card. Restart your computer once drivers are updated.
Disable Hardware Acceleration
For the best quality video while watching YouTube, enabling hardware acceleration is a good option. However, on older computers it can cause performance problems. To see if this is the issue, try disabling hardware acceleration.
Sync Time, Date, And Region
One odd behavior not many people think about is what happens when your time zone is incorrectly set on your computer. This can lead to YouTube videos not working properly, and may just show the loading sign constantly. You can quickly check this setting to make sure it’s not causing the problem. On a Mac: Restart your system for your time and timezone to get updated automatically by your system.
Uninstall Conflicting Apps
Sometimes, malicious apps you recently installed can cause issues with playing YouTube videos. Uninstalling those apps will often resolve the issue with YouTube not working. You can check for apps you’ve recently installed and uninstall them. Also have Chrome search for and clean up any harmful software on your system. To do this: The scan only takes a few minutes, but it’s worth doing to make sure there isn’t any harmful software on your system that could be causing conflicts with playing YouTube videos.
Other Fixes When YouTube Is Not Working
If all else fails, the YouTube video you’re trying to view may be restricted in your region. A good workaround for this is to try using a VPN service to access the YouTube video you want to watch. This “tricks” YouTube into thinking you’re connecting from a different country, which may allow you to view the video. Another fix that has worked for different people is making sure you have the latest Windows updates installed on your system. It’s a good idea to enable automatic updates so this doesn’t cause a problem with viewing YouTube videos. Hopefully one of these fixes has resolved the issue you’re having with YouTube videos not working. Share which fix worked for you, or if you’re still having issues, in the comments section below.
