YouTube Not Working? Try These Quick Fixes [14 Methods]

Here we demonstrate the quick and easy fixes to solve ‘YouTube Not Working’ issues with stepwise explanation and screenshots:

YouTube is a high user base multimedia platform as almost every user that has a device uses it to watch or share videos. The largest video sharing platform has nowadays turned into a platform for exposure.

But have you ever gone through a situation when your YouTube app isn’t loading, your videos are buffering endlessly, you cannot hear the videos or something which is stopping you from using the platform?

If yes, you need not worry about this even a little as we will help you get out of similar issues so that you can start watching and sharing your favorite videos again. In this article, we will discuss one such issue known as YouTube not loading error and will explain various ways to fix it.

YouTube Not Working: Quick Fixes

Ways To Fix YouTube Not Working Errors

There are numerous ways to fix YouTube not loading errors, and some of them are listed below:

Method 1: Restart

If you are unable to access YouTube from your browser, then you should restart the system and try again to open it from the browser.

Follow the steps listed below to restart the system:

#1) Click on the “Start” button. Click on the “Power off” button, and a drop-down list will appear.

#2) Click on “Restart” as shown in the image below.

Method 2: Update Driver

The drivers play a major role in the smooth functioning of the system, as they make sure that all the services are well synced with the required system permissions. So you must update drivers to make sure that YouTube not working error is fixed.

Follow these steps:

#1) Right-click on the “Windows” icon and click on “Device Manager”.

#2) The Device Manager window will open. Right-click on “Display adapters” drivers one by one, and click on “Update Driver” as shown in the image below.

Method 3: Relaunch Browser

Chrome provides its users with the feature to relaunch the browser, which might fix any basic issue with the browser, so you must close the browser and then double click on the browser icon to relaunch the browser.

Method 4: Update System

Windows provides its users with the feature to develop fixes and update the bugs in the system. Therefore, Windows releases various updates for its users and you must update the system to the latest version of the operating system.

Follow the steps listed below to update the system to the latest version:

#1) Click on the ‘’Settings” option, after which the Settings window will open as you can see in the image below. Now click on the “Update & Security” option.

#2) In the next step, you will see the Update & Security window. Now, the system will automatically start checking for updates. After the updates are checked, the system will start downloading them, as you can see in the image below.

Method 5: Check Date and Time

When a user tries to connect to the Internet from the system, then the logs of the connection files are created. In these logs, the time and date on the system are verified to the date and time on the Internet. If the date and time are not verified, then you cannot establish a connection.

Follow the steps listed below to check the Date and Time:

#1) Open settings and click on “Time & language” as shown in the image below.

#2) Push the slider titled “Set time automatically” to the On position, as shown in the image below.

Method 6: Check the Internet

You must make sure that the system is connected to the Internet. So, you can check the Internet connection by clicking on the connection option on the system. Also, you can check the Internet connection by opening any website on the browser.

Method 7: Check If YouTube is Down

There are instances when the websites are put down because of any unwanted attack on the website or when the website is under maintenance. Therefore, you must make sure that the YouTube website is not down for any reason.

Method 8: Clear Cache

The cache plays a major role in the system as they store the logs of the user and the temporary data of the websites. The browser has limited space for the browser cache, so you must clear this browser cache to allow the system to work smoothly and fix why is YouTube not working on my computer.

Follow the steps below:

#1) Open the Chrome browser, click on the menu and then click on “Settings” as shown in the image below.

#2) Now, click on “Clear browsing data”.

#3) A dialog box will appear. Then click on “Clear data”.

Following the steps mentioned above, the Google Chrome cache can be cleared.

Method 9: Run Troubleshooter

Windows provides its users with a troubleshooter, which allows them to locate and fix various errors on the system. Therefore, the system is equipped with a network troubleshooter which discovers any possible causes of YouTube not working error and provides fixes for the same.

Follow the steps listed below to run a network troubleshooter:

#1) Open Settings and click on “Network & Internet” as shown in the image below.

#2) Click on “Status”, and then on “Network troubleshooter” as shown below.

Method 10: Check Hosts Files

The host files in the system are the files that contain the network information and by adding the link to the website in this file, you can block access to the website. So you must make sure that the link to the YouTube website isn’t added to the host file.

Follow the steps mentioned below to access the host file to fix why is YouTube not loading videos error:

#1) Click on the Start button and search for “Notepad”, right-click on Notepad and click on “Run as administrator” as shown in the image below.

#2) Click on “File” and click on “Open” as shown below.

#3) A dialog box will open, etc folder by following the address mentioned in the image. Select the “hosts” file and click on the “Open” button.

#4) At the end of the file, type ”127.0.0.1”, and add the link of the website that needed to be blocked as shown in the image below.

Now restart the system and the website will be blocked.

Method 11: Control Hardware Acceleration

Chrome provides its users with the feature called hardware acceleration, which allows them to increase the working and efficiency of the hardware devices. But this feature sometimes results in a few bugs, so you must try disabling the hardware acceleration in Chrome by following the steps listed below to fix the YouTube videos not loading error.

#1) Open Chrome Settings and click on “Advanced” as shown in the image below.

#2) Under the System heading, toggle “Use hardware acceleration when available” to off, as shown below.

Method 12: Clear DNS Cache

The DNS acts as a directory that stores the information on the domain names of the website. Therefore, if you are unable to access the website, then follow the steps mentioned below to clear the DNS cache to fix YouTube won’t load error.

#1) Press Windows + R from the keyboard and search for “cmd”. Click on “OK” and the command prompt will open, as shown in the image below.

#2) Type “ipconfig/flushdns” to reset the DNS cache as shown in the image below.

Method 13: Check Proxy Settings

Windows provides its users with an extra layer of security, which is known as Proxy Settings. But sometimes the proxy settings do not allow the users to set up a connection with the website. So you must disable proxy settings in the settings by following the steps listed below to fix YouTube is not working error.

#1) Open settings and click on “Network & Internet” as shown in the image below.

#2) Click on “proxy” and turn off “Automatically detect settings” and “Use a proxy server” as shown in the image below.

Method 14: Take a Line Test

The line test is a simple test that any user can perform. In this test, you have to hold the wire from the router port and then follow the connection medium from the router to the system. So the user must perform this line test to make sure that the wire is not broken or has a cut at any point.

Suggested Reading => How to Delete a YouTube Account

Frequently Asked Questions

Q #1) Why YouTube is not working today?

Answer: YouTube not working is a common error faced by the users, there can be a variety of reasons responsible for this error. Try restarting your system and then try again to open YouTube.

Q #2) How do I fix YouTube not working error?

Answer: Various methods can allow you to fix YouTube not working error and some of them are listed below:

• Restart system
• Run Network Troubleshooter
• Update Drivers
• Clear cache and cookies
• Check Hosts file

Q #3) Why does my YouTube video not play?

Answer: There can be numerous reasons which can be responsible for this error and some of them are listed below.

• Slow Internet connection
• Leakage in the wire
• Driver error
• System incompatibility

Q #4) How do I reset my YouTube?

Answer: You can easily reset YouTube by clearing all cache and cookies in the browser and then by flushing the DNS.

Q #5) How do I fix the server error?

Answer: There are various ways to fix server errors and some of them are listed below:

• Reload browser
• Clear cache
• Use VPN
• Try again later

Q #6) How do I refresh my YouTube?

Answer: The user can refresh YouTube easily by clearing cookies and then clicking on the refresh button in the browser.

Q #7) Is YouTube going to shut down?

Answer: No, these rumors are not at all true and YouTube will not shut down.

Conclusion

For most users, YouTube has become a part of their daily lives. A student learns from YouTube, a person listens to music on YouTube, people share ideas on YouTube and there is even much more to it. YouTube is a vast platform with a very large user base.

But there are times when your YouTube videos might buffer endlessly or you might not able to use the platform at all. In such situations, the very first thing that you could do is to check whether the problem is on your end or with YouTube itself.

In this article, we discussed one such issue called YouTube not working and learned various ways to fix it so that you can use the largest video sharing platform efficiently and endlessly.