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Videos Not Playing on Chrome? Solved It with 10 Solutions

video not playing on chrome

Google Chrome is a great browser to watch videos online. However, because of different factors at play, you may not be able to achieve this goal. You will learn why videos are not playing on Chrome and you will be shown various solutions for fixing the problem of Chrome not playing videos or embed video cannot be played. To avoid future reoccurrence, you will also learn how to properly play videos on Chrome.

Part 1: Why Videos Are Not Playing on Chrome

When videos start becoming slow, blurry, or showing error messages, then these are signs that Chrome can't play videos. These symptoms all indicate that Chrome cannot load, play, or simply stream videos from sites such as YouTube. It is important you know the reasons why videos not playing on Chrome:

An Outdated Chrome Browser: 

This is usually the first reason why videos encounter challenges and refuse to play on Chrome. Every new update of the browser has additional features to make for more effective handling of new requirements of videos. If Chrome is outdated, it is bound to be lacking in playing videos online.

A Disabled JavaScript: 

Some websites require JavaScript to be able to play videos. Meanwhile, Chrome disables certain programs like JavaScript for security reasons, especially if your system has once been attacked or almost attacked by malware. Thus, a problem arises.

Computer Multitasking Too Many Operations: 

When there are too many open tabs and running operations on your Chrome, they are bound to slow down the browser. This may consequently affect videos and stop them from playing on any website you go to.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) Problems: 

Your internet service provider may have network challenges that may, in turn, affect your network connection and lead to videos not loading or loading slowly. Also, your home internal network connection through network cables and Wi-Fi could be having some issues which will affect any browsing you are doing on your system.

Disabled Flash Player:

Adobe Flash has some security issues as a "legacy" program. This has made browser developers such as Google stop using it. Unfortunately, videos on some sites haven't been updated to work without this "Flash" which makes it impossible for you to play such videos.

Part 2: 9 Common Solutions to Fix Videos Not Playing on Chrome

This part will explain how to fix any video that is not playing on Chrome. The availability of several solutions is to give you a comprehensive list of options to pick from. They include the following:

1. Enable Flash Player:

This applies to a scenario where you have a flash video to watch and your computer doesn't have a flash player. Here, you will most likely see a message that asks you to "Click to enable Adobe Flash Player". If this message doesn't pop up, you can manually check to ensure that the flash is enabled or allowed. Do this by following the steps below:

  • Launch Google Chrome on your PC

  • Open the website that contains the video which you cannot play

  • Select the icon representing "Lock" ("info", in some cases, represented as the icon "! in a circle"). This is found when you look to the left part of the address bar.

launch chrome on pc

  • On the list that is revealed, look for "Flash" and click on the arrow which is located on the right side of the icon. Choose "Allow"

launch chrome on pc

  • Now, refresh the page and try playing your video once again.

Note: If you confirm that the not playing issue is caused by some video file errors, directly check the fixer - Wondershare Repairit or Part 3 to repair damaged video files. Otherwise, please move on to the next method.

2. Clear Cookies and Cache:

Accumulated data in the form of cache and cookies tend to prevent videos from playing on Chrome. Get rid of these corrupted cookies, history, passwords, and any other browsing data, to free up space for new videos to load and play. You can achieve this through the following:

  • Select the "More" icon (three vertical lines or dots at the top right of Chrome)

  • Let your cursor hover above "More tools" and from there, choose "Clear browsing data"

clear browsing data

  • On the new window that pops up, click the "Time range" tab. From the menu that drops down, choose the option "All time"

  • Click "Clear data"

clear data all time

3. Restart Chrome Browser App:

You may need to quit Chrome and start it again if you cannot play videos on the browser. Ensure it has completely closed down before restarting the application. How do you restart Chrome? Follow these steps:

  • In the address bar, type in "chrome://restart". Press "Enter" on the keyboard

restart google chrome

  • You can bookmark the above URL by pressing "Ctrl" + "D" on Windows or "Cmd" + "D" on Mac.

  • Choose "Edit", then put "chrome://restart" into the field for URL

  • Choose "Save"

bookmark chrome restart url

4. Allow for JavaScript Enabling:

It has been explained that disabled JavaScript may affect videos on Chrome and stop them from playing. Therefore, you need to enable JavaScript in your Chrome settings. How do you get to Chrome settings? By following the simple steps outlined below:

  • Launch Chrome on your system

  • Select "More" (represented as three dots on the page's top right corner). Then click "Settings"

  • Scroll to the bottom and select "Advanced"

  • Go to "Privacy and security". Beneath this tab, choose "Site settings"/ "Content Settings". Next, choose "JavaScript"

privacy and security window

  • Tap to turn on the "Allowed (recommended)" option

click allowed option

  • Go back to the site where the video has refused to play, choose to "Reload" to try playing the video again.

5. Turn Off Chrome's Hardware Acceleration:

Sometimes, if your hardware acceleration feature is turned on, it could be a hindrance to videos playing properly on Chrome. You can visit Chrome's settings and disable the hardware acceleration by doing these:

  • Go to "More" > "Settings". Next, scroll down and choose "Advanced"

  • Select "System" which is located at the bottom when you scroll down

  • Tap to toggle off the button "Use hardware acceleration when available". Now play the video again to see if it works.

turn off hardware acceleration

6. Test System Extensions to Disable:

Extensions and Plug-ins tend to interfere with videos playing properly online. You can disable Chrome's extensions individually to be able to figure out the source of the problem of videos not playing in Chrome.

  • Click on the three vertical dots explained above

  • Hover the cursor over the tab "More Tools" and from here, click on "Extensions" to open a new tab

  • Ensure the video refusing to play, is open. Then begin turning off each extension one after the other by clicking on the trash image beside the extension. Reload the video after you disable each extension to check if it plays.

turn off extensions

  • If the video plays after disabling a particular extension, then it means the culprit is the extension you just disabled.

Note: Here are the specific solutions for YouTube video viewers - Fix YouTube Videos Not Playing.

7. Download Videos to Computer:

If videos will not play on your Chrome browser, you can download them from the website to your computer and watch from there. This will require you to make use of an extension so the video can successfully be downloaded from Chrome to PC. Below are steps on how to do this:

  • Follow the path: "More" > "More Tools"

  • Click on "Extensions" and scroll down to the interface to choose "Get more extensions"

  • Search for, and install the extension

  • Now, open the site with the video you wish to download, tap on the downward-facing arrow at the right side of the address bar. Click on it and download the video.

download video again

Download the videos and you can check if you can play and watch the videos smoothly. If not, it means that your video file itself is corrupted. You need to get a video repair program for assistance.

8. Update the Chrome Application:

A question you need to find answers to is this "Is my Chrome up to date?". If you cannot answer the affirmative, then it is time to update your Chrome browser application. Some videos require Chrome's latest version to play. Simply do the following and your application will be updated if it is not up to date:

  • In the Chrome browser, go to "More"

  • Choose the "Help" option

  • From the menu, select "About Google Chrome"

about google chrome

  • If there is an available update, it will automatically be downloaded.

check and download updates

9. Restore Chrome to Default Settings:

After all other options may have failed, you can try to reset Chrome settings. The steps below will be a guide for you to be able to do this:

  • In the Chrome browser, choose "More" > "Settings" "Show Advanced Settings"

  • You will see the "Reset Settings" section. Here, select "Reset".

  • Confirm again by selecting "Reset"

complete chrome reset

  • Again, click on "Reload" on the video site.

A video tutorial guide to help you better understand how to fix YouTube videos not playing on Chrome

Fix the Downloaded Videos Not Playing Caused by Video Corruptionhot

Use the Ultimate Video Repair Tool:

Some situations will require you to use a repair tool. Such situations revolve around downloaded videos on Chrome, refusing to play. In this case, the best repair tool recommended for you to use is Wondershare Repairit - Video Repair, a new product by Wondershare. Thus, if you are having problems playing say, YouTube videos, on Chrome, Wondershare Repairit will come in handy in fixing your corrupt videos. This tool fixes broken videos, as well as corrupt or damaged videos in all major video formats with a very high success rate. Check more of its advantages below:

  • Repair damaged videos with all levels of corruption, such as video not playing, video no sound, out-of-sync video or audio, video playback errors, header corruption, flickering video, missing video codec, etc.

  • Repair videos of diverse formats, including MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, FLV, MXF, KLV, INSV, M4V, WMV, MPEG, ASF, etc.

  • Repair damaged or corrupted videos caused by video compression, system crash, video format change, etc.

  • Repair critically damaged or corrupted videos available on SD cards, mobile phones, cameras, USB flash drives, etc.

  • Repairit has a quick and advanced scanning mode. You can use either depending on the level of corruption the video file has undergone.

  • Compatible with Windows PC, and Mac OS, and supports PC-to-mobile transferring/sharing.

With the steps below, you can repair corrupt videos downloaded from Chrome:

Step 1: Add Corrupted Video

In the middle of the repair tool's interface is the option "Add video and start repairing". Use it to drag and drop your corrupted video file from its location. Alternatively, you can click "Add" to perform the same function

add corrupted video

Step 2: Repair Video

Go to the blue "Repair" button, click it and start repairing the corrupted video file. This Quick repair mode will fix any error in your video file, after which a window will appear. Click "OK" to preview and save

repair the video

Step 3: Preview and Save the Repaired Video

The next thing is to preview the repaired video file, if you're satisfied with the result, just click "Save" button to save it on your computer.

preview the fixed video

Attention:
If you do not want to download a software and your corrupted video is smaller than 3GB, you can try the online version of Repairit Video Repair to get your videos repaired online with ease.

Part 4: How to Play Videos on Chrome Properly

Play videos properly on Chrome by following the solutions and steps that are described in this section below:

1. Use Chrome's Incognito Mode:

Although the incognito mode doesn't imply that external sites cannot track you, it helps to prevent the enablement of those extensions that could interfere with your videos playing properly on sites on your Chrome browser. Turn on your Chrome's incognito mode with these two steps:

  • In the Chrome app, select "More" and "New Incognito" to go to the window.

new incognito window option

  • In this new window, visit the site where you are trying to play the video and do it again

chrome new incognito mode

2. Reset the Internet Connection of Your System:

To achieve a speedy loading and playing of videos on your Chrome, you should reset your internet connection and start from afresh. How do you do this? Go with these steps:

  • Put off your PC.

  • Unplug the modem you use on your system and if you use a separate device as your wireless router, unplug the same.

  • Leave it untouched for about a minute.

  • Plug back your modem or wireless router and wait for all the lights to stop blinking.

  • Now, put on your PC.

  • "Reload" or replay the video you'd wish to play online.

Part 5: How to Prevent "Videos Not Playing on Chrome" Issue?

You can prevent the problem of Chrome not playing videos by following some measures that will be suggested here. These measures and tips are simplified as follows:

Regularly clear the cookies and cache that gather up in your browser in the form of browsing data. This is pertinent because if browser history and other data are gathered up as cache and cookies, they pose a problem to Chrome. Eventually, it becomes difficult to play new videos.

Do not leave many different tabs open in your browser. Limit the number of open tabs as much as possible so that Chrome will not be tasked with too many operations running at the same time.

Pay attention to your internet connection, especially at home. This will enable you to know when the connection is beginning to "act up" so you can respond accordingly before it gets worse. It is advisable to refresh your connection regularly.

Ensure that your browser extensions are compatible with your system so that there will be a smooth synchronization and working of your Chrome in playing videos on your system. Also, find out the most recommended extension that will be important in downloading videos to your computer and playing them too.

Closing Words

With all the information provided in this article, you should be confident of being able to fix the issue of videos refusing to play on your Chrome browser. More so, if you download a video on Chrome and it has problems or still refuses to play, you can always turn to Wondershare Repairit Video Repair to fix the errors within your video file.

Note: But if you meet similar situations on Firefox, try solutions here-Fix Videos Not Playing on Firefox.