Here Are the Top 7 Video Not Playing Solutions

Eleanor Reed

Nov 13, 2020 • Filed to: Photo/Video/Audio Solutions • Proven solutions

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Let's face it – there are times when we all encounter video playback problems are not able to watch some videos. A while back, when I could not play a video, I realized that the issue can happen due to so many causes. Surprisingly, there are different ways to repair a damaged video that one should know about. If you also deal with video recording, playback, or editing, then this would be an essential guide for you. After carefully applying various methods, I have come up with these solutions to fix the videos not playing problem.

Part 1: Why are Videos Not Playing on a Computer

Whenever I realize that my videos are not playing, I try to diagnose the problem first. Therefore, to fix the computer not playing video problems, you should check its symptoms and identify its causes for a simple solution.

Common Video Not Playing Symptoms

Common Video Not Playing Reasons

Part 2: How to Fix Videos Not Playing on a Computer

If you cannot play videos on your computer, then you can diagnose the issues and go with an ideal fix. Ideally, there are different ways to repair a damaged video and overcome common video playback problems. I would recommend trying these solutions to learn how to repair a video easily.

Solution 1: Repair Corrupt Videos with a Reliable Tool

By following the above-listed solutions, you would be able to fix an app or driver related issue. Though, if the video you are trying to play has been corrupted, then you should consider using Wondershare Video Repair. It is a highly advanced and user-friendly DIY application that can fix all kinds of video issues. From audio/video sync to grainy videos and damaged frames to a corrupted file, there are several issues that this professional application can fix. Here's how to repair videos in no time using this reliable video repair application.

Step 1: Load the damaged video files

To begin with, simply launch the Wondershare Video Repair application on your system and load the corrupt video files. You can click on the add button to launch a browser window or simply drag and drop the files you wish to fix.

Step 2: Do a Quick Video Repair

Once you add the corrupt videos, the application will display their details. You can now click on the "Repair" button to commence the quick repairing operation.

Now, you can just wait for a while as Recoverit will try to fix the corrupt video and its issues. You can view the results in the end and save the files to any location.

Step 3: Perform an Optional Advanced Repair

If you are not satisfied with the results of the Quick Repair, then you can do an Advanced Video Repair as well by clicking on its option at the bottom.

To proceed, you have to load a sample video to the application that it will keep as a reference. The sample video should be a working file that has been shot on the same device as the corrupt video and of the identical file format.

Step 4: Save the Repaired Videos

In the end, the application will let you preview the results and check if the video has been repaired or not. You can now choose to save the repaired videos and just go to the location where you wish to save the video files.

Solution 2: Adjust the Audio-Video Syncing Features

Having problems with the audio or video components are some of the most common Windows 10/8/7 video playback issues. In some of the cases, the playback issue is resulted from changing some settings in media players as well. Therefore, you can easily fix these videos not playing properly problems with the help of a reliable media player.

1. Firstly, launch the VLC Media Player, go to its Preferences, and make sure that you have enabled both the audio and video components.

2. If there is a syncing issue, then you can go to its Settings > Adjustment and Effects > Synchronization. From here, you can change the delay factor for the audio track synchronization under the Audio/Video feature. You would have to try and test the delay value to make sure the track is synchronized.

3. Similarly, you can also take the assistance of Windows Media Player to fix the videos not playing on Windows 10/8/7 properly. Just launch Windows Media Player and go to its Menu > Options > Performance. From here, you can add a buffer or drop some frames to keep the video-audio components synchronized.

Solution 3: Fix the Damaged Video Header

You might not know, but a header is one of the most important parts of a video file. It stores crucial information about the video chunk and how it would be used. Therefore, if the file's header has been damaged or compromised, then it can result in video playback problems. To analyze it, you can use Wondershare Video Repair and even try to resolve the problem. Though, to fix the hexadecimal header, you need to know its coding else you can cause more harm to the file than good.

Solution 4: Use a Media Player (like VLC) to Fix the Video

If there is only a minor issue with your video, then you can use a reliable media player like VLC to fix it as well. Since VLC Media Player has an inbuilt feature that can fix a few video issues, you can just turn it on and load the corrupt video on it. This will let you fix the video not playing on Windows 10, 8, 7, and other compatible versions.

1. Firstly, launch the VLC Media Player and go to its Menu > Tools > Preferences.

2. As the Preferences window will open, go to the Input/Codecs section.

3. Here, you can view an option for damaged or incomplete files. Change it and make sure you switch it to the "Always Fix" feature.

4. Afterward, try to load the corrupt video again and check if you still get any playback issue or not.

Solution 5: Change the Video Output Mode

Every system supports a wide range of output schemes, but the DirectX and OpenGL are the most popular options. While DirectX is mostly used to play video, media, sound, etc. OpenGL is a cross-platform scheme related to graphical API. Therefore, a change in the output mode can also fix the videos not playing issues at times (resulted from compatibility errors).

1. There are options in almost all the leading media players that can help us switch the output mode. If you use VLC, then go to its Tools > Preferences > Video tab.

2. Under the Output field, you can mark a relevant choice like OpenGL, DirectX, or just make it automatic as well.

3. Afterward, try to play the corrupt video again and check if it repairs the damaged video or not.

Solution 6: Alter the Codec and Other Video Settings

Codec is another essential principle in video playback that defines how the file is coded (and decoded). If the codec scheme of the video is not supported by your system or the media player, then it can cause several issues with it. To fix the videos not playing issue caused by the Codec errors, follow these steps:

1. Firstly, you can use any free video analyzer application (like Media Info) to know the present codec scheme of the file. This will help you know if the scheme is supported by the player or not.

2. If you still could not play a video, then try to make some changes in the Codec setting of the player. For instance, you can go to the VLC player's Preferences > Advances Preferences > Input/Codecs Settings and make the needed changes.

3. To fix buffering and caching issues with the video, you can also make changes to the File Caching feature here.

Solution 7: Update the System Drivers

Sometimes, the issue is not with the video or the media player at all, but with the drivers that are installed on the system. For instance, if you are still running outdated display, sound, or network drivers, then you might encounter video playback issues on your system.

1. To update the system's drivers, go to the Start menu and launch the Device Manager application.

2. Here, you can view a list of all the installed drivers on your system. To fix audio/video issues, just select the sound or display drivers, right-click, and choose to update them.

3. If online videos are not playing, then you can select the network adapter or drivers too, and update them from here.

4. Furthermore, you can also just disable a driver, wait for a while, and enable it again to reset it and fix issues like offline or online videos not playing.

Part 3: Extra Information: Different Video Playback Issues

Apart from facing a video not playing problem, there are several other playback issues that you might encounter as well. Let's have a look at some of these video playback problems and their complete solution.

Different Video Playback Problems

How to Repair Damaged Videos and Playback Errors?

Since there can be so many video playback issues as discussed above, you can simply use an all-in-one video repairing application. The good thing is that Wondershare Video Repair fully supports all the above-listed video playback problems and other issues as well. I have already provided a stepwise solution to use Wondershare Video Repair and its click-through process. You can load all kinds of video files in formats like AVI, MP4, MPEG, FLV, 3GP, etc. and fix numerous issues with the video playback. In the end, you can save the video on a secure location and play it without encountering any playback issue.

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Part 4: How to Prevent "Video Will Not Play" Problems

I'm sure that after following this guide, you would be able to understand how to repair videos and fix the videos not playing problem. Though, if you don't want to encounter the issue, to begin with, then follow these suggestions:

The ball is in your court now as you can easily teach anyone how to repair videos in different ways. Though, to repair damaged videos under different scenarios, you can simply use a complete solution like Wondershare Video Repair. The DIY tool is already trusted by experts and can fix multiple videos in one go. It also does not put any size restrictions on the video file as well, providing an ultimate solution for video not playing problems of all kinds. Now, just free download the software and fix broken video files right away.