Going by user reports the problem of YouTube not working or YouTube Videos not playing on a Windows computer can manifest in different ways.
While some users have reported about YouTube videos not at all loading or getting stuck, others have reported seeing a black screen or blank videos while trying to use YouTube.
In our own case, YouTube came up with an error message reading “An error has occurred”, while trying to play YouTube Videos on a Windows 11 computer.
YouTube Videos Not Playing on Windows Computer
In most cases, the problem of YouTube videos not playing or YouTube not working on a Windows laptop or desktop computer can be fixed using the following methods.
1. Power Flush Modem/Router
In many cases, the problem of YouTube not working is due to network connectivity problems caused by a glitch in the Modem/Router.
Hence, unplug the Modem/Router from its Power Supply Source and wait for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, plug the Router/Modem back to its Power Supply Source.
Wait for the Router/Modem to fully restart (all lights switched ON) and check to see if YouTube is now working properly on your computer.
2. Clear the Browser Cache
Over a period of time, the browser cache on the computer can get clogged up and lead to problems.
1. Open Google Chrome > click on 3-dots menu icon > select Delete Browsing Data option in the drop-down menu.
2. On the next screen, switch to Advanced tab > select All Time as the Time Range > make sure All Items are selected and click on Clear Data button.
3. Once the Cache is cleared, Restart the browser and see if you can play YouTube videos.
3. Check If YouTube is Down
While YouTube is known to have a very high uptime, it is not uncommon for even the most reliable services to go through problems and become temporarily unavailable.
You can check and confirm whether YouTube is suffering from an outage by going to Downdetector or Outage.Report.
If YouTube is down, you will have to wait till regular YouTube service is restored by Google.
4. Update Graphics Card Driver
The problem might be due to the Graphics Card driver on your computer not being updated.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Device Manager.
2. On Device Manager screen, expand the entry for Display Adapters > right-click on the listed Graphics Driver and click on Update driver.
3. On the next screen, select Search automatically for updated driver software option and follow the onscreen instructions to update the Driver.
After updating the Graphics Card Driver, Restart the computer and see if the problem is now fixed.
5. Disable/Remove Browser Extensions
The problem might be due to a browser extension preventing YouTube from functioning properly.
1. Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.
2. Click on 3-dots menu icon > Hoover mouse over Extension > click on Manage Extensions.
3. On the next screen, disable Extensions by moving the toggle to OFF position. If an extension is unnecessary, click on Remove to uninstall the extension.
4. Restart Chrome browser and try to download the file again.
After disabling/removing the extensions, restart the browser and try to use YouTube.
6. Update Chrome Browser
Make sure that you are using the latest version of Google Chrome browser on your computer.
1. Open the Chrome browser on your computer.
2. Click on 3-dots menu icon > Hoover mouse over Help and click on About Google Chrome.
3. On the next screen, wait for Google Chrome to check and apply updates (if available).
7. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Disabling the Hardware acceleration feature in Google Chrome browser can help, if you are using a budget computer with low RAM capacity.
1. Open Chrome browser > click on 3-dots Icon and select Settings in the drop-down menu.
2. On the Settings screen, select System in the left-pane. In the right-pane, disable Use hardware acceleration when available option.
3. Restart Chrome browser and see if you are able to load the webpage.