Google is responsible for both YouTube and the Chrome web browser, but that doesn’t mean they always work together perfectly. There are several things you can try when YouTube isn’t working in Chrome.

Causes of YouTube Not Working in Chrome

To get YouTube working again in the Chrome browser, you need to address the underlying problem. Issues that could prevent YouTube from playing videos include:

Instructions in this article apply to the Google Chrome web browser for Windows and Mac.

  • Corrupted local data in the web browser.Incompatible browser extensions.Disabled JavaScript.Slow internet connections.Problems with your internet service provider (ISP) or home network equipment.

How to Fix YouTube in Chrome

Before you begin, update Chrome to make sure you’re using the latest version. Try each of the following steps until YouTube starts working again:

  • Close and restart Chrome. If you have multiple Chrome windows open, close all the windows. If YouTube still doesn’t work, force-quit Chrome to make sure that it has completely closed down.
  • Enable JavaScript. If JavaScript is disabled in Chrome settings, turn it on to enable video playback.
  • Turn off hardware acceleration and enable JavaScript. When you turn on the hardware acceleration feature in Chrome, it can sometimes prevent videos from playing.
  • Clear the Chrome cache and cookies. Clearing the cache and cookies gets rid of corrupted data that can prevent YouTube from working in Chrome.
  • Use Incognito mode. The Chrome Incognito mode doesn’t prevent external sites from tracking you, but it does prevent extensions that might interfere with YouTube.
  • If YouTube works in incognito mode, disable your Chrome extensions one by one to figure out which one is causing problems with YouTube.
  • Power cycle your network hardware. Restart the modem and router by unplugging them from the power source and plugging them back in.
  • Leave each component unplugged for 10 to 20 seconds to make sure that your network hardware has fully power cycled.
  • Check your internet connection speed. Test your internet speed with an internet speed test site. If it’s too slow, take steps to increase your internet speed.
  • YouTube recommends a connection speed of at least 500 Kbps for low-quality video and 1+ Mbps for high-quality video.
  • Reset Chrome. Reset Google Chrome to its default settings to get it back to the state it was in when you first installed it.
  • If you reset Chrome, you’ll lose your custom home pages, pinned tabs, extensions, and themes.
  • Remove and reinstall Chrome. If YouTube still doesn’t work, uninstall Chrome and then reinstall Chrome for your OS.

These same steps can be helpful when Chrome is not playing videos from any website.

Close and restart Chrome. If you have multiple Chrome windows open, close all the windows. If YouTube still doesn’t work, force-quit Chrome to make sure that it has completely closed down.

Enable JavaScript. If JavaScript is disabled in Chrome settings, turn it on to enable video playback.

Turn off hardware acceleration and enable JavaScript. When you turn on the hardware acceleration feature in Chrome, it can sometimes prevent videos from playing.

Clear the Chrome cache and cookies. Clearing the cache and cookies gets rid of corrupted data that can prevent YouTube from working in Chrome.

Use Incognito mode. The Chrome Incognito mode doesn’t prevent external sites from tracking you, but it does prevent extensions that might interfere with YouTube.

If YouTube works in incognito mode, disable your Chrome extensions one by one to figure out which one is causing problems with YouTube.

Power cycle your network hardware. Restart the modem and router by unplugging them from the power source and plugging them back in.

Leave each component unplugged for 10 to 20 seconds to make sure that your network hardware has fully power cycled.

Check your internet connection speed. Test your internet speed with an internet speed test site. If it’s too slow, take steps to increase your internet speed.

YouTube recommends a connection speed of at least 500 Kbps for low-quality video and 1+ Mbps for high-quality video.

Reset Chrome. Reset Google Chrome to its default settings to get it back to the state it was in when you first installed it.

If you reset Chrome, you’ll lose your custom home pages, pinned tabs, extensions, and themes.

Remove and reinstall Chrome. If YouTube still doesn’t work, uninstall Chrome and then reinstall Chrome for your OS.

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