If you are on Windows and find that your YouTube videos do not begin playing instantly, you are not alone. Many Windows 10 users have reported the same issue on different forums. The issue affects a wide range of browsers that include Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Let us try finding the best options in how to solve the issues on YouTube if playback doesn’t begin shortly.
Quick view
How to fix YouTube if playback doesn’t begin shortly?
There can be a host of reasons that can render your YouTube not begin to play shortly. It may be due to the hardware acceleration enabled on your browser, or maybe due to the HTML5 video player incompatibility. The error message that you are most likely to encounter is If playback doesn’t begin shortly, try restarting your device.
Restarting apart, a few of the fixes that can help you find how to fix if playback doesn’t start on YouTube have been explained here in clear detail.
Fix 1 – Disable hardware Acceleration on your browser
One of the prime causes that can bring up the issue of YouTube videos not starting shortly is the hardware acceleration activated on your browser. While hardware acceleration is designed to improve your browsing experience, it may also play a spoilsport and cause a few issues. Disabling the hardware acceleration can help you address the issue.
Disabling the hardware acceleration will depend on the browser that you may be using. You may need to look for your browser help section to find how to disable hardware acceleration on your browser.
On Google Chrome, you may follow the steps here below –
- Go to Settings >Advanced Settings > System
- Locate the option for Use Hardware Acceleration When Available.
- Enable the setting
Fix 2 – Update or uninstall NVIDIA Graphics driver
The NVIDIA Graphics driver can be one of the major culprits that can be one of the reasons why playback doesn’t begin on YouTube. You can check if there is the latest update available for the graphic driver.
There are times when a recent update may have created the issues as well. You can consider uninstalling the latest update for the Nvidia graphics driver. It may also be a good idea to check for the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website as well. You can simply go to your device manager and update the driver or uninstall the latest update depending upon what has created the issue in your case.
Fix 3 – Install HTML5 player add-ons on your browser
If the HTML5 player on your browser may be one of the issues in some instances. The new HTML5 player can be one of the major issues. You can consider installing the HTML5 player add-on on your browser.
If you are on Google Chrome, you can install the add-on from the Chrome web store. You can also get access to the relevant add-on from Mozilla. The Microsoft Edge browser currently has no add-ons available as of now. However, they are planning to add support in the future.
Fix 4 – Switch your audio device.
There may be issues with your audio devices, and they may be playing a spoilsport with your YouTube playback. It may be a good idea to check to switch your audio devices and find which of them works fine.
You can switch off the audio device such as speakers and headphones that may be creating a few issues with your system. If playback doesn’t begin shortly, you can unplug your headphones and turn them on once again.
Fix 5 – Check Windows Update
A pending Windows update can also be a culprit if playback doesn’t begin shortly. Checking if you have a Windows update pending can help resolve the issues and help you get your proper playback back into working status.
You can simply go to your Windows settings and check out the options for Update & Security. If you have any Windows update pending, you can download and install the updates. Once you are updated, you can check if the issue is resolved.
The Concluding Thoughts
Facing a playback issue on YouTube can indeed be a tough issue, and you may not ideally be comfortable with it. The tips and tutorials outlined in the above discussion should help get access to a good solution if you are wondering why playback doesn’t begin on YouTube.\
Next time you have issues with YouTube, if playback doesn’t begin shortly, simply come back to us and check out the steps outlined in this compilation. Do share with us which steps in the above discussion solved the issue in your case.
